Beware the hidden extras

Long ago, the world was a simple place. You booked a ticket, got on the plane, enjoyed the flight and disembarked at the other end. Perhaps the memories we retain are only the happy ones, the times when life was exciting and full of new things. But it all seemed so uncomplicated. The first change came when we were expected to pay to use the airports. Once these international palaces for the purchase of duty free goods seemed so welcoming. Then we had to pay a fee, politely called a departure tax, for all fights, domestic and international. The idea then spread to a general airport tax. Instead of it just being the airlines paying a landing tax, we were all suddenly paying for what previously had been free. Then, the world changed again. A new breed of airline was born. This was the low-cost or budget airline. The deal was a good one. Strip out everything that adds cost and charge the lowest possible fare to get people from A to B. So, no more meals and the continuous supply of drinks dried up. The cabins were redesigned. More bodies were fitted into the same space so that the cost of aviation fuel per passenger dropped. And the world was pleased. More people took the cheap, no-frills way and passenger numbers at the legacy airlines fell.

When an established business comes under pressure, how does it react? Well, to start off, it ignores the threat. It believes the budget model will fail. When that does not work out, it drops its own prices to compete. Except, it cannot make a profit because its costs are fixed. So the result is bankruptcy. This forces the unions and different groups of employees to accept new terms of employment. This makes life better. Except the recession comes and people lose their disposable income. They stop flying unless it is necessary. Now the old dogs need new tricks so they unbundle their prices. Now the ticket price is just to sit in the airplane and you all get to pay for all the frills. Except the airlines like to keep this quiet. The information is there, if you look in the small print, but a lot of people have turned up at airports only to find they are expected to pay for checking in the bags and other “essentials”.

You can still get cheap air tickets but you have to be careful to make sure the good deal does not turn sour when you get to the airport. This is often not the fault of the travel agencies. They are not kept in the loop. The airlines like prices to look good for the longest time before the news breaks. You may have noticed the headlines last year when American Airlines were suddenly caught charging to check in a single bag. There are still cheap air tickets. Use this site to find them. But do not buy until you have read all the small print.