The airline industry has never been under more pressure to scrap the rip-off charges after the president vowed to crack down on the practice that squeezes $5.3 billion out of passengers annually.
Overweight fines, seat selection fees and boarding pass printing fees are all cynical tricks used by companies.
“We will prohibit airlines from charging up to $50 round trip for families just to sit together,” Biden announced during his State of the Union address last month.
It comes as Frontier Airlines was forced to reveal that it gives staff $10 bonuses every time they manage to charge customers extra if their carry-on bags are too large.
According to figures from the Transportation Department, passengers paid $5.3 billion in baggage fees last year alone. Meanwhile, airlines racked up another $700 million in cancellation and flight change fees.
Here, Dailymail.com takes a look at the worst ways greedy airlines pocket the cost of your family vacation…
MISLEADING ADVERTISED PRICE
An important part of Biden’s plan is to look at the ways airlines and booking sites are charging additional fees beyond the advertised price.
Customers are often promised a principal amount for a flight, only to discover that the actual cost is hundreds of dollars more expensive due to additional costs, such as baggage.
And the cost can increase with each piece of luggage the passenger chooses to carry.
To make the issue even more confusing, there is little consistency between airlines, with the cost of baggage varying wildly.
For example, American Airlines charges $30 for the first bag for a passenger on a domestic flight. However, this increases to $200 for bag number four.
Meanwhile, JetBlue charges $35 for the first bag, $45 for a second, and $150 for the third.
There is little consistency between airlines and the cost of baggage varies enormously
OVERSIZED HANDGAND FINES
Most airlines offer one free piece of hand luggage, which some customers use as the only luggage for a short trip.
Ten years ago, however, many began issuing fines to passengers whose hand luggage exceeds the requirements and cannot be slid into the cabin hold.
The fine covers the cost of storing the bag along with the other paid bags.
But consumers have long been suspicious of staff enforcing the rules too tightly and often fine passengers whose bags would easily meet the requirements.
Reports that Frontier Airlines employees receive a $10 bonus for every overweight piece of luggage they find and identify seemed to confirm these suspicions.
The company said it had to ensure compliance with its policies.
Meanwhile, JetBlue made headlines for surreptitiously changing the baggage fee — and applying it customers who have already booked.
And it was recently revealed that some crafty customers have their luggage shipped after finding out it was cheaper than airline extortionate rates.
Tiktok star Faith Collins saved $110 by implementing the hack.
Faith Collins went viral after revealing that it was cheaper to ship her stuff instead of paying for plane luggage
At the end of the video, the bargain hunter revealed that it only cost $34.33 to ship the box, saving herself more than $100 compared to baggage check fees
Priority boarding ensures that customers are first in line to board the plane and settle in.
But it has become big business for cynical companies.
Again, prices vary between companies, with Frontier Airlines charging between $6 and $12, while American Airlines charges an eye-watering fee of up to $74.
Jet Blue priority boarding fares start at $10.
SNEAKY ADMIN COST
Booking by phone, having your boarding pass printed and checking in online are among the most banal tasks that companies charge their customers.
On its website, Frontier says it will charge passengers $5 to check in online.
And it will earn customers a $35 fee for those who book through the chat agent booking service.
Meanwhile, Spirit Airlines asks its customers to pay $25 if they want their boarding pass printed during a personal check-in. JetBlue passengers can expect to pay $25 to make a reservation over the phone or via live chat.
The company says this can be avoided by booking online.
Frontier says it will charge a passenger $5 to check in online, while customers booking through the chat service will charge $35
EXPENSIVE CANCELLATIONS
One of the most controversial hidden travel costs affects customers who want to change the details of their trip.
Just having a name changed on an airline ticket can generate substantial amounts of money.
Spirit Airlines charges $40 for the inconvenience, while Frontier Airlines and JetBlue both hand out $75 to customers.
And canceling a trip altogether can be an even bigger financial headache.
American Airlines customers must pay $200 for domestic flight cancellations and $750 for international flights.
In addition, customers often find it almost impossible to get their flights refunded – even if they have purchased additional refund policies.
During the pandemic, airlines were forced to cancel flights in record numbers, but many customers struggled to get their money back.
The issue was so controversial that the U.S. Department of Transportation was inundated with more than 90,000 airline complaints between March 2020 and May 2021.
“I’ll tell you, I’ve never seen a single problem spark so much consumer anger,” said aviation consultant Bill McGee, aviation consultant at the time.
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