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  #1  
Old 04-08-2010, 09:32 PM
1990 500SL
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Hawthorn Woods, IL. USA
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Plane ticket payment

Along with all the news about fees etc by the Airlines.

Here's a statement or maybe a question.

If you purchase something on-line they aren't supposed to charge you until it ships, I don't know if this is law or ??.

Airlines, book a flight DING they got your cash. The wife just booked a flight for August and the credit card got charged.

And if they change other fee's, it's your problem, ie tomorrow they create a 20 charge for using the aisle, you pay it, even though the fee was not part of the deal when you booked.
The luggae fee's, that were originally because of the rise in fuel costs, became effective the date they chose, regardless of when you booked.

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Last edited by kknudson; 04-08-2010 at 09:41 PM.
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  #2  
Old 04-08-2010, 09:34 PM
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they always get your money, always make sure tickets are refundable.
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  #3  
Old 04-08-2010, 09:54 PM
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I thought that if you had already purchased a ticket, additional charges could not be added to it.
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  #4  
Old 04-08-2010, 09:59 PM
Craig
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The reason you get a big discount for buying several months in advance is that they get paid sooner. I also doubt that they can add new charges later.
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  #5  
Old 04-08-2010, 10:38 PM
1990 500SL
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
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When they added the baggae fee last year it took effect immediately, no matter when you bought your ticket.

The ticket price will not change, but the bathroom fee (RyanAir) is effective immediately.
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  #6  
Old 04-08-2010, 10:41 PM
Craig
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kknudson View Post
When they added the baggae fee last year it took effect immediately, no matter when you bought your ticket.

The ticket price will not change, but the bathroom fee (RyanAir) is effective immediately.
OK, the can add nickle and dime charges at the airport or on the flight. Silly and annoying, but not a significant price change.
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  #7  
Old 04-08-2010, 10:52 PM
1990 500SL
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Hawthorn Woods, IL. USA
Posts: 329
30 or 45 bucks / carryon, nickel and dime ????

25 bucks each way checked back on a 400 round trip ticket is 8 %.

Go buy a car, negotiate a deal, when you pick it up they charge you an extra 500 for delivery, how would you feel ? (oh they have your money non-refundable).

Although really this thread was I think it's strange/unfair they get you money WAY up front. They can ding (reserve) against your CC, hotels do it all the time.
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  #8  
Old 04-08-2010, 10:55 PM
1990 500SL
 
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OK how about 500 bucks to put air in the tires, can't leave with flat tires.
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  #9  
Old 04-08-2010, 11:12 PM
Craig
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kknudson View Post
Although really this thread was I think it's strange/unfair they get you money WAY up front. They can ding (reserve) against your CC, hotels do it all the time.
It not strange, they are giving you a better price (sometimes) for pre-purchasing your ticket. You can always wait until the last minute and take your chances.

I've mostly stopped flying because of all the security nonsense and the lack of service. I used to fly about 200k miles per year, about 1-2 flights per week, but it's not fun anymore. I've changed my work schedule, now I usually drive.

The bagage charges are just annoying.
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  #10  
Old 04-08-2010, 11:13 PM
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Good grief people. Where do you people find this information?

First. If the airline cannot charge till you fly, they have no idea if you are going to fly and they get their money. That's why they charge you when you buy them.

Second Until you buy them the price is not guaranteed even if they are on hold.

Third. Once you buy your tickets you are guaranteed that price. It will not fluctuate. If you find a lower rate, you can roll over to the lower rate if it is available on the flights that you are on. Typically you will have to pay the change penalty to get the refund which will be more than the refund so you will not get a refund if there is a lower rate. I know it sucks but deal with it. The airline makes the rules and you have a car. Your choice.

Forth. Refundable tickets are more expensive than non-refundable. If you need flexibility or your plans may change go for it, but you will pay more, in some cases a whole lot more. Non refundable tickets can be changed but there is a hefty penalty to change them. I have unused tickets on AA and it will cost me $150 per ticket plus any fair difference to change them.

Fifth. When the airlines started charging you for bags, it was made very clear that the changes were to take effect for tickets purchased after a certain date. Hence the rush in ticket purchase to avoid the bag charges for the first round of baggage fees. There may be airlines who just pull the trigger an impose them immediately but most I believe do not.
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  #11  
Old 04-08-2010, 11:48 PM
1990 500SL
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Hawthorn Woods, IL. USA
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Quote:
Originally Posted by davidmash View Post
Good grief people. Where do you people find this information?

First. If the airline cannot charge till you fly, they have no idea if you are going to fly and they get their money. That's why they charge you when you buy them.

Fifth. When the airlines started charging you for bags, it was made very clear that the changes were to take effect for tickets purchased after a certain date. Hence the rush in ticket purchase to avoid the bag charges for the first round of baggage fees. There may be airlines who just pull the trigger an impose them immediately but most I believe do not.
First, they take your CC info and charge you if you don't show.

I have always hated the overbooking concept, you bought it you fly it.
Although I worked with a boss years ago that almost always booked several return flights, just in case (in the 70s/80s.

Book a room at a hotel, do they take your money when you book, when you arrive or when you checkout.
We have a resort vacation, a deposit locked the room and the price, final payment is due 45 days before we leave, this resort (Sandals) even gaurantees if the price goes down you get the lower price.

