Why have airfares gotten so complicated?
I always travel light and still can't wrap my head around extra fees
Purchasing airline tickets used to be fairly simple right? You were given one price for the basic fare. There was always the option for a first class ticket. And in some cases there may be some sort of business class or premium ticket positioned between the two options on the higher and lower end.
But these days, air travel has gotten extremely complicated.
Which ticket is for me?
I don't mean for this to come off as a rant against modern air travel. I'm not saying we have to go back to the good ol' days of simplified paper tickets. But I think we can all agree that it's gotten more difficult to decide which type of ticket is right for us.
When traveling solo, I'd often opt for the cheapest option. I typically travel light and have no issues with a middle seat. Sign me up for whatever basic economy ticket you have and I'll be fine. But lately, that option hasn't been so simple. More and more airlines are cracking down on even bringing a basic carry-on bag for these lower priced options.
Hmm, a ticket that doesn't even allow a carry-on bag can cause consternation for some passengers. On a recent trip, I saw several passengers confused when told that their ticket didn't allow for a carry-on bag. I think we've mostly come to terms with the concept of paying extra for a checked bag. Traveling with several suitcases has become somewhat of a luxury or a burden depending on how you look at it. Those who were good at consolidating their luggage to one backpack were usually rewarded with the lowest fare. But now that is up for debate.
Real world example
Let's look at a specific example. I recently purchased a ticket for an upcoming flight with JetBlue airlines. Here is how they break down their different fare offerings.
You'll see Blue Basic, Blue, Blue Plus, Blue Extra, and Mint. Super simple right? You can take a look at the corresponding table to see what each fare level affords you. But that Blue Basic fare comes with some fairly noteworthy restrictions. You can't pick your specific seat (meaning you'll likely end up in a middle seat) and you can't bring on a carry-on bag. This gets even more confusing when start splitting hairs between what makes a bag a “carry-on bag” or a “personal item”.
I typically opt out of the roller bag option and bring my trusty Tom Bihn Aeronaut on most trips. While it can usually fit below the seat in front of me, it does technically exceed JetBlue's max dimensions for a "personal item". Therefore, the Blue Basic fare is a no-go that would require an extra fee for a checked bag even if it isn't the larger rolling variety.
How do we fix this?
So what's the point I'm trying to make? These restrictive fees can be very misleading. The lowest priced ticket is typically the one that is advertised. The JetBlue app notified me about a huge sale going on. Of course, these super low fares came with strings attached. I also find it diabolical when airline apps send you notifications for sales. Typically, I'd turn off notifications for an app like that, but getting notified about flight delays is pretty useful. Then they sneak in some questionable marketing messages in there too. But I digress...
As we wrap up the summer travel season, I encourage everyone to take a close look at the fine print when purchasing your airline tickets. Lower cost options are certainly welcomed but I wish the whole process was a bit more streamlined.
If you recall, even President Joe Biden is tired of these "junk fees" as he called them. Back in February, he put forward a plan to force airlines to give the accurate total price of a ticket in their promotional materials.
It shouldn't be enough to just have an asterisk that says "restrictions may apply", yadda yadda whatever. We shouldn't have to assume that an airline is hiding the real price of their product. Would we feel the same way about items at the grocery store being sold in "basic" forms. Maybe a basic loaf of bread that is just made up of the end pieces of other loaves? Would you pay a discount for that?
Conclusion
While we wait for legislation to hopefully curb these practices that the airlines have adopted, there are other tools we can use. There have been plenty of solid tools to search for airfare over the years, but these days I like to keep it simple with Google Flights.
They give you the option to filter plane tickets by baggage allowances. And they even have a little icon that shows a suitcase being crossed out if your fare doesn't allow carry-on bags. Hell, they even have an option to help you find flights that offer lower emissions.
Anyone else have other tips to help find more transparent plane tickets?
Thanks for reading, I’ll see you next week!
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