Worst airline fees

[Mattg]

I came across this article on the 10 Worst Airline Fees:

The 10 Worst Airline Fees To Ever Exist*|*Hopper.com

While I agree that many of the fees listed are pretty bad, I'm sure I and others here will have seen much worse. The €70 fee Ryanair charges to print a boarding pass at the airport must be one of the worst.

A pet hate of mine is hefty fuel surcharges charged on award bookings that have nothing to do with the actual price of fuel.

Do you have a pet-hate of an airline charge?

 

[seanpodge]

I remember some airlines charging people for paying with a credit card online (as if one could just choose to shove $20 notes into the USB slot to pay instead). It's the sort of thing that the ACCC should come down on like a ton of bricks.

 

[Mattg]

I remember some airlines charging people for paying with a credit card online (as if one could just choose to shove $20 notes into the USB slot to pay instead). It's the sort of thing that the ACCC should come down on like a ton of bricks.

I'm fairly sure every airline in Australia still does this!

 

[TomVexille]

I remember some airlines charging people for paying with a credit card online (as if one could just choose to shove $20 notes into the USB slot to pay instead). It's the sort of thing that the ACCC should come down on like a ton of bricks.

Surely only some po-dunk airline would do such a thing...

 

[UP4014]

This could be a long thread.....

I don't even know where to start.

Matt

 

[chelzmalee]

Paying for snacks on non LCC's annoys me. Like, flying Edelweiss in Europe, on a 1.5hr flight they offer pastries, soft drinks/juice/hot drinks and then little chocolates at the end.

It's not that you NEED to eat, but the offer is always nice.

 

[dmitri]

I don't have a problem paying for food on board if you only pay sub $150 for an OS ticket. I have flown scoot GC-singapore and thought that $129 each way was totally worth it (plus $20 for some tiger beer cans and that awesome sweet sticky jerky)

 

[MEL_Traveller]

The worst fees are the fees that are sold with spin.

Like... oh... 'exit row charging has been introduced following customer feedback'

Rubbish!

 

[Mattg]

The worst fees are the fees that are sold with spin.

Like... oh... 'exit row charging has been introduced following customer feedback'

Rubbish!

Speaking of which, do QF still charge extra for bulkhead seats on the A330s that actually have less​ legroom??

 

[NM]

I remember some airlines charging people for paying with a credit card online (as if one could just choose to shove $20 notes into the USB slot to pay instead). It's the sort of thing that the ACCC should come down on like a ton of bricks.

But they do offer a fee-free way to pay, generally using BPay from a savings account. The part that annoys me is when the credit card payment surcharge does not reflect the cost uncured by the airline. If they only charged the 1.45% or whatever they actually incur from their bank, then I would not have any issue. But when the fee has no correlation with the cost then it a scam as far as I am concerned.

 

[Mattg]

But they do offer a fee-free way to pay, generally using BPay from a savings account. The part that annoys me is when the credit card payment surcharge does not reflect the cost uncured by the airline. If they only charged the 1.45% or whatever they actually incur from their bank, then I would not have any issue. But when the fee has no correlation with the cost then it a scam as far as I am concerned.

Exactly. Can someone enlighten me as to how it costs Jetstar $8.50 to process a $39 credit card payment?

 

[phily]

Can someone enlighten me as to how it costs Jetstar $8.50 to process a $39 credit card payment?

It doesn't. Simply, you've been scammed by Jetstar.

 

[NM]

Exactly. Can someone enlighten me as to how it costs Jetstar $8.50 to process a $39 credit card payment?

It doesn't. Simply, you've been scammed by Jetstar.

And of course its simpler and fairer to impose the charges that way

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Someone correct me if I'm wrong... but IIRC the fees charged by Qantas don't actually cover their costs from credit card fees.

Seriously? Well yes, if you take into account their worldwide costs.

Qantas only charges credit card fees for bookings made in Australia... so in essence the Australian market bears the brunt.

This means the Aussie battler flying to Sydney to visit their mum in hospital is absorbing the credit card fees for the First class passenger flying from London to Melbourne to see their horse race in the Melbourne Cup.

For bookings ex Australia, the essential services worker taking their kids on a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Disneyland is subsidising the First class passenger off for a week's skiiing at their chalet in Whistler.

Simpler and Fairer? Or Feels Like Home?

Not sure which makes me feel better.

 

[mannej]

Someone correct me if I'm wrong... but IIRC the fees charged by Qantas don't actually cover their costs from credit card fees.

Seriously? Well yes, if you take into account their worldwide costs.

Qantas only charges credit card fees for bookings made in Australia... so in essence the Australian market bears the brunt.

This means the Aussie battler flying to Sydney to visit their mum in hospital is absorbing the credit card fees for the First class passenger flying from London to Melbourne to see their horse race in the Melbourne Cup.

For bookings ex Australia, the essential services worker taking their kids on a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Disneyland is subsidising the First class passenger off for a week's skiiing at their chalet in Whistler.

Simpler and Fairer? Or Feels Like Home?

Not sure which makes me feel better.

Turn it up. There are fee free options available.

I am sorry but those anecdotes are garbage.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Turn it up. There are fee free options available.

I am sorry but those anecdotes are garbage.

there are fee free options available... there have to be, otherwise an airline couldn't advertise the fares they do (fares advertised must be available for the price).

But the whole notion of 'fee free' doesn't really stack up with the notion of many FFPs where they heavily promote the earning of points via credit card spend.

Happy to be corrected on the anecdotes. Are they factually incorrect?

 

[JohnK]

Fuel surcharges are my pet hate.

Closely followed by charging for seat selection and charging for exit rows.

 

[wandering_fred]

...
Qantas only charges credit card fees for bookings made in Australia... so in essence the Australian market bears the brunt.
...

I knew there was a reason I like ticketing QF in SIN rather than PER... Above and beyond exchange rate savings...

Happy wandering

Fred

 

[seanpodge]

I'm fairly sure every airline in Australia still does this!

But they do offer a fee-free way to pay, generally using BPay from a savings account. The part that annoys me is when the credit card payment surcharge does not reflect the cost uncured by the airline. If they only charged the 1.45% or whatever they actually incur from their bank, then I would not have any issue. But when the fee has no correlation with the cost then it a scam as far as I am concerned.

Haven't flown an Australian airline for years, so I'm not fully aware of how things go with QF, VA et al. But while it's good that BPay is available, online its usually easiest to use a credit card, if not impossible not to. Most other online retailers don't charge you extra for using a credit card so I don't see why airlines should be any different. It's just a rort, in my opinion.

 

[mushez]

Mine is excessive excess baggage fees. Paying more for extra baggage is fine, putting underlying note to allow yourself to refuse if overloaded/overbooked also no issues, but paying $20 plus per kg, when the going rate for freight in the hold is $2 a kg is a crime.

I don't mind paying $4-5 per kg, $10 is a push, $20 plus you have to be out to rob me.