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How to Avoid Airline Fees...
At Your Man Tours, we strive to
provide you with the best vacation packages available. Our staff works
hard to handle all your arrangements and give you the best prices out
there, so you can enjoy a great trip free of the stress that comes
with juggling everything yourself. YMT knows that you want the best
bang for your buck, and with prices soaring these days,
we work our
hardest to provide you an affordable dream vacation.
Recently, airlines have begun to
add more outrageous fees on everything from checked luggage to water
bottles! YMT wants you to be aware of the new changes and offer you
some tips on how to avoid all those extra charges. To help you save
money and make the best of your vacation, YMT has put together a list
of this summer’s new airline surcharges, and other no-so-new common
fees, and ways to avoid them:
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Checked Luggage: American, United, and US
Airways have all announced plans to charge for your first checked
bag this summer. To avoid paying for your bag, try to fit what you
can in your carry-on. If you still need another bag, look for
airlines that don’t yet charge for your first checked bag or
consider sending it through the mail (do your homework though,
sometimes a $15 charge will be less than what a post office will
charge to ship your bag).
-
Beverages: Some airlines will begin
charging soft drinks (including bottled water) on August 1st.
You can either buy your water at the terminal, which may not be much
better than paying for your water on the plane, or you can try to
bring an empty water bottle with you to the airport and fill it at a
water fountain after going through airport security.
-
Unaccompanied Minors: This summer, there
have been increases in the fees already charged for unaccompanied
minors. The only way to get around this is to travel with your kids
or look for an airline that hasn’t raised their fees.
-
Award Tickets: Some airlines have raised
their award ticket fees, adding co-payments for certain awards and
raising the number of miles needed to redeem those awards for your
“free” tickets. Cashing in before the deadline or using your awards
for something else is a good option, especially since miles may lose
value over time. If you like to keep your miles and worry about
cashing in too soon, then focus on a single program, like the elite
customers who are exempt from the charges.
-
Change-of-plans: If you suddenly have a
change-of-plans and want to change your reservations, expect to pay
for it. Most tickets are nonrefundable and even may not be changed
at all, but to change your reservations, airlines often charge a fee
plus the difference in fares from your old ticket to your new one.
If you know that your plans might change when you are looking to
purchase your tickets, research the airlines’ different policies to
see which one would be easiest and cheapest to change any
reservations.
-
Curb-Side Check-In: The common charge for
this service is about $2 per bag plus tip. Before you hand over your
bags, ask ahead of time about the charge to make sure it’s not too
overpriced. Consider going inside to check-in if the line isn’t too
long and saving the money altogether.
While there currently are others,
and probably will come more, these are some of the charges you might
encounter when flying. When planning your vacation and purchasing your
plane tickets, it is best to do a lot of research and consider which
airline works best for your travel plans. Having flexible travel dates
also helps, as you can save as much as $100 just by leaving on a
different day. Nobody likes extra fees, so be smart about your
vacation and do your homework before buying anything. Don’t forget
that you can always check out YMT’s available airfare when you book
with us and let us handle the arrangements for you. Let us do the
work, so you can have the fun without all of the worries! |
