Traveling Better, Smarter, Cheaper in the Months Ahead
Last Saturday at the Adventures in Travel Expo in New York City, budget travel guru Arthur Frommer gave an informative talk about traveling better, smarter and cheaper in the months ahead.
Frommer began his talk by speaking about some of the negative happenings in the travel world, mainly discussing how the airlines nickel and dime passengers with so many extra charges.
"We are now living in a new era of travel -- an era of à la carte pricing," he said, before discussing Ryan Air, a company that has led the way by initiating charges for extra baggage, online check-in, priority boarding, payment handling, sports equipment, music equipment (i.e., a guitar) and even diaper bags (infant equipment).
I don't know about you, but when Ryan Air announced they were considering charging a fee for using the bathroom, I decided not to fly them unless I absolutely have to.
"Its not uncommon," Frommer said, "to see Ryan Air passengers sitting on the airport floor, taking heavy items out of their suitcases and putting them into their carry-ons, only to discover now that their carry-on is too heavy."
He said British Airways has initiated charges (or is about to) for passengers who want to reserve specific seats more than 24 hours in advance, so if you want to pick that aisle or window seat ahead of time you'll need to shell out an additional $30 to $50.
These add-on charges apply to resorts as well, who often add fees for the fitness center, safe, etc. even if you don't use them.
Frommer said the American airlines are watching what Ryan Air is doing, and will surely copy it.
Some tips? He suggests:
- Travel only with a small backpack that contains 2 changes of clothing, which you can carry on-board and therefore eliminate any airline baggage checking fees
- When booking a resort, ask if there are any additional charges, then request an email to confirm this
Fortunately, there are positive changes happening in the world of travel, and the bulk of his talk focused on these. Come back tomorrow for part 2 of this post, where I will relay what Frommer said about the many travel bargains to be found and the good developments that have taken place in the last few weeks.
Do you have any travel tips that can help avoid some of these extra charges? What are your thoughts on this new "era of à la carte pricing?" Let us know!
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