Fired Airline Ticket Agent Reveals Airline Secrets (10 page)

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Please be aware of the following when you book your flight:

These are some of the additional charges, taxes and fees that may be added to the cost of an airline ticket depending on your final itinerary, as well as the airline, agency or reservation site you choose.

Passenger Facility Charges:
Federal Law permits U.S. Airports to collect up to $4.50 each time you depart from their facility. A maximum of four such charges are allowed for each itinerary, so it is possible to see a maximum of $18 in PFC costs. Most Airports charge only $3.00

Federal Excise Tax:
Federal law requires a $3.00 tax on each flight between U.S. airports. This is in addition to the standard 7.5% Federal tax applied to all published U.S. fares.

Federal Security Tax:
Federal law requires a $3.00 tax on each flight between U.S. airports to finance security operations.

International taxes:
Travel from the U.S. to international destinations, including Canada and Mexico, can result in taxes up to $99 or more, based on the cost of the ticket or or special services required to process entry into a foreign country. Travelers arriving in the U.S. are subject to a $1.45 agricultural inspection fee, $6.00 Customs fee and $5.00 immigration fee.

Airline Ticketing Fees:
Airlines no longer cover the cost of having their tickets issued by second party issuers such as independent internet airline reservation sites or local travel agencies. These costs are covered by a separate amount applied at the time of ticketing ranging from $5 to $30, depending on the second party issuer. There is only a $10 ticketing fee for each ticket issued through the Internet Air Fares link to the Worldspan Reservation system.

Administrative Change Fees:
Airlines may charge up to $100 if you need to change the return date/time on a restricted domestic U.S. ticket. For changes to the return portion of a restricted international ticket, the Airline Administrative change fee may be $100 for travel to Canada, Mexico, South America and the Caribbean, or $150 for travel to Europe and Asia.

For a totally unused non-refundable ticket, airlines generally permit you to apply the value of the ticket to future travel on their airline under the same passenger name and under the same general conditions presented above, less the Administrative fee.

Fuel Surcharges are relatively “new” and can increase your fare by as much as $40.00.

I sincerely hope that you have a safe and happy journey, and that you will find the cheapest fare on any flight you choose.

I’ve included many web links, and checked each one of these sites individually.

On most of the sites, I’ve compared fares, both for international and domestic flights.

The fares varied.

I’ve done years of research and have come to realize that the only way to get the lowest

fares if you’re booking online is to “comparison shop.” What that means is visit as many

sites as you know or can come up with and search. Yes, I know most of you are thinking,

this is going to take forever. But, grab a cup of coffee and sit yourself in front of your

computer or laptop and plan on spending a few hours. If you’re willing to spend some

time, and do the comparison shopping, you’ll have extra spending money to take with

you on your vacation.

The sites I listed below are quite interesting. There are two categories I placed them in.

The ones labeled “Visit these sites before you travel” range from practical to pretty

interesting. Some sites have passenger experiences. Some even offer advice from

passengers who have been “bumped”, have gotten first class free, some even explain how

they’ve gotten the lowest airfare.

I went to spend some time now talking about first class. On nearly every flight I’ve

taken, I’ve sat in first class. What’s so great about first class anyway? And why do so

many passengers want to sit there? First,about the seats. On most airplanes, the seats in

Coach are upholstered with cloth, usually dirty cloth contaminated by the thousands of

passengers that take flights on the plane every year. In first class, the seats are usually

made of leather, which is not only buttery soft, but is also easily cleaned. And yes, it is

cleaned by the flight crew, unlike the Coach seats, which are commonly cleaned monthly by a janitorial service. What else is so “great” about first class: the service. While coach

passengers have one flight attendant for approximately every 50 or so passengers, first

class passengers have one flight attendant for approximately every 4 or so passengers.

While that may not seem that important, it does come in useful when you’re taking a long

flight and want someone to be attentive. Another plus to first class is the food. While

most of the food for coach is pre-packaged sub-par food, the food for first class is

typically cooked onboard the aircraft. That means the food is cooked fresh and is

typically made to order. I’ve had shrimp, scrambled eggs, steak, and many other

specialty foods in first class. In coach, I’ve had a turkey sandwich which was prepackaged

with mayonnaise (which I don’t eat), but which would not be replaced.

