And find out how to avoid them!
This probably sounds all too familiar: you find a really cheap flight online and when you proceed to checkout, you suddenly have to pay a lot more than you bargained for. The reason? Hidden fees that come with seat selection, luggage or boarding passes. Find out what the hidden fees for flying are and how you can avoid them.
Seats
Whenever you book a flight, you get the opportunity to select your seats. And most airlines charge for selecting seats. Of course, you can skip this step and not pay for seats. And for some airlines, you can still select your seats during check in when the 24-hour window opens. But it could also always be beneficial to see what different airlines charge for seat selection. Airlines like Alaska, Hawaiian. United and JetBlue charge less, while Delta, American and Spirit charge higher prices. So, when booking a flight, find out whether the money you’re saving on the flight actually outweighs the costs of seat selection. Otherwise, it might be cheaper to choose a flight with a different airline to save money on seats.
Luggage
While a lot of airlines let you bring carry-on bags for free, a lot of airlines charge for checked baggage. And that means you’ll be paying extra for your trip. Some budget airlines also charge for carry-on bags (like Spirit airlines) but those fees are usually cheaper than the checked bag fees. And that means that it might be beneficial to make sure everything you want to bring fits into a carry-on bag and a personal item.
Booking fees
When you purchase tickets online, airlines charge you for that too. The so-called booking fees that some budget airlines will charge you, might make your flight more expensive than you want it to be. If you want to avoid these kinds of fees, book your flight at the airport, in advance. But keep in mind that the fees for luggage might be steeper at the airport. Always weigh your options and see whether this will actually save you money in the long run.
Boarding pass
Some airlines charge you if you don’t print your boarding pass at home. But these fees can be avoided too: either use your phone to keep your tickets on your email or the app of the airline. Or print the passes at home. If you don’t have a printer, it would probably still be cheaper to print them at a copy shop than to print them at the airport.
With these tips, you’ll be able to avoid unnecessary fees and always get the cheapest price for your flight.