Fifth, there were a number of airlines that imposed the fee immediately.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Craig View Post
It not strange, they are giving you a better price (sometimes) for pre-purchasing your ticket. You can always wait until the last minute and take your chances.

I've mostly stopped flying because of all the security nonsense and the lack of service. I used to fly about 200k miles per year, about 1-2 flights per week, but it's not fun anymore. I've changed my work schedule, now I usually drive.

The bagage charges are just annoying.
Agree, I flew quite a bit in the 70s and 80s for business, so much easier than today. Now I fly once or twice a year for vacation, tough to drive to the Caribean.

I also thought it was strange, now they are charging for carryon (Spirit), to cut down on the amount of carry on.
You know if checked baggae was handled fast, safe (they lose a lot, even just temporily, if Fedex/UPS lost 10% of what airlines do they'd be out of business) and efficiently carry on wouldn't be needed.

Funny to though with the fees, the Airlines don't get the money until right before the flight. The CC companies hold them money "in case" the airline goes belly up they can refund it to you. The airline books it as an asset, but they don't get it.

Sounds like everybody but us gets to play with our money.
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  #12  
Old 04-08-2010, 11:58 PM
Craig
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If the airline has it on their books, the have use of the money (i.e., they can borrow against it to pre-purchase fuel at a discount). You are correct, they get to play with your money once you book the flight.

I recently had to buy four last minute tickets for my family to attend a funeral. It turned out that the cheapest tickets I could find were in first class, the available coach seats were more expensive.
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  #13  
Old 04-09-2010, 12:30 AM
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The OP stated he wished to be charged when he flew, not on the departure date of the ticket.

Over booking is there to allow people more flexibility to fly. An airline over books a flight because a certain percentage of people no-show the flights. Since a portion of the tickets are refundable, if they do not show, the airline does not get paid. Business people need the flexibility of refundable/changeable tickets. Secondly, while the cheaper tickets are non-refundable they are changeable for a fee. Since the airline overbooks the flight of 100 seats and sells lets say 120 seats on the flight, it is offering an extra 20 people the opportunity to fly on a flight that is convenient for them. If the airline did not do that, 20 people would have had to choose a different flight and miss a plane that in all likely hood had 20 open seats at departure.

At AA, they used very sophisticated tracking software (IIRC, the software was used by several other airline since it was so effective) to track each flights history. They are quite effective in this and very few people are turned away due to over booking. It does happen but not very often and maybe by 1 or 2 people if it does happen.

Bottom line is it offers a wider selection of flights to the passenger and it is done because they know that people like your boss exist.

I suppose that paying at dept is a possibility but I equate it to a pre-paid part. If the dealer does not have a part and they need to special order it, I have to pay up front to ensure I come and get it and pay for it. I suspect it has more to do with tracking and logistics as much as anything else. Easier to get the money up front and not have to wait till the airline gets a head count and process the ticket. Plus, given all the changes made to a ticket and the fees involved, that would be a huge head ache for the airlines.

I know when AA instituted the bag fees, they took effect for tickets issued after a specific date. I also know several of the other majors did the same. I worked for AA at the time and we got emails about the fees.

As for lost bags, if you knew what goes on to get your bag from A to B you would be amazed that any of them get there. Not sure where you got the 10% figure from but according to this site, the number is not even 1%. For Feb of 2010, the number is 4.01 bags mishandled per 1000 bags.
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  #14  
Old 04-09-2010, 01:02 AM
1990 500SL
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Hawthorn Woods, IL. USA
Posts: 329
Quote:
Originally Posted by davidmash View Post
As for lost bags, if you knew what goes on to get your bag from A to B you would be amazed that any of them get there. Not sure where you got the 10% figure from but according to this site, the number is not even 1%. For Feb of 2010, the number is 4.01 bags mishandled per 1000 bags.
I did not say they lost 10%, I said if Fedex/UPS lost 10% of what the airlines did they would be out of business.

Somehow that number of 4.01 / 1000 sounds fishy, is that lost bags, does it include damaged, how about delayed, don't forget broken into.
But I agree considering the number they handle it isn't bad.

I have been fortunate, considering the flying I did, to have never lost a bag. But I had had several that were delayed, usually the next day and fortunately all but once when returning so it didn't matter.

But it's also the efficiency, I've come back from international flights, walked the 80 mile rat maze to immigration, gone through that after waiting forever, only to get to the carousel and still have to wait 20 minutes for luggae.
Have had similiar situations on US flights, it takes 20 or 30 minutes from when they open the door to get to the carousel, there should be some luggae there already, but you wait and wait.



OK then here's a question I've always wondered about.

Why do the airlines hand load each bag, why don't they load them into those cargo carriers at the terminal then just load those into the plane ??

Seems like you have a lot of extra manual handling, onto the carts, off the carts into the plane, the guy in the plane has to move them. Reverse for unloading.
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1990 500SL

I was always taught to respect my elders.
I don't have to respect too many people anymore.
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  #15  
Old 04-09-2010, 10:47 AM
Inna-propriate-da-vida
 
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I had to look up the Ryanair bathroom fee... some things you just have to read to believe... Personally, I would piss right on the floor before I paid to use a toilet on the airplane

as for the 4 in 1000 mishandled bags... What defines "mishandling"??? big question right there... In a loose definition, almost every bag is mishandled by the apes that load and unload the plane. That gov. site probably only considers bags that are never retrieved as "mishandled".

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