Reading The Fine Print Before You Fly Could Save You Hundreds of Dollars

Raise your hand if you are an infrequent air traveler?  Well then, the next time you are considering "flying the friendly skies", be prepared for sticker shock.

Think that $199 round-trip ticket from Las Vegas to Dallas seems inviting?  Think again.  Make the trip on Spirit Airlines, for example, and you could tack on your home mortgage.  Okay, not that much, but you best know the "extra's" before you get to the airport.

Getting back to Spirit Airlines, should you desire to sit near the front, it will set you back almost $200 - buying a little extra - leg room!  Once on the aircraft, that 69 cent bottle of water you had to throw away before you boarded, will now cost you $3!  Forgot to pay the $50 "carry-on" bag charge at the kiosk, that's only $35 BEFORE you check-in?  No worries, just break out your American Express Gold Card for the $100 fee you'll be hit with at the gate!

Rounding out this total absurdity is having your boarding pass printed out by an agent for - $10 - because you were so busy figuring out all the fees, you neglected to get that piece of paper that actually puts you in a seat.

I understand America is the holy grail of a free enterprise system, but this is the equivalent of a shopping cart fee at the supermarket.  Better yet, how about charging patrons for going down a particular aisle in the store.  You and I have all been there, where the "detergent" aisle is kind of slow, but the "canned goods" aisle is hopping.  Maybe there should be a charge for using the busier aisles?

By the way, Spirit Airlines was just used as an example.  I've flown Spirit, and even with their fee structure, based upon my travel plans at the time, the total cost for that particular trip was less than that of other carriers.

The moral to the story is that each airline has their own set of additional cost associated with them, so break out the calculator on your Smart Phone before you throw away good money on a - pillow!