The airline industry has never been under more pressure to eliminate its “junk fares” after the president vowed to crack down on the practice that squeezes $5.3 billion out of passengers each year.
Overweight baggage fines, seat selection charges and fees for printing boarding passes are some of the cynical tricks used by companies.
“We will ban airlines from charging families up to $50 per round trip just to sit together,” Biden announced during his State of the Union address last month.
It comes as Frontier Airlines was forced to reveal that it gives staff $10 bonuses every time they manage to charge customers extra if their carry-on bag is too big.
Passengers were forced to shell out $5.3 billion in baggage fees alone last year, according to Department of Transportation figures. Meanwhile, aviation companies raked in another $700 million in flight cancellation and change fees.
Here WhatsNew2Day.com takes a look at the worst ways greedy airlines rack up the cost of your family vacation…
MISLEADING ADVERTISED PRICE
A key part of Biden’s plan is to look at the ways that airlines and the booking site add additional fees beyond the advertised price.
Customers are often promised a lump sum for a flight only to find out that the actual cost is hundreds of dollars more due to additional fees, such as baggage.
And the costs can increase with each piece of luggage that the passenger wants to take.
To make matters even more confusing, there is little consistency between airlines with the cost of luggage varying wildly.
For example, American Airlines charges $30 for a passenger’s first bag on a domestic flight. However, this goes up to $200 for bag number four.
Meanwhile, JetBlue charges $35 for the first bag, $45 for the second and $150 for the third.
There is little consistency between airlines with the cost of luggage varying wildly
FINES FOR OVERSIZED HAND BAGGAGE
Most airlines offer a free carry-on item, which some customers use as their only luggage for a short trip.
However, a decade ago, many began imposing fines on passengers whose carry-on baggage exceeds the requirements and cannot be placed in the cabin hold.
The fine covers the cost of storing the bag along with the other paid bags.
But consumers have long suspected that staff enforce the rules too strictly, often ticketing passengers whose bags would easily fit the requirements.
Reports that Frontier Airlines staff receive a $10 bonus for each piece of overweight baggage they find and identify seemed to confirm these suspicions.
The firm said it was to make sure its policies were upheld.
Meanwhile, JetBlue made headlines for sneakily changing its baggage fees and applying them to customers who have already booked.
And it was recently revealed that some savvy customers are resorting to having their luggage shipped after learning it was cheaper than exorbitant airline fees.
Tiktok star Faith Collins saved $110 by implementing the hack.
Faith Collins went viral after revealing that it was cheaper to ship her items instead of paying for airline baggage
At the end of the video, the bargain hunter revealed that it only cost her $34.33 to ship the box, saving herself over $100 compared to baggage fees.
Priority boarding puts customers first in line to board the plane and get seated.
But it has become big business for cynical companies.
Again, prices vary between companies, Frontier Airlines charges between $6 and $12, while American Airlines charges an incredible fee of up to $74.
Jet Blue priority boarding fares start at $10.
MISLEADING ADMINISTRATIVE FEES
Booking by phone, printing your boarding pass and checking in on the web are some of the most banal tasks for which companies charge customers.
On its website, Frontier says it will charge passengers $5 just for checking in online.
And it will attract customers with a fee of $35 to those who book through its chat agent booking service.
Meanwhile, Spirit Airlines asks customers to pay $25 if they need their boarding pass printed during an in-person check-in. JetBlue passengers can expect to pay $25 just to make a reservation over the phone or via live chat.
The firm says this can be avoided by booking online.
Frontier says it will charge a passenger $5 just to check in online, while customers who book through its chat service will be charged $35.
EXPENSIVE CANCELLATIONS
One of the most controversial hidden travel fees affects customers who want to change their trip details.
Just changing a name on a plane ticket can attract considerable sums.
Spirit Airlines charges $40 for the inconvenience, while Frontier Airlines and JetBlue dole out $75 fees to customers.
And canceling a trip entirely can be an even bigger financial headache.
American Airlines customers must pay $200 for cancellations on a domestic flight and $750 for international flights.
In addition, customers often find it nearly impossible to get a refund for their flights, even when they have purchased additional refund policies.
During the pandemic, airlines have been forced to cancel flights in record numbers, but many customers have struggled to get refunds.
The issue was so contentious that the US Department of Transportation was inundated with more than 90,000 airline complaints between March 2020 and May 2021.
“I’ll tell you, I’ve never seen a single issue that generates so much consumer anger,” said aviation adviser Bill McGee, an aviation adviser at the time.
