Avoiding Surprise Charges From Budget Airlines
For frequent flyers and airline travelers, the words budget airlines can either mean "great and economical" or "I'm being ripped"
. What exactly does 'budget' mean in airline terms? With so many different advertisements about the lowest airline fares, some of them sound too good to be true. Some tickets sell for as cheap as a couple of dollars, and seeing commercials and ads like these make us all want to jump on the next plane and go on a vacation.
But what exactly makes up a budget airline? Is it really the cheapest way you can enjoy warm sunny beaches or the exotic European locales?
This heavy marketing ploy has lured hundreds of customers from different parts of the country, and with definite good reason. It is just unfortunate that some airline companies, whether consciously or unconsciously mislead their clients into the lowest fares. They book the trips, unassuming and excited. That feeling quickly fades when the airport staff starts to ask them for specific fees that are completely unexpected. Some of the alleged "surprise charges" are as follows:
- Fares that are advertised do not show the extra fees and charges
- Below standard baggage weight limits
- Required web check-in fees
- Airport check-in charge
- Baggage fees without your knowledge
- Adding a "seat charge" to your bill
- Adding an insurance fee to your bill
- Your fees are transferred to your own currency
- Adding a meal to your flight without your permission
- No contact form or email address for customer feedback
How do we avoid such situations? We need to make sure that we do our research first before purchasing a ticket. Thankfully, there are a lot of customer review sites online that you can check out. Disgruntled or dissatisfied customers normally post their comments and feedback about specific airline companies, so you will know exactly what to expect. You can also ask your local travel agency for specific details around the flight, the itinerary and any other information that they can probably share with you.
There are also many resources available online. You can check out the websites of every airline you may want to fly with. Normally, these websites have e-ticket capabilities, so you can try creating your own ticket. By doing this, you can actually see what are being added to the original charges, such as donations to different organizations, seat selectors, insurance, and other things that you may not really need. Also, check on how much the airline charges for excess baggage, because in many budget airlines, the charges may be incredulously high on a per kilo basis. It would not do for you to be stuck in the lines, or to choose to leave something behind because you cannot pay for the extra charges for checking it in.
Budget airlines could still be the cheapest way to fly, but with the credit crunch and our conscious effort to save every dollar, we cannot afford to take any chances. Get the most value out of your money and avoid surprise charges from your local budget airlines!
Avoiding Surprise Charges From Budget Airlines
By: John Defoe
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