Analysis of hidden fees on four popular air travel routes
Overview:
The Consumer Travel Alliance recently conducted an analysis of hidden airline fees and what portion of a typical traveler’s air travel costs might be unknown or undisclosed to the traveler at the time the ticket is purchased.
The analysis focused on four popular flight itineraries taken by millions of travelers each year – New York-Los Angeles, Boston-Washington, Chicago-Miami, and Washington-Orlando – and included just two of the many common fees now charged by airlines: checked baggage and extra legroom.
Methodology:
The analysis was conducted in early July 2010 on four popular travel itineraries: New York (JFK) – Los Angeles, Boston (BOS) – Washington (WAS), Chicago (ORD) – Miami (MIA), and Washington (WAS) – Orlando (MCO). Dates used for the analysis were October 21 -25, 2010.
The analysis used the lowest publicly-available prices for a roundtrip, non-stop ticket on any of the nine major U.S. airlines that offered a non-stop route for the travel itineraries in the study: AirTran, Alaska, American, Continental, Delta, JetBlue, United, US Airways, and Virgin America. (Not every airline offered non-stop service on every route.) Data were gathered via a major online travel website and calculations were based on the base fare offered by the airline, not the additional taxes and airport fees.
Information on ancillary fees was gathered via the airline websites, SmarterTravel.com, and via individual traveler or media accounts, when the airlines did not make the information publicly available. Only ancillary fees associated with checked baggage and additional legroom were included in the analysis. Not all airlines currently offer additional legroom options.
Other ancillary fees currently offered by the airlines, including – but not limited to – seat reservations, pillows/blankets, drinks, unaccompanied minors, lounge access, pets, priority boarding, upgrades, and additional loyalty program miles, were not included in the analysis.
Topline Results:
• A typical traveler requesting extra legroom and checking a single bag would pay an average of one-quarter (26%) more than the base price of the ticket shown on the website.
• A traveler checking two bags would pay more than half the price of the ticket in additional fees that were hidden at the time of the transaction (54%).
• The amount of hidden fees charged to a typical traveler with a single bag ranged from 10% to 82% of the price of the base fare.
• The amount of hidden fees charged to a typical traveler with two bags ranged from 21% to 153% of the price of the base fare.
Route-Specific Results:
JFK-LAX :
• A traveler requesting extra legroom and checking a single bag pays an average of 18% in hidden fees over the base price of the ticket.
• The same traveler checking two bags pays an average of 36% in hidden fees over the base price of the ticket.
BOS-WAS:
• A traveler requesting extra legroom and checking a single bag pays an average of 42% in hidden fees over the base price of the ticket.
• The same traveler checking two bags pays an average of 101% in hidden fees over the base price of the ticket.
ORD-MIA:
• A traveler requesting extra legroom and checking a single bag pays an average of 26% in hidden fees over the base price of the ticket.
• The same traveler checking two bags pays an average of 48% in hidden fees over the base price of the ticket.
WAS-MCO:
• A traveler requesting extra legroom and checking a single bag pays an average of 32% in hidden fees over the base price of the ticket.
• The same traveler checking two bags pays an average of 66% in hidden fees over the base price of the ticket.
Robert Doty
July 13, 2010
Outrageous Airline Fees AND service..I recently bought a ticket from Delta to fly my 14YO daughter to Michigan from Colorado. Less than a year ago Delta’s policy was that at 14 they could opt out so to speak and fly as an adult. If they flew as an unaccompanied minor there was a $50 each way surcharge. Not now. First of all you need to make the reservation directly with Delta…add $50. Then you need to of course pay for one checked bag two ways…add another $50. Then, get this, you have to pay for the ‘unacompanied minor’ both ways at $100 each way!…add $200 for a total of $300 for a ticket that originally cost $308. What was really outrageous was that both ways my daughter was boarded last and sat at the rear of the plane.
Then when she returned to DIA I stood in the gate area waiting and waiting for her to exit. When she didn’t I looked all around thinking I had missed her. People were beginning to line up for the next flight and I was beginning to worry – although she had texted me when they landed so I knew she was here somewhere. Then I spotted her coming down the jetway with an agent. What happened? She was told to sit in her seat until an agent came to get her and THE AGENT FORGOT AND LEFT THE AREA!!! She had been discovered by the cleaning crew.
Thank you so much Delta!!!
International Travel Trade Organization Weighs in on ‘Unbundling’ | My Travels Blog
July 28, 2010
[...] The bottom line is that represents of a business travel organization, which might be expected to be empathetic to the airline business, is very concerned over hidden fees and surprise add-ons. We individual travelers find ourselves paying all sorts of extras on top of our “bargain” fares, but for corporate travel, these surprises add up to a big debit on a company’s balance sheet. (The release should read “wreaking havoc, not “wrecking havoc,” but I’m splitting grammatical hairs over a very valid point made by an international trade group — albeit one that I don’t remember ever having heard about before.) Since Congress tends to listen to business much more than to us voters, I hope that this will make an impact that will help all of us who fly. Note: The end of the release also referenced an organization called the Consumer Travel Alliance’s ”just-released analysis of hidden fees.” [...]