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Which airline fees are worth the extra bucks?

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    Advice from a consumer travel advocate

  • Duration 4:25
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Have you flown lately -- from preferred seating to carry on baggage for the airlines really seem to be cooking up all kinds of new ways.

To take your hard earned cash.

How do you know which -- are -- sit and which ones you should say no thanks.

It today's consumer protection segment I wanted you to be able to take charge of your travel.

Joining me now Charlie Leo -- who's director of the -- travel alliance Charlie welcome back.

Hey glad to be here how to bring you back because now he's he's.

They're bigger and more expensive there were all over the place some and so I want you to tell us first -- -- which one should we absolutely avoid total rip off.

Well I want to thank you for having me back.

The consumer travel alliance have been really working hard in Washington with congress and with the the DOT to try to change these fees and get things changed.

But it's nice favorite talk directly to the American public.

And the fees that are really for me the biggest rip offs are change fees and our cancellation fees here fees -- he can't get away from.

Their fees that are big 150 dollars to change -- ticket plus you've got to change -- difference you've got to pay the difference in.

The airfare between what you martyr for earlier in which are buying -- for now.

So -- the consumers lose two different ways and that's really a big rip off and DOT is actually looking at other big fees like.

The third checked bag when you go overseas and so warm sometimes you have to pay an extra 150 dollars or more for that.

And DOT is starting to look at these giant fees and -- looking at whether or not they can mandate that airlines tell us ahead.

About whopping high fees that are coming up.

It's impossible Charlie to keep track of them you get him at home you get him when he gets to the airport this one really stunned me when I did my research to do this topic and I -- -- take charge segments.

So that people can know this information -- saying.

Virgin America is now if you ask for -- copy of your itinerary that's twenty dollars.

And spirit charges five dollars if you print your boarding pass at the airport.

By an agent rather than doing at -- well guess what not everybody has a computer.

So all the campaign and seems to be gone.

Right and a lot of people when they're traveling don't have computers let's say you're com you're saying -- up all hotels don't have business hours we can print out -- Boarding passes and someone 24 hours before you got on the flight.

So it really makes it hard and puts consumers in a in a bad position.

But what's even worse is that the airlines don't tell you about these fees and -- you watch your airline ticket.

If you want to figure out how much your seats gonna cost you have to go through the reservation project our process you've got to put in your.

Whether or not you're male or female whether or not what your date of birth -- and stuff like this.

And then you can find out what -- -- -- going to be right try to do that with every airline.

Tell me about the pay me to get on the plane first.

And all these preferred -- is like this this extra seating me.

A lot of people want to do that they want comfort they don't want to pay first class but what about paying again on.

First okay well first of all I'm not talking about just getting more comfort I'm talking about just getting NEC reserves.

Are -- reaching a point where -- seat reservation now it's gonna cost you money on some airlines but getting on this planes early.

By southwest just came out with a new fee for forty dollars we can get aren't you can be one of the first fifteen people on board.

And if you want to pay that money okay.

-- I wouldn't pay -- personally.

OK however the southwest does have with the car early bird -- it cost ten dollars I think it's gonna look at 1250 next year or sometime soon.

And for that -- you get to be in the first boarding groups here almost guarantee you're gonna get a windows cedar and I'll see.

Plus -- they will automatically register you for your flight so you don't have to worry about.

Bomb checking in early -- or right at 24 hours so those fees burst in some cases those actually make sense okay -- -- other cases they don't.

Charlie we're out of time -- -- gave me great answers on those they make one recommendation to folks to check out.

Early check in -- global entry.

Select checking in those kinds of things you can search online and that can save you time and some money as well thank you so much Charlie great to see -- great to be here and I'll be glad to come back and talk about those things for you -- we didn't make -- fly today hopefully they access hurting our.

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