Truth in Pricing-Should be a law

I bought a plane ticket on Allegiant. Typical Low Cost airline where you pay a fee for almost everything imaginable. Fees to use credit card instead of debit card; fees to carry on a small bag, fees to use a phone center instead of buying online, fees for the option of Trip Flexibility otherwise lose your entire ticket price for making a change, fees to print boarding pass.

$144.93 advertised price
$34.57 government fees and taxes
$20.00 surcharge to permit you to pay for the ticket
$72.43 "optional surcharges"

But of all the surcharges and fees the one that got to me was the minimum of $20 to pay for the ticket online. There was a higher surcharge to pay to talk to a person.

While the mania to have surcharges for the simplest of items (i.e. pillow fee) is irritating, I just don't see how companies can charge fees for something that can't be avoided. I am seeing this more and more. Satellite TV advertising one rate for channels, with a surcharge to be able to see the channels on your television. Phone companies with surcharges for your phone to work.

I mean you could use a debit card, you could refuse a pillow or a soda, you can print your own boarding pass, you could ship your luggage, you can buy online and not need a person, you could forego the right to make any changes in your itinerary,etc.

But to call paying for the ticket a surcharge is criminal. It should be illegal to not include something in the advertised price if the charge is not optional.

What about the deplaning charge when you reach your destination?

I don't know if Allegiant does this, but Spirit waives the approximately $24 fee if you buy the ticket in person at the ticket counter. I just went to the airport to buy some because I was buying 5 tickets and that was a big enough savings to make it worthwhile.

I have not read this anywhere but the last two times I did this the also gave me they $9 fare rate. I ended up with 5 roundtrip tickets to San Diego for under $250 total.

I agree fees are getting ridiculous, and one should not be charged for something required to complete a transaction. How about a fare of $1, plus a $199 boarding fee?

Airlines are entering a Ferengi phase, I'm afraid. in one ep of DS9 I recall something like this:

Quark (entering an office quite out of breath): Have you seen what they're charging to ride the elevators? I need to sit down!
Ferengi at office foyer: Seating down is $10
Quark (hastily jumping off the chair): I'll just stand, then.
Ferengi at office foyer: Standing is $5

Quote: Pacomartin

But to call paying for the ticket a surcharge is criminal. It should be illegal to not include something in the advertised price if the charge is not optional.

Sooner or later I see the FTC limiting this "drip pricing" along with the undisclosed "free with processing fee." It is getting a bit out of hand. A smart carrier would advertise "out of the gate" pricing and make a big deal of it as some tire stores do. Many people will respond to that.

Quote: Pacomartin

I bought a plane ticket on Allegiant. Typical Low Cost airline where you pay a fee for almost everything imaginable. Fees to use credit card instead of debit card; fees to carry on a small bag, fees to use a phone center instead of buying online, fees for the option of Trip Flexibility otherwise lose your entire ticket price for making a change, fees to print boarding pass.
.

I always use Allegiant, cheap fares. No fee if
you use a debit card. One small carry on,
no fees. If you know when to book, you
can save a lot with them. Most of their
flights are nonstop, which I really like.

Quote: DRich

I don't know if Allegiant does this, but Spirit waives the approximately $24 fee if you buy the ticket in person at the ticket counter. I just went to the airport to buy some because I was buying 5 tickets and that was a big enough savings to make it worthwhile.

Thanks for pointing that out. I don't know how I missed that. This writer points out that they make it easy to miss.

Quote: Not a Fan of Spirit? These Airlines Have the Fewest Fees :Written by Brett Snyder July 28, 2014

If you want to book online, you might not know that Spirit includes a so-called "Passenger Usage Charge" of $8.99 to $16.99 each way in the fare. Allegiant has its own "Electronic Carrier Usage Charge" of $10 each way. You wouldn't really notice this since it's buried in the base fare, but you can save money by actually going to the airport to book. Nobody else in the U.S. has a fee structure like that.
http://www.cntraveler.com/stories/2014-07-28/these-airlines-have-the-fewest-fees

Allegiant actually charged $13 instead of $10 since a phone call was involved. Two people round trip meant a $52 charge. The airport is only 3 miles away, so it would have been easy drive and worthwhile for only two tickets.

Round trip per person
$144.93 Airfare
$10.87 Fed Excise Tax
$8.00 Segment Fees
$4.50 PFC
$11.20 Sept 11 Security Fee
$30.00 Carry-on Bag
$26.00 Carrier Usage Charge
$28.00 Trip Flexibility
$8.43 Credit Card Surcharge
$271.93 Total Trip Cost:

The Allegiant fare was still $15 cheaper than Delta, and it was a nonstop (Delta would have involved a long layover in Atlanta). But if you aren't careful it could really balloon on you. That carry on bag would have cost $90 to $100 if it wasn't paid for at booking. Failure to print boarding pass at home would cost another $10.

I always bring one small bag, so there
are no fees. I bring 2 pairs of pants in
the bag, and underwear and 2 shirts.
I wear a pair of Docker shorts, and a
pair of pants over them, and 3 shirts.
Plenty enough clothes for a week in
Vegas. I only go in the colder months,
so I don't need to wear a coat if I
have on 3 shirts. It's the principle of
the thing, I refuse to pay their fee.

Quote: Evenbob

I always bring one small bag, so there
are no fees. I bring 2 pairs of pants in
the bag, and underwear and 2 shirts.
I wear a pair of Docker shorts, and a
pair of pants over them, and 3 shirts.
Plenty enough clothes for a week in
Vegas. I only go in the colder months,
so I don't need to wear a coat if I
have on 3 shirts. It's the principle of
the thing, I refuse to pay their fee.

Smart thinking. Americans way, way overpack. If you take a look at a common bag of today vs pre-1970s it is amazing. People, you do not need 6 changes of clothes for 5 days. Pack enough and one extra pair of underwear and socks. The rest mix and match to make each article work for 2-3 wearings.

Quote: AZDuffman

Smart thinking. Americans way, way overpack.

I saw a black family unloading luggage from
the shuttle bus at the car rental. There was
mom and dad and boy and girl teens. They
each had 5 bags, I was open mouthed with
wonder. Two huge suitcases each, and three
smaller ones each. For 5 days in Vegas. I
heard them say they had a car for 5 days. The
luggage fee's for 20 bags have been amazing.