When flying commercially, outrageous charges are virtually unavoidable. These ten are the most annoying out there.
10.) Change And Cancellation Fees
I get it. Airlines don’t want to reserve a seat for someone, then have them cancel last minute and be left with an unused seat. Fair enough. But is there really no room to cut the customer a break?
Sure, when airlines mess up and overbook a flight, they’re more than happy to offer compensation for and put the flyer on another flight. How about when the customer has any sort of logistical concern or issue?
Suggested By: brzedr1, Photo Credit: Getty Images
9.) Taxes
If you’ve ever looked into the cost of your boarding pass, there’s a good chance that you’ve noticed the numerous additional charges that airlines and governments slap on. What are all of these even for?
Suggested By: echo, Photo Credit: United
8.) Overweight Baggage Fee
American Airlines charges $100 to $450 for an overweight bag.
How much of a difference does it make if a package is 49 pounds versus 53 pounds? Airlines, cut your customers some slack.
Suggested By: 450X_FTW, Photo Credit: Getty Images
7.) Wi-Fi Fee
It’s 2015. I can walk into almost any public park in New York City, and a bunch of subway stations, too, and be offered free wireless internet. But thanks to a quirk of investment in the airline market, WiFi on planes is both crappy and slow. And since the money barrier to make it better is so huge, no one feels like doing it, even though we have the technology.
Suggested By: MPA, Photo Credit: AP Images
6.) Credit Card Processing Fee
How is it morally acceptable for airlines to charge a credit card processing fee when credit cards are often the only payment method available?
Why do we, humanity, allow this?
Suggested By: POD, Photo Credit: Getty Images
5.) Carryon Fees
Okay airlines, this is where you have to make up your minds. Either charge for carryon space or charge for checked baggage storage (or neither), but don’t charge for both. Keep charging for both and I guarantee you’ll start to have travelers attempting to carry all of their toiletries in their clothing pockets, and strapped to their person in great big bandoliers of toothpaste.
Suggested By: As Du Volant, Photo Credit: Getty Images
4.) September 11th Security Fee
Can’t blame the government too much for this one, right? How else would we afford to pay for one of the US’ most useless leech agencies than to stick a mandated fee on every commercial airline flight processed?
Suggested By: ejp, Photo Credit: Getty Images
3.) One-Way Ticket Fee
Just because a customer doesn’t want to set a return date means that an airline can charge double or triple the normal roundtrip cost for a one-way ticket. Would they rather not know that they have an extra open seat available for booking other travelers?
Suggested By: Sykkelskalle, Photo Credit: Getty Images
2.) Restroom Fees
In an effort to discourage inflight bathroom usage as well as to add about six more seats to each flight, Ryanair decide that they no longer needed three bathrooms aboard their aircrafts, but only one. One, where you would have to throw in £1 for each usage.
What happens if you don’t have a British Pound Sterling or another acceptable form of cash? I guess you’re just shit out of luck.
Suggested By: DennyCraneDennyCraneDennyCrane, Photo Credit: Getty Images (787 bathroom shown)
1.) Baggage Check Fees
This goes back to the carryon fee issue. Now that many commercial airlines charge for even the first piece of checked luggage, many flyers are just trying to stuff as much as they can into their carryons. Sure, luggage weighs a bit, and weight costs fuel, and fuel costs money, but if we’re all limited by how much weight we can bring on anyways, and if there’s available space in the bottom of the plane, why can’t the passengers use it freely?
Suggested By: MonkeyPuzzle @gundara, Photo Credit: Getty Images
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