MSN has some tips to beat the airlines fees. I swear, air travel is for the elite nowadays.With the news of Continental Airlines adding a $15 fee to checked luggage, these tips are right on time.
Does Greyhound sound appealing to you? Are you traveling for the holidays? What are your tips to beat the fee frenzy?
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I would never take Greyhound. You get what you pay for and that’s riding for hours in a cramped seat next to the germy masses. No thanks. I’m all about FF miles, not checking luggage and packing my own snacks.
I’ve been doing carry-on only for a few years (too many lost bags and it saves time) and I usually sleep from takeoff to landing. So I’ve always missed out on the freebies. Still, hearing about all these fees sucks.
I’m down with the FF miles too. Also, the trek out to Long Island to fly Southwest may be worth it now.
To be honest, I think carry-on only goes so far. I’ve seen people really try to cram stuff into overhead bins, and if you are on a regional flight in the first place, you have a much smaller overhead space.
Before you even get to the “pack sensibly” part, I think you need to look at a couple of things:
1) Do I really need this trip? Can what I need to accomplish by it be done in conjunction with another trip?
2) Is flying the best way to get there?
3) For $50.00 each way, is it cheaper to FedEx your clothes to the hotel/office and back home?
If both are yes, for Heaven’s sake, pack lightly. Don’t bring a full size bottle of shampoo. Ladies, you are beautiful as you are, you don’t need 5 pounds of makeup. Gentlemen, do you really need to bring 5 newspapers with you?
Savvy-You are VIP! Love it!
Coco-I fly Southwest quite a bit.
GLM-Great tips! So happy you mentioned newspapers! We need all the readers we can get!
A snobby frugalista doesn’t even make sense. Since the airlines are not washing blankets and pillows in between flights it’s pretty germy up there too.
I’m always traveling light. I make the most of being a frequent flier and when those miles get me upgrades you can best believe I am making the most of that. I carry my own headphones and snacks too.
@ chic – If your comment was directed at me, I don’t consider myself snobby. In addition, snobby-ness and frugality have no correlation.
I’ve been on a bus and I’ve been on many planes. While there are germy people on planes as well, the number seems to be fewer. In addition, on a plane I can point my air vent toward them (directing germs away from me) or get up and walk around for temporary escape. In addition, I take my own pillow and blanket (washed after each trip of course) and antibacterial wipes for wiping down the hard surfaces (tray table, etc.).
Hey frugalista
I really don’t have any tips for beating fees, but I don’t fly often enough for it to really impact my finances.
Everything seems to be going up these days…sigh
This year if I cannot get there by car, rail or cruise ship I’m not going. I’m old enough to remember when “jet set” meant the folks rich enough to fly. For trips it’s back to basic black, the pieces easily swap and go with everything. And micro materials travel light and don’t get wrinkled. Besides, hotels have steamers and steam irons for guests.
Yep. Don’t forget to check individual airline sites, especially those like JetBlue and Southwest that don’t put all ( or any ) of their fares out there for the likes of Expedia, Orbitz, and Travelocity.
I was at a wedding in Vegas so I’m catching up on the blog. Totally missed you.
So given that I just got back from a trip this is an interesting post to return to. I’m not traveling for the holidays. I have a bridal shower coming up in Atlanta but when I saw plane ticket prices are almost $300 I don’t know if I’ll be making that trip or just sending a present.
I just wish Southwest flew out of my market so I wouldn’t have to hunt for airline deals. I would just be loyal to one airline.