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shinobi/Shutterstock
Airline fees – every traveler’s nightmare. Getting hit with extra charges when you check a bag, finding out you have to pay to print your boarding pass and the shock of realization, when the airline tells you that you have to pay extra to travel with your sporting equipment.
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Pillows and blankets, online booking fees, credit card transaction fees, rebooking a flight, and in-flight snacks are just some of the many hidden fees airlines rarely tell you about.
Now this is not to say all airlines are trying to dig in your pockets. Yes, they have hidden fees, but they also make up for them in their own way.
With the help of airline specific websites and other sites including money crashers and airfarewatchdog, I have compiled a list, in no specific order, of the airlines with the most hidden fees.
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Allegiant Air is an American low-cost airline that operates charter and scheduled flights. They may have low-cost tickets, but they look to make up for them with their hidden fees.
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Spirit Airlines is another low-cost airline in America. Booking is said to be easy; their staff is friendly and they even have deluxe leather seating. However, they claim to “take customers to their destination without any extras.” Unfortunately, they seem to have quite a few extra charges you should know about.
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American Airlines is an American airline that is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. They are known as the world’s largest airline by size, fleet and revenue. Well, other than the point that their high revenue is due to the fact that it is a popular airline, they also have a variety of hidden fees that contribute.
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According to alaskaair.com, “Alaska Airlines is the seventh-largest U.S. airline based on passenger traffic and is one of the most popular U.S. West Coast air carriers.“ One of the reasons why they are so popular is due to their low fares. However, like the airlines previously mentioned, it looks as if they make up for their low fares in their hidden fees.
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United Airlines is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. It operates a comprehensive domestic and international route network out of Houston, Newark, Denver, San Francisco, Chicago, Washington D.C., Guam, Los Angeles and Tokyo. That being said, they are known for their large amount of passengers, which contribute to their large amount of fees.
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Hawaiian Airlines is Hawaii’s largest and longest-serving airline. It carries over 10 million guests per year. Here are some of their hidden airline fees.
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Virgin America is a U.S. based airline. It is said to provide low-fares and high quality service. If you are planning to take a trip with Virgin America, educate yourself on a few of their hidden fees so you don’t run into any surprises.
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Delta Airlines serves approximately 160 million customers every year. According to the SKYTEAM, “during the past year, Delta was named domestic “Airline of the Year” by the readers of Travel Weekly magazine and the “Top Tech-Friendly U.S. Airline” by PCWorld magazine for its innovation in technology, and won the Business Travel News Annual Airline Survey.” There is no denying Delta Airlines are great; however, they do have quite a few surprising fees you should be aware of.
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Frontier Airlines is known for their cheap tickets, and costly expenses. One reviewer on airfarewatchdog said, “I STRONGLY recommend that you only use Frontier Air as a last resort for your travel. They have recently changed the way they do business and their new business plan is to hit you for a fee at every chance.” Here are a few of Frontier Airlines hidden fees.
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Southwest Airlines doesn’t charge any fees for your first and second carry-on bag, and your first and second checked bag. However, they make up for the low-cost in other areas.
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JetBlue Airways is known as the fifth largest airline in the United States. They are headquartered in Long Island City and their main base is at the John F. Kennedy International Airport. Travelers love flying with JetBlue because of their “award winning service.” But before you catch your flight, take some time to review their hidden fees – you may need to bring a few extra dollars with you.