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Changes to fly cheap"FLY CHEAP" Can't find what you need? Try a Google Web Search in the box below!
9/18/2002 Sep. 18--The airlines' fall fare sales mean there's a good chance your next plane ticket will be reasonably priced cheap airfares. But some of the major airlines' new policies mean you'll pay a hefty penalty if you miss your flight or bring too many bags. A year after the terror attacks, the airline industry is still losing money -- lots of it. The nation's major airlines tried repeatedly this summer to raise fares, but travelers weren't buying because they wanted to fly cheap. Now, several major airlines have established new policies, or started enforcing old ones, in an attempt to bring in money. On most major airlines, passengers with nonrefundable tickets to fly cheap -- the kind most leisure travelers buy -- no longer can use the tickets later if they miss their flights. Travelers who like the feel of a paper ticket in their hand will pay $20 to $25 for that feeling on some airlines. And travelers checking more than a couple of bags could pay $40 or more. Airlines and industry observers say the new policies make sense economically to fly cheap and are relatively mild compared with more drastic cost-saving measures, such as cutting service. But travel agents worry that the policies could keep some already exasperated travelers on the ground. Last month, several of the nation's major airlines -- starting with bankrupt US Airways -- decided to take "nonrefundable" literally. If you have a nonrefundable ticket on US Airways, Delta Air Lines, Northwest Airlines or several of the other major airlines, and you miss your flight, your ticket becomes worthless. You can pay a fee -- $100 in many cases -- to change your ticket if you change your plans ahead of time, but thats one of the cost to fly cheap. Asked about customer feedback on the new policy, US Airways spokesman David Castelveter replied: "I'll make no bones about it; it was less than flattering." The company has since made some changes to the rule. Airlines' new standby policies vary when you fly cheap. For travel after Jan. 1, Delta and US Airways will charge nonrefundable ticket holders a $100 fare for standby travel. Northwest has said it won't charge extra for standby. The airlines say they put the policy on nonrefundable tickets in place because people traveling on discounted, nonrefundable, fly cheap tickets had the same flexibility to change their travel plans as business travelers flying on more expensive refundable tickets. Often, the difference between a refundable and nonrefundable fare is hundreds of dollars. Can't find what you need? Try a Google Web Search in the box below!
The airlines' move isn't unreasonable, said David Stempler, president of the Air Travelers Association. "There are things worse than what they're proposing," Stempler said. "The airlines are in a very tough situation, and they need to figure out some solution. . . . They're trying to find new revenue." Many travelers have their own methods of dealing with the new policies. Some business travelers are "buying a nonrefundable, fly cheap ticket and saying, 'If I have to pay $100 to change my plans, it's still cheaper than a full fare,' " said Doris Richter, owner of VIP Travel & Tours. Paper tickets will cost you more now, too -- $20 on Delta and $25 on Northwest and US Airways. Airlines are moving toward electronic ticketing to eliminate paper costs. "The paper ticket cost will continue to rise," said Rachel Hunter, manager and co-owner of Astro Travel & Tours. "They want to get rid of the paper ticket. But I have many customers that are still going to pay for that paper ticket, because they want that security." Baggage rules and their enforcement on some major airlines also have changed. Delta and US Airways customers, as well as Northwest customers traveling in coach, can check only two bags for free. Additional bags will cost you; Delta, for example, charges $40 for a third checked bag. Most airlines have fees for bags that exceed weight guidelines, and industry observers expect those rules to be more strictly enforced. Bags and suitcases seem to have gotten bigger in recent years, and people are finding creative ways of responding to baggage rules. Minneapolis-based travel advocate Terry Trippler recently saw travelers open up their bags at the ticket counter, re-pack and throw away empty bags in order to avoid the fees and fly cheap. "That's going to have the biggest impact on the largest number of travelers," Trippler, president of travel Web site terrytrippler.com, said of the baggage policies. "I think there are more people out there with excess bags than people that miss flights." With discount airlines and fare sales pushing ticket prices down so you can fly cheap, excess-baggage charges can approach the cost of a plane ticket, Trippler said. With the airlines' new rules, it's important to keep a few things in mind. Many smaller airlines and discount airlines such as AirTran Airways haven't adopted these policies. For example, unused fly cheap AirTran tickets can be credited toward future flights if you cancel an hour in advance. Each airline will have some unique rules. And throughout the industry, rules are constantly changing. Check with your travel agent or airline to find out which policies will affect your trip. Local travel agents say the changes to nonrefundable, fly cheap tickets are already prompting travelers to wait longer to book plane tickets. In the long term, travel agents fear the increased fees will be one more deterrent to flying, particularly on short flights -- such as from Tallahassee to Tampa or Orlando -- where some travelers are already opting to drive rather than face the possibility of long waits to clear security. "There's already so much aggravation when it comes to boarding a plane," said Robb Parker, vice president of Passport Travel. "This is just another measure to drive people away from flying." Travel agents also worry that the airlines' new fees will indirectly deter travelers from using a travel agent to fly cheap. The major airlines ended their commissions to travel agents on the sale of airline tickets earlier this year, so many agents started to charge service fees or raise existing service fees. Can't find what you need? Try a Google Web Search in the box below!
"The more charges and fees we get, the more it hurts my business," said Astro Travel & Tours' Hunter. "The customer can only pay so much." RECENT CHANGES IN POLICIES AND FEES: If you buy a nonrefundable ticket on the nation's major airlines, the ticket will be worthless if you miss your flight. You can change your ticket ahead of time. If you buy a nonrefundable, fly cheap ticket on the nation's major airlines, the ticket will be worthless if you miss your flight. You can change your ticket ahead of time, but you'll have to pay a fee -- in most cases $100. After Jan. 1, holders of nonrefundable, fly cheap tickets on some airlines, such as Delta Air Lines and US Airways, must pay a $100 fee to fly standby on the ticketed date of travel. Major airlines such as Delta Air Lines and US Airways now allow you to check only two bags for free. Fees for paper tickets have increased. Delta now charges $20; US Airways and Northwest charge $25.... Compare airline tickets to fly cheap here /cheap airfares home |