Don’t flip out over those tricky airline fees.
THERE’S one thing that we all need to be on the lookout for this Australia Day, and this time it’s not those pesky mozzies, drunken revellers or a nasty case of sunburn.
It still has a sting though, it’s been called totally sneaky and unnecessary and you probably already know it all too well. Yep, it’s those annoying extra airline fees that can end up making your little getaway a lot more expensive than you’d anticipated.
Consumer advocacy group Choice has warned Aussies that these fees could add up to 40 per cent to the advertised price of tickets.
For example, their investigation found that those extras such as luggage ($34 for 20kg), travel insurance ($12.95), seat selection ($10) and a charity donation ($2) bump up the cost of a $148 return flight from Sydney to the Gold Coast by a staggering $58.95.
“Pre-ticked extras are sneaky, costly and in most cases completely unnecessary,” Choicespokesman Tom Godfrey said.
“In much the same way that a supermarket wouldn’t get away with handing you a trolley full of groceries you don’t want every time you arrived at the check-out, an airline shouldn’t be able to opt you in for products you don’t want or need.
“Signing you up for these extras is little more than marketing trickery. It’s particularly concerning that the airline tries to push its one-size-fits-all travel insurance, which is unlikely to meet to needs of all consumers.”
The Choice table showing the extra fees.
In particular, Mr Godfrey said that it’s time for Jetstar to stop hitting their passengers with extra fees.
“Jetstar is far and away the worst offender when it comes to sneaky pricing tricks and that’s why we are calling on Jetstar customers to send the airline a message. It’s time we sent pre-ticked optional extras packing,” Mr Godfrey said.
“Ultimately, we don’t think the airlines should be preselecting extras for customers. Let people chose any extra costs and don’t try and trick them into paying more.”
Research by Choice found that hidden fees or charges were consumers’ second most complained about flight problem (22 per cent), after only flight cancellations and delays (55 per cent).
news.com.au has contacted Jetstar for comment.
Jetstar was singled out.Source:Flickr
0 nhận xét:
Đăng nhận xét