Others of the supposed ‘value adds’ are simply ruthless money-grabbing.  The major airlines are increasingly adopting the approach of the low-cost carriers by charging extra for things that have always been part of the ticket price.  British Airways have been one of the leaders in this dubious practice.

Here are the major cost-cutting and earnings-boosting tricks currently in use:

Paying for an extra seat because you are deemed too large by the airline.  There are two arguments for this, one being that it is the fat person’s fault for being fat and the other that it should be the same price for everyone to make it fair.  One could argue for example that a thinner person should get smaller seats that only fit skinnier folks in.  But that wouldn’t be popular either.  So, the answer from some airlines?  You have to pay for an extra seat if you are over a certain weight.

While some folks really do need two seats, they are in the minority.  The unfairness of charging passengers by weight is that heavy is the new norm, despite what people might think.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states on their site that more than one third (35.7%) of US adults are obese.  It is widely acknowledged that the current generation is bigger than their lighter counterparts of thirty years ago.

It should be mentioned that the 35.7% percent of the US population represents huge buying power.  Everyone has a choice as to who they will book with, whatever their shape may be.  Heavy people will gravitate to those airlines that do not make a fuss about their weight.  Also, if people are being charged for being big then they will demand that in exchange for their extra money that the airlines provide a safe amount of legroom, and enough space to open their tray-table properly.

Paying to pre-seat.  When the low cost carriers came out, many of them did not offer pre-seating for all.  Seating was on a first-come, first-served basis.  Boarding a plane was chaotic.  Now some of the major airlines such as British Airways and KLM are exploiting this by also introducing charges for pre-seating on their lower fares.  They will happily sell you an emergency exit row and bulkhead seats, which have a bit more space.

Bear in mind that paying for an exit row seat guarantees nothing if the cabin crew arbitrarily deem you to be ‘unfit to operate the emergency exit door’.  You will then be summarily seated elsewhere.

Paying for checked-in baggage.  Back in the day your baggage was always included.  Now there are airlines that charge for each bag at check-in.  Only your hand luggage is included in the fare.  Be very careful to read the fine print on a ‘cheap’ fare.  It may work out to the same price as a regular airline that includes food, something to drink and standard baggage allowances.

One report pointed out that on one airline the extra bag charge is so high that you would be better off if you bought a ticket for a friend so he or she could carry your extra bag for you, rather than checking it in and paying the extra charges!

Paying for boarding pass printing.  Despite it having been declared illegal, if you fail to preprint your boarding pass on an A4 page and have it with you for your Ryanair flight, they will charge you.  The cost is more than you would pay to buy a low-end printer.

Worse yet – you have to check in online, and they charge for it.

Paying for online check-in.  This is normally included as who rightly expects to pay for having checked in online?  Well a certain rogue airline charges €7 or £7.

Our advice then is to look at the full price once everything has been included.  You may be surprised to see that it is often cheaper to fly with a full-service carrier between, say, Heathrow and Dublin than a so-called low-cost carrier where you have to add on checked baggage fees, online boarding passes, pre-seating, and paying for your onboard snack.

Picture credit: Wazouille 2 March 2007

Seasons

You will pay prime buck if you travel “in-season” or rather during a peak season.  Mid December to mid January is one of the most expensive times to travel in most parts of the world.  The only exception to this is the last minute specials that do come out periodically where you have a limited time to book, such as the last week of November, for say seats from 1 December to 15 January.  But even if you do get a good price on flights, weigh up the costs, as the good flight pricing may not be carried through to your accommodation prices.

A really good low season is from February through to mid March.  The big season is over and airlines are trying to fill seats.  April and May is a shoulder season, an inbetweener with middle-of-the-range prices.  June through to July is the second peak season of the year, as it is summer in the Northern Hemisphere and you are therefore not likely to get the best deal.

Avoid travelling on weekends

Friday through to Saturday is a busy time for most airlines.  Flights are 75% to 100% full.  Cheaper fare levels are more widely available on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.  It’s a no-brainer, but you’d be surprised at how many people simply don’t understand why its expensive to leave on their most desired days when they are sitting opposite the travel agent or on the internet looking for a Friday or Saturday flight at a good price and getting frustrated.

Best Times to travel

If you are flying locally on a high-frequency route with flights every hour or so, avoid the peak hour.  Flight peak-times for business travellers are pretty much the same as traffic-jam times around the world.  6am through to 8am and 4pm through to 6pm.  Late night flights, crack of dawn flights and flights at unfashionable hours for businessmen such as eleven in the morning are cheaper than the ‘traffic jam’ flight times.

Holidays

Sometimes it is cheaper to book last-minute, other time it is better to book in advance.  When you are planning to book over a holiday or special occasion such as Thanksgiving in the United States, book in advance.  Book late, and the chance of paying top dollar over these periods goes up dramatically.

Cheaper destinations

While a trip to France is romantic, it is also costly.  A cheaper, but equally romantic trip could see you lazing on the beach at Phuket.  The Far East and South America are particularly good-value-for money destinations at present.

Remember

A good guideline to follow is: out of season, inconvenient and unfashionable.  These are the times when it is cheaper to book and you are going to save some money that you will enjoy spending on the actual holiday itself, while there.