IT’S A TRAP! DON’T FLY INTO THESE BUDGET AIRLINE TRAPS

SOURCE: HTTP://WWW.BUSINESSINSIDER.MY/ITS-A-TRAP-DONT-FLY-INTO-THESE-BUDGET-AIRLINE-TRAPS/#EPHXBAJUK0YKSRLU.97

Have you ever booked a “cheap” flight ticket with a budget airline that turned out to be not such a good deal after all once

you factored in all the “extras”?

We’re not surprised.

Budget airlines are known to cut down what is normally included in the standard price of a flight ticket, sometimes offering fares that

are 50% or even 80% cheaper.

However, with cheaper fares also come pesky surcharges.

Some are so skilfully “hidden” that you might not even notice them when booking

your ticket.

For the unaware, these extra surcharges could snowball into a more expensive price

tag than a full service flight!

BAGGAGE FEES

Once you’ve filled up your details, you will likely come across the first extra charge

trap: CHECKED BAGGAGE.

A 20kg checked baggage allocation (or more) may be necessary if you’re planning on going away for a long holiday. However, if you have a shorter trip on your agenda,

chances are, you probably won’t be needing all the extra luggage space.

If minimalist is your way of life and you’ve decided to go with zero checked baggage, make sure you deselect the default options twice, for both journeys, if you have booked a return flight ticket. It’s really easy to just

click next and miss this.

If you are travelling with a friend and you both

absolutely need to check-in certain items (example: more

than 100ml of shampoo), either one of you can

purchase a checked baggage allocation that you can both share. You can even split the costs. That way, you can both

save on checked baggage.

INSURANCE CHARGES

Some airlines list their Travel Protection insurance as the default option. For a

certain amount, passengers get to enjoy benefits such as flight cancellation or delay, loss or damage to baggage, and personal

accident coverage.

We do not recommend having no insurance when travelling, but if you already

have travel insurance, you can always uncheck the insurance option to save some

cost.

You can also get covered with your credit card. Some travel credit cards offer travel

insurance benefits when the full cost of your flight is charged to the card.

SEATS

Most budget airlines charge to book specific seats. And they present this to you like it’s just a standard option.

So it’s easy to accidentally pay for your seats when you really didn’t

need to.

If you are not travelling with someone that needs your assistance

throughout the flight (such as, elderly or child), forego choosing

your seats to save some cash.

IN-FLIGHT MEALS

It’s almost a given that budget flights will charge you extra for in-flight meals. However, purchasing food and drinks on a budget flight

often costs a bomb, sometimes up to a few times more than what it would

cost you anywhere else.

That said, most airlines do offer cheaper prices when you include your meals in your flight booking. That said, they still cost you more than a regular meal on ground but are notably cheaper than what you will have to pay for if you bought

them during your flight.

If you’re on a short flight and you’re keen to save a few bucks, you can always opt to have a heavy meal before the flight to avoid

paying more for food. However, this is not

advisable if you’re on a long-haul flight.

PROCESSING FEES

Some credit cards give you discounts when you shop online.

However, some airlines charge a processing fee when you pay for

your booking with credit cards, debit cards or charge cards.

Not keen on paying extra?

You can save a few bucks on processing fee if you pay via direct debit (charged as per booking). It

won’t eliminate the fee completely, but you pay less when you use direct

debit.

THANK YOU!

BROUGHT TO YOU BY SIMPLY EMPOWERING