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| CRBJ Home > May 2006 | |||||
Watch out - sneaky fees are getting sneakierBy Betty Stark
Airlines, hotels, rental car companies - they're all pecking at your ankles, adding $10 here, $20 there to the cost of doing business with them. The alarming fact is that it's costing business travelers hefty dollars - and that hurts. If, in the course of doing business, you fly in airplanes, sleep in hotel rooms, or drive rental cars, you're probably paying fees that you aren't even aware of. It's important to know what to watch out for so you can avoid these add-ons whenever possible. Airline fees • The change fee is probably the most universal fee charged by airlines and it hits business travelers hard. Reschedule a meeting, rebook an airline ticket, and, in most cases, you'll pay a $100 fee to the airline (a few carriers, like AirTran, charge less). Do this two or three more times before you finally take flight (not uncommon) and the cost of fees can exceed the cost of the original airline ticket. Though many travelers tend to shrug this off as the cost of doing business, it's a pattern that can get quickly out of hand if it is not closely watched. A new fee to watch out for: arrive late for your flight and not only might you be denied boarding, the airline might also charge a $100 fee to put you on a later flight. • Fees to check baggage have been creeping up as airlines try to get the message across that you don't need to travel with a suitcase the size of a Volkswagen. If it weighs more than 50 pounds, most domestic airlines will slap on a charge of at least $25. Fly United, Northwest or American and use the convenience of curbside check-in, and you'll pay a fee of $2 per bag (plus a tip to ensure that your bag doesn't go to Toledo when you're headed to Tulsa). And watch out for this new wrinkle: a fee for carry-ons. It's already happening in Europe and is being considered by some U.S. carriers, too. • Fees for food, pillows and blankets are becoming the norm, if those items are available at all. Air Canada offers a "comfort kit" with a blanket and inflatable pillow for $2. Northwest sells a Lilliputian 3-ounce snack mix ($1), a "Smart Snack Snack Box" ($3 or $5), and if you want to dine on sandwiches or wraps (for a fee), you must order them online (www.nwa.com) at least 13 hours before your flight departs. American has tossed the pillows and abandoned blankets on domestic flights. American Eagle tested a $1 charge for a can of soda but it didn't fly - for now. To avoid flying hungry, consider bringing your own food from home or pick up a food-on-the-fly offering from any number of airport restaurants. Hotel fees There's a mind-boggling array of fees socking unsuspecting hotel guests. • Watch for unexplained "service fees" that show up on your final bill; they could be charges for the hotel shuttle service or in-room safe you never used, the turn-down service you thought was included in your room rate, or the "free" newspaper that hits the floor in front of your door at dawn. Some hotels are tacking on per-day maid gratuities or charging if your towels and bedding are changed daily. • That seductive mini-bar is a minefield: Open it just to peruse the contents and you might find a fee on your final bill (in some mini-bars, weight sensors note when an item is moved). If you do remove items, some hotels charge a "restocking fee" too, as much as $5 per item. • Room service? You might be charged as many as three fees: a room service surcharge, a delivery fee, and a mandatory gratuity. • Use the phone in your room, send a fax or log on to the Internet and you could end up with some hefty fees. According to Consumer Reports, the average rate for high speed Internet access is $10 a day (these charges are more common at full-service hotels than at mid-priced properties). Using the "complimentary" business center could cost you, too. It's better to rely on your cell phone, and ask ahead of time what you'll be paying for all hotel services. • Some states and municipalities are slipping vague charges such as "clean city" fees into the hotel room tax. If a new sports stadium or convention center is in the works, you might be helping to pay for that, too. • Cancel your room at the last minute, or, at some properties, check out late or arrive early, and you might be charged for an additional partial or full day. Rental car fees • Taxes on rental car contracts are unavoidable, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't know what they are before you agree to the rental. Renting from an off-airport com-pany, especially one in a neighboring municipality where they aren't building a convention center/stadium/ arena could mean substantial savings. International taxes can be quite high, too; a Hertz rental in Paris, for example, carries a tax of almost 20 percent. • Depending on contract terms, if you return the car without a full tank of gas, the charge can be staggering. And here's a new wrinkle: If you rent from Budget or Avis airport locations and return the car after driving fewer than 75 miles, they'll charge you $9.50 unless you can produce a receipt proving you topped off the tank. • Alamo says it will charge you $10 if you cancel your reservation, and if it's less than 24 hours before scheduled pick-up, the fee increases to $25. • The grace period for returning a car at the end of the contract is getting shorter. Read the fine print or you might be charged for an extra day if you return the car even a few minutes late. The list of fees goes on and on, and the message to business travelers is clear: Know what extra charges you might face, avoid them if you can, and scrutinize your final bill. If you see a charge for services you did not use, challenge it and ask that it be removed. travelingwriter1@aol.com madison.com ©2009 Capital Newspapers. All rights reserved. |
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