Watch Out for These Hidden Airline Fees When Booking Your Next Flight

Most people book their flights online because it’s more convenient. With sites such as Expedia or Kayak, booking flights has become so much easier and affordable for everyone. Gone are the days when travel agents were required to book a trip. Plus, there is a lot of cheap airfare out there if you know where to look. Unfortunately, the prices may very well double once you hit the checkout page. The reason is due to the hidden airline fees. For instance, some airlines will lure you in with $49 flights, but there are other extra charges and fees you need to pay. Suddenly your $49 flight can be close to $100. So, what are some of the hidden airline fees you need to watch out for when booking your next flight?

In-Flight Amenities

Most of you may think that your airline fees have ended once you have bought your ticket. However, airlines can still charge you on the plane for pillows, blankets, food, beverages, and WiFi. The general rule of thumb is that oversees flights provide most of these amenities, including free alcohol, too. Most domestic flights will charge you for these same services. While most airlines never charge for the generic snacks, beverages, and carry-on bags, airlines such as Spirit will! So, be sure to look into what your ticket covers prior to booking, especially when booking Spirit (where generally bringing a carry-on bag on board costs more than checking a bag). And almost all flights will charge you for WiFi services.

Although a lot of airlines still offer free snacks and drinks, you can expect to pay from $5 to $12 for premium snacks and alcoholic beverages. Aside from that, airlines will also charge between $8 to $25 for WiFi. If you want to be comfortable, you may also have to pay extra for a pillow and blanket. However, most airlines don’t have these comforts if you’re in economy class (unless it’s a longer oversea or overnight flight where they are, generally, included).

Baggage Fees

Among the several hidden airline fees you have to watch out for when booking your next flight, baggage fees are probably the most outrageous. As you know, most domestic airlines will allow their passengers to carry on one personal item and one carry-on bag for free. If you have extra luggage, you may end up paying around $10 to $75. Most major airlines will charge about $25 for extra baggage.

One way to dodge this additional fee is to fit all your belongings in a backpack or carry-on bag. Another trick is to layer all your clothes in your suitcase, making it weigh less.

Booking Fees

As mentioned, a lot of people book their flights online because it’s more convenient. However, you may pay extra. For example, some airlines may charge about $18 as an “Electronic Usage Charge” per person. Other airlines may also include a “Passenger Usage Charge,” about $22.99 per person. Also, you may end up paying an additional $15 if you purchase your tickets through a phone call.

The best way to avoid these charges is to buy your ticket at the airport. However, this may increase your baggage fees. Even so, if you’re buying tickets for multiple people, you may end up saving more.

The best piece of advice I can give you to avoid the hidden fees is to buy ‘economy’ over ‘basic economy’. Basic economy is the new way to pay less for a ticket; however, if you want anything additional, you will have to pay for it. It’s likely that if you purchase ‘basic economy’ tickets, you cannot choose a seat without paying, you cannot check a bag without paying, and most anything additional you’d like will be considered ‘extra’. So, be sure to research the airline fees for the carrier you are looking into prior to purchasing a ticket and weigh the value of ‘economy’ vs ‘basic economy’. You may very well find that if you like having all the extras, paying for ‘economy’ may actually be cheaper in the long run.

All in all, these are some of the hidden airline fees you need to watch out for when you book your next flight. As presented, there are some ways to avoid these additional charges; however, they may be inconvenient at the moment you are trying to purchase a ticket. Even so, you will save more money if you can find ways to avoid these extra fees.