Airline Fees - Why are they so crazy to squeeze a buck out of us?

[OnMyWay]

Rant!

We all know that some of the airlines are crazy with their fees.  I don't mind so much if they are up front about it, but I prefer to shop while seeing "all-in" fares.

So PAL is having a year end "sale" for flights next year.  I browsed for Auckland and Los Angeles, both advertised for "as low as $559"  BASE fare.

Using May dates, all the lowest RT "all in"fares are ~850 usd and up.  You really can't look for the cheapest base fare without choosing all the dates and flights, then looking at the fare breakdown.  I really don't have a problem with most of the fees but advertising a 550 base fare is meaningless when the ticket really costs 850.  Fuel surcharges are back which is a lot of it.  $136 in the case of Los Angeles.

However, all that is not what pissed me off.  On PAL, every economy aisle seat on the 777 (LAX) and Airbus 300 (AKL) is now a "choice" seat with an extra charge!  Every aisle seat!  Towards the front of economy, a LAX aisle seat costs $50!  Auckland $30.  In the section towards the back, aisle seats cost $5 on both flights.

This is just so petty!  With my family, we would always have to pay for 1 or 2 "choice" seats.  What a scam.  $5 is no big deal, but once they get their foot in the door, who knows?  So long PAL.  We will go a different way.

[hk blues]

9 minutes ago, OnMyWay said:

So PAL is having a year end "sale" for flights next year.  I browsed for Auckland and Los Angeles, both advertised for "as low as $559"  BASE fare.

 

Yep. something that should be stopped as it's misleading advertising.

That said, their strategy works as it encouraged you to browse flights - for every customer like you who gets frustrated and goes elsewhere, there will likely be one or two others who suck it up and book anyway.

[OnMyWay]

7 minutes ago, hk blues said:

Yep. something that should be stopped as it's misleading advertising.

That said, their strategy works as it encouraged you to browse flights - for every customer like you who gets frustrated and goes elsewhere, there will likely be one or two others who suck it up and book anyway.

Actually the main reason I was browsing them was because they have the only non-stops to those two locations.  I will look again at he connecting flights over Asia now.

Actually you might be able to help me with something.  We were thinking about Cathay via Hong Kong to LAX.  Clark to Hong Kong on Cathay Dragon and Cathay to LAX.  One one ticket.

Do you know if it is possible to spend a few nights in Hong Kong when travelling like that?  I know you can do it in Seoul but I have not seen yet how to book it on Cathay.

[JJReyes]

21 minutes ago, OnMyWay said:

Actually the main reason I was browsing them was because they have the only non-stops to those two locations.  I will look again at he connecting flights over Asia now.

Actually you might be able to help me with something.  We were thinking about Cathay via Hong Kong to LAX.  Clark to Hong Kong on Cathay Dragon and Cathay to LAX.  One one ticket.

Do you know if it is possible to spend a few nights in Hong Kong when travelling like that?  I know you can do it in Seoul but I have not seen yet how to book it on Cathay.

For next week's flight, our reservation are Las Vegas/San Francisco/Hong Kong/Manila on Cathay Pacific Airlines.  Las Vegas/San Francisco is on Alaska Airlines.  Approximately 23 hours including stops.  Philippine Airlines, because they fly directly San Francisco/Manila and Los Angeles/Manila, is more expensive. It was more than $1,000 economy.  The reason is the approaching holiday and the 2 to 4 million Phil-Am market desiring to spend the holidays with their relatives.  Adding a few hundred dollars, we are flying premium economy.  More comfortable seats and better service.

I recommend Cathay Pacific although in all honesty, we haven't flown using this airline recently.  By the way, Dragon is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Cathay Pacific.  

We also researched and found cheap tickets from China and Taiwan carriers.  But watch out for total flight time.  Some were over 30 hours. 

 

 

Edited November 14, 2018 by JJReyes

[graham59]

But surely much of the Phils (home) economy depends upon 'misleading advertising' ? 

All this skin-whitening ****,  magic growth pills, etc.  

 

[Old55]

7 hours ago, OnMyWay said:

Actually the main reason I was browsing them was because they have the only non-stops to those two locations.  I will look again at he connecting flights over Asia now.

Actually you might be able to help me with something.  We were thinking about Cathay via Hong Kong to LAX.  Clark to Hong Kong on Cathay Dragon and Cathay to LAX.  One one ticket.

Do you know if it is possible to spend a few nights in Hong Kong when travelling like that?  I know you can do it in Seoul but I have not seen yet how to book it on Cathay.

Don we have done a two day Hong Kong stop via Cathay and EVA. Ask your travel agent for prices. Last time we did this was about six years ago it cost an extra $50.00 as I remember.

[Old55]

7 hours ago, JJReyes said:

For next week's flight, our reservation are Las Vegas/San Francisco/Hong Kong/Manila on Cathay Pacific Airlines.  Las Vegas/San Francisco is on Alaska Airlines.  Approximately 23 hours including stops.  Philippine Airlines, because they fly directly San Francisco/Manila and Los Angeles/Manila, is more expensive. It was more than $1,000 economy.  The reason is the approaching holiday and the 2 to 4 million Phil-Am market desiring to spend the holidays with their relatives.  Adding a few hundred dollars, we are flying premium economy.  More comfortable seats and better service.

I recommend Cathay Pacific although in all honesty, we haven't flown using this airline recently.  By the way, Dragon is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Cathay Pacific.  

We also researched and found cheap tickets from China and Taiwan carriers.  But watch out for total flight time.  Some were over 30 hours. 

 

 

JJ, just to be clear the premium seats were with Cathay or with PAL? I'm only through my first half cup coffee.

[OnMyWay]

31 minutes ago, Old55 said:

Don we have done a two day Hong Kong stop via Cathay and EVA. Ask your travel agent for prices. Last time we did this was about six years ago it cost an extra $50.00 as I remember.

I tried to do it with the Cathay multi-city and the fare was about 200 a head higher.  Yes, I told my wife maybe an agent could do it.

[OnMyWay]

30 minutes ago, Old55 said:

JJ, just to be clear the premium seats were with Cathay or with PAL? I'm only through my first half cup coffee.

I didn't see any premium economy for only a few hundred more.  Usually 2-3 times the lowest economy fare.

[hk blues]

9 hours ago, OnMyWay said:

Actually you might be able to help me with something.  We were thinking about Cathay via Hong Kong to LAX.  Clark to Hong Kong on Cathay Dragon and Cathay to LAX.  One one ticket.

Do you know if it is possible to spend a few nights in Hong Kong when travelling like that?  I know you can do it in Seoul but I have not seen yet how to book it on Cathay.

I think this has been answered already in the posts above?