Thirty-four cent ticket morphs into $70 fare
 

From the LA Times:

http://tinyurl.com/gqj7p

We flew on Ryanair this summer between Frankfurt and Provence for 1 cent and 34 eueros in taxes, etc. I considered it a steal considering other airlines were much higher - 250 or 350 euros.

I agree that hidden fees make it hard to comparison shop but back to the 70 euro or dollar ticket. What were the other airlines charging?

By the way, the link you posted worked the first time I clicked on it but the second time it wanted me to register so I can't go back and look at the article.

The headline is (slightly) exaggerated (the author paid $64+ dollars, but detailed how it might easily go over $70).

And there is no information on what fare might have been charged by any other airline, for a similar route, on the same date(s).

Much of the article deals with advertising trends (of air fares, with "added" charges) in the US - - before taxes - - not so much in Europe.

Best wishes,

Rex

Do you honestly believe that Ryanair and other budget airlines are the only companies who have to charge additional fees and taxes?

Are Los Angeles Times readers really incapabable of spotting that a London-Dublin return flight costs $56 (Not, as the headline misleadingly tels us, $70)?

If so, everyhting I'd always suspected vbout Southern Californians is obviously true.

Ryanair and others simply breakdown costs. Few air travellers are aware that airports charge airlines rent and access charges. Airport charges vary from site to site. Each country charges taxes. Fuel costs depend on the airport location. Hidden fees? How about, 'comprehensive ticket fees'? Ryanair posts its total charge before allowing a purchase.

I started a similar post a couple of weeks ago about a similar flight in Italy that changed from €0.99 to €85. There is proposed European legistlation to ensure that airlines have to advertise "inclusive prices".

Much as I love Ryanair, some of their pricing could be considered "Sharp".
For Example. If you book more than one ticket, and pay by credit card, the card fees are charged per ticket per leg of journey. rather than just a one off fee to cover credit card expenses.

Hi W,

>If you book more than one ticket, and pay by credit card, the card fees are charged per ticket per leg of journey. rather than just a one off fee to cover credit card expenses.<

RyanAir is a point-to-point airline. You buy a ticket from A to B, B to C, etc.

It's not like the larger airlines that book you A to C via B.

Do you think that you would get such low fares if they didn't engage in "sharp" practices?

((I))

Ira, I am not anti Ryanair as such (I have flown with them quite often), but to call something a "Credit card fee" when it is clearly not, seems dubious to me.

I see the low fairs as a loss leader - to attract customers, and to give the impression that they are always significantly cheaper. I am amazed how full some of their flights are on a weekend, when the Ryanair flights can actually be significantly higher than a scheduled airline.

Credit Cards. Merchants pay a fee to CC companies for each transaction. This covers costs and a profit for the CC C. Fees vary. They range from 1 or 2% to 6 or 7%. At one time in the USA paying with cash cost less than using a credit card. The government stepped in..credit card and cash prices had to be the same. I was threatened with legal action for charging for CC use. Easy out! Raise my prices to everyone. Ryanair is simply trying to recover expenses.