Airline Fees Tip of the Day

Nothing riles me up like a sick badger more than hidden fees. Smarter Travel comes to the rescue with The "Ultimate" Guide to Airline fees

Allegiant Air Tip of the Day

You may or may not have heard of Allegiant Air, the bare bones/dirt cheep/nickle-and-dime-you airline. They can be a great inexpensive way to fly, but you'll end up paying a bit more then the $29 advertised. There are many fees and optional add-ons, but these tips can help you keep what you pay, still dirt cheap.

Avoid Fees

There are tons of hidden fees, some of them you can't get around but many of them you can.

Don't choose a seat When buying online, it almost looks like you have to pay a seating charge, but look closely, there is a little skip button that will save you some money. Don't worry they won't make you stand in the aisle.

Book at the airport: Allegiant is charging at $13.50 "convenience fee" for buying your ticket online (tack on another $10 for buying over the phone). Regulators said there has to be a way around the fee so you can buy a ticket at the ticket counter at the airport aka. "the old fashioned way". The trick is, their ticket counter is only open for 1 hour after a flight takes off, and for most airports Allegiant only flies a couple times a week. Here are the details. Luckily, most airports allow you to park your car free for 30 minutes.

Avoid checking a bag: You can carry on one piece of luggage that is no bigger than 22"x14"x9" aka. standard carry on size. Pack light or be ready to lighten you wallet. But with most carriers already charging for checked bags, its not that big of a surprise.

Some taxes and fees are unavoidable: On a recent purchase, there were around $10 in taxes and fees for each leg of the flight, also remember they're prices are one way, so you'll also need to fly back. $29+$10×2=still a good deal

What you won't get:

Snack No peanuts, not pretzels, no drinks, no nothing, oh that is unless you're willing to pay for it.
Tray Tables no need to worry about putting your seat backs and tray tables in their upright and locked position. There are not tray tables and your seat doesn't move.
SkyMall They don't have the iconic mail order catalog, but you can buy a Disney beach towel and other souvenirs on board. And don't even think you're getting a magazine to read.
Jetway While everyone else at the neighboring gates it walking to the airplane in air conditioned comfort, you'll be walking across the tarmac up to a ramp (at the Lexington Bluegrass Airport at least).
Frequent Flyer Miles Hah. Not that big of a deal, the programs only really benefit business and international travelers.

Airline Tip of the Day

If you're flying American Airlines, hope you don't have to check, carry-on or gate-check any of the items below, because they're not covered if lost, damaged or destroyed. I think this list pretty much covers ANYTHING-- especially the "or anything of any value" or "anything fragile" statements. If they do break your stuff and absolve themselves of any responsibility, you can always file a complaint with the FTC.

Directly from American Airlines' "Customer Service" (if you can call it that) received almost one month after emailing them:

"We do not accept responsibility for antiques, artifacts, artwork, books and documents, china, computers and other electronic equipment, computer software, fragile items (including child/infant restraint devices such as strollers and car seats), eyeglasses,
prescription sunglasses, non-prescription sunglasses and all other eyewear and eye/vision devices whether lenses are glass, plastic, or some other material, furs, heirlooms, items carried in the passenger compartment of the aircraft, liquids, medicines, money, orthotics, surgical supports, perishable items, photographic, video and optical equipment, precious metals, stones or jewelry, securities and negotiable papers, silverware, samples, unique or irreplaceable items or any other similar valuable items."

Glad to know that good ole American Airlines will replace 1. my old underwear, 2. that bar of Dial soap they lost, and 3. oh, I guess that's it.

Airline Tip of the Day

If you're a failing airline like American Airlines who is so deplorable you can't even publish a customer service number we feel that you should at LEAST respond to emails, when that's the only provided way your customers can contact you for customer service. If you fully plan NOT to respond, you should send an automatic response to emails saying the following:

"Dear Devalued Customer,

We're sorry we treated you like a knob-schlobber, probably lost your bags and made you arrive late to your destination--if we got you there at all. But for the love--what do you expect from a failing, bankrupt airline who can't even afford to give you freaking peanuts? In summary, deal with your problem. Because we have no intention of getting back to you, helping you, or even letting you talk to a supervisor. If you actually wanted customer service, you should've either paid more for this ticket, or flown a different airline, maybe like Southwest. You may be now asking yourself why we're still in business. Basically, we're not sure either. But do yourself a favor, and don't expect any response to your message.

Sincerely,
The burned-out, underpaid, annoyed American Airlines auto-reply computer."