Category Archives: Fares

Some travelers bought first-class tickets to Hong Kong for just 4 frequent-flyer miles plus $40.50 in taxes and fees.

United Airlines sold them through its web site, writes The Wall Street Journal. Obviously, it was a mistake. The normal price amounts to at least 65,000 miles in coach or 140,000 in first class.

United announced it would not honor the reservations because the bookings resulted from a programming error. The carrier would give 

customers the choice of either keeping the reservations at regular mileage prices or receiving a...

Delta Air Lines has charged frequent flyers higher fares than customers who searched the airline’s web site anonymously. But Delta says frequent flyers also see sometimes lower fares. The experience of 2 travelers sitting side-by-side with their laptops open is markedly different. One of them logs in as a frequent flier, the other as an anonymous client. Three out of 5 searches show higher fares for the frequent flyer. The other times the prices are the same. The differences in fares are substantial. In one case they observe a price difference of almost $300 (€235) for an economy fare and...

In 2009, US airlines generated almost $8 billion (€6 billion) by charging a variety of fees. The latest fee is the overhead bin fee that Spirit Airlines began charging on August 1, 2010 for carry-on bags that will not fit in the under seat space. Airlines reserve the right to cancel or change your flight. However, if you want to change your flight most airlines will charge a reservation change fee. In the first quarter of 2010 alone, US airlines collected $554 million   from reservation change fees. Southwest Airlines is the only US airline that does not charge...