A Look At Ryanair’s Abusive Policies

It’s pretty much a given that Ryanair will charge an extra fee for anything and everything it can think of, but I got a look today at how predatory that airline’s practices really are.

Some relatives got an email this morning from Ryanair stating that they would be charged 40 euros each for boarding passes at the airport — a penalty because they had not checked in online and printed passes at least four hours before their domestic flight in Spain.

At the current exchange rate that’s $50. To print a piece of paper. (And what’s with the four-hour cutoff?)

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Southwest Offers Fairness On Ticket Changes

I was reminded today of another reason to like Southwest Airlines: flexibility on changing reservations.

While most airlines charge a substantial penalty to switch flights, Southwest simply charges the difference in fare, if any. So when I had to change a reservation today for business reasons, the cost was just $84 — and that was only only because I changed my return from a Tuesday, when fares are lower, to a Saturday, when they tend to be higher. Had I changed it from Tuesday to Wednesday, there would have been no charge at all.

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Unbundling And Fees Explained

Airlines generally promote the “unbundling” of airfares as a means of giving consumers more choices on an a la carte menu of options, but it is really a euphemism for imposing fees for things that used to be included in the base fare. Joe Brancatelli exposes some other issues this practice has kicked up, including the difficulty it causes consumers in comparing fares and the cover it gives airlines to dodge taxes. Read about it in his illuminating Portfolio column.

Hotel Housekeeping: Fee Or Discount?

What’s the difference between a fee for a service and a discount for not using it?

Not much but semantics. The hotel industry is moving toward a la carte room cleaning options, and it hardly matters whether we get a discount for opting out of housekeeping or pay a fee for opting in. The bottom line is the same.

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Don’t Pay For Boarding Passes

It has become a pernicious habit of Las Vegas hotels to charge guests to print boarding passes for their return flights, but there’s no need to pay for that.

Sure, it’s a good idea to check in online well in advance of your flight, as a means to protect your seat. If you’re flying on a standard fare on Southwest, it’s critical to check in early if you want to get a good seat. The good news is that if you don’t have access to a printer, you can check in without printing the pass.

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Beware ATM Fees, Assorted Rip-Offs In Las Vegas

Traveling to Las Vegas? Be sure to pack wisely. The top priorities: 1) Cash. 2) More cash.

The slot machines are designed to beat visitors, but they’re not the most flagrantly rigged device in the casino. Instead, that title goes to the ATMs.

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United Discounts Economy Plus, A Little

Are you looking for more leg room next time you buy an airline ticket? United is having a sale on its economy plus seats, which provide up to 5 more inches of leg room than the bone-crushing 31-inch seats at the back of coach.

The discount isn’t that impressive. The charge ordinarily runs from $9 to $109  and has been discounted to between $5 and $98, depending on the length of the trip.

If you want it, hurry up. The sale ends today at 6 p.m. (EDT).

KLM Experiments With Premium Meals In Coach

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines is testing the sale of upgraded meals to passengers in coach who don’t want the standard airline economy-class food. Passengers will be able to choose one of four specialty meals when they check in online and pay for it with a credit card, the airline announced.

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A Lame Experience With In-Flight Wi-Fi

I had work to catch up on yesterday, so it seemed sensible to sign up for a day pass on Delta’s Gogo in-flight Wi-Fi.

The connection would cost $9.95 just for the flight to Atlanta, but the day pass was only $12.95 and I could also use it on the longer second leg to San Diego. Woo-hoo!

The connection was reasonably fast on the MD-88 that took us to Atlanta, and I was looking forward to getting more work done on the San Diego flight. Except the 757-200 we boarded for that flight had no Wi-Fi. 

Thank you Delta and Gogo, for making me feel like a chump. I could have spend that $12.95 on bad wine and an overpriced snack.

Spirit Airlines: Free To Pee

Spirit Airlines has announced that it won’t charge for the use of lavatories on its flights, which I would be relieved to hear if I ever intended to fly Spirit, which I don’t, or if I believed a U.S. airline could get away with charging for lavatories, which it could not.

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