Of course another reason is the “prestige” that goes along with the first class seat. Most

first class passengers enjoy when the coach passengers walk past them to go sit in the

back of the plane while they’re already sipping their cocktails, before the flight has taken

off.

So, enough about why first class is so great. Let’s talk quickly about what NOT to do to get into first class. : Do not attempt to “bribe” the ticket agent. It will get you nowhere. My coworkers and I have had hundreds of passengers hand us an airline ticket, passport, and a $50 or $100 bill with the ticket. The passenger would then say “first class please.” Now, first of all, the first class ticket is normally from several hundred dollars to several thousand dollars more expensive than a coach ticket. So, a $50 or $100 bill will only make you look stupid.

Now, remember, if you’re not checking in any bags, but are just carrying carry-ons, you

will be able to check in at the gate, with the gate agent. If you’re willing to do some

bribing, you may want to bribe at the gate. You should know that if you’re going to do

this, you should show up at the gate at least 30 minutes prior to your scheduled departure.

Don’t slip the money with the ticket and try to by sly about it. The agent will know what

you’re trying to do, but you’ll have to say it. All you have to say is something like “Is

there any way I can get into first class…if I could, I’d like you to have this tip for your

help.” That way, you can get the “tip” back if the agent can’t get you into first class.

You’re probably wondering, how much should I give? Well, if you’re going

international, I would say $100 bill would be adequate. If it’s domestic, $50 would be

perfect. Of course if you’re not willing to spend any money on getting into first class,

you can either try the tip above or simply ask the gate agent. The ticket agent will NOT

be able to upgrade you. Normally it is the concierge who is in charge of the upgrades for

international flights and some long domestic flights. But for shorter domestic flights, the

gate agent is in charge. And there will normally be two or more gate agents. If one of

them that you’ve asked says NO, I would not suggest asking another. Another thing you

should be aware of is what you wear if you want to get upgraded to first class. As an employee, they always would warn us not to wear jeans or sneakers, or we would not be able to sit in first class. Once, I was asked by an agent to change my clothes if I wanted to sit in first class. (I was traveling as an employee and the agent asked me if I had “dress

clothes” in my carry-on). I had to change in the airport restroom and when I emerged, I

was quickly upgraded. That does not necessarily mean that you need to dress as if you’re

going to a wedding ceremony. What it does mean is that you’ll need to be neat and tidy.

(This is not a requirement, but it will definitely boost your chances).

Visit these sites before you travel:

www.tips4trips.com

http://www.fly-free.com/

http://www.thirdage.com/travel/heart/stressfree/knowwhat.html

www.navigant.com

www.asirt.org

www.kropla.com

www.iatan.org

www.magellans.com

www.iapa.com

http://www.travelshop.de/english/airlines-e.html

http://www.iapa.com/

http://www.travel-library.com/air-travel/consolidators.html

http://www.vacationweb.com/discountair/

www.airlineticketsinfo.com

http://www.skyteam.com/EN/index.jsp

http://www.travel.org/airlines.html

http://www.etn.nl/discount.htm

http://www.bootsnall.com/

www.flyertalk.com

http://airtravelcenter.com/indexb.html

http://www.aesu.com/index.htm

http://www.connectedglobe.com/travelselect/

http://www.aircourier.org/

http://www.twarp.com/air.htm

For Domestic & International Travel:

www.airgorilla.com

www.globusjourneys.com

www.ticketspinner.com

www.airfareplanet.com

www.airlineconsolidator.com

www.travel.com

www.travelweb.com

www.skyauction.com

www.orbitz.com

www.sidestep.com

www.iexplore.com

www.counciltravel.com

www.cits.net

www.travelfleamarket.com

www.worldwidelife.org/travel

www.flyaow.com

www.foolfind.com

www.frontierstrvl.com

www.hfinet.com/english

www.internationalist.com/travel/

www.go-global.com

www.cheapinternationalflights.net

www.lynxair.com

www.airtreks.com

www.4airlines.com

www.itn.net

www.economytravel.com

www.travelocity.com

www.priceline.com

www.QIXO.com