Photo by snappED_up

There is no doubt that air fares are beginning to creep up again. We all know about the airlines who have already added the fuel surcharge and, more recently, baggage charges and some who even charge for snacks. When these worked the floodgates opened and airlines looked for ways to add on some more. Due to supply and demand, the “Peak Holiday Surcharge” is a common add-on for holidays like Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve.

So now, yes, there is another layer of fees or surcharges that have been added to the pot. When the holiday surcharge became commonplace, it was just a natural progression to add more days, and more and more days every few weeks, until now many airlines charge for most days – some as high as $50 one way for something like the Superbowl.

When you add all these surcharges to sales tax, airport, FAA and TSA fees, this can really add up.

Thank goodness, some of the low fare airlines are still holding out – like Southwest. I love Southwest and use them whenever and wherever possible. Then there are others like Air Trans who only adds sporadic and minimal surcharges.

To see a fee added chart with the days they are added by airlines, as well as some tips on avoiding them take a look at Rick Seaney’s article on Fare Compare under the Quick Links heading.

When you have an option to not use one of these fee happy airline,  it seems to have an impact.

Photo by emilio labrador

Over the last few months I have heard from several people who have had special situations requiring some degree of assistance at airports. One involved an elderly parent traveling alone and not being able to walk from one gate to another while changing planes, the next was having two young children traveling unaccompanied by an adult and the other was having a person coming into the states from another country who was unable to speak English. All different scenarios, but each presented a specific need for special assistance. These are but a few examples that I have heard about myself and I am sure there are many more situations where people have some disability or need for some kind of help to make their journey easier, safer and less fearful.

When you are making your reservations and if you are dealing with a traveler who has some limitation or disability, ask for special services. They can send a  transport or wheelchair and quickly escort you through the terminal to the next gate, and they can help you arrange for an escort pass so you can go through security to the gate with those small children or loved ones on both ends of the trip.  Just knowing that help is available can give your traveler more freedom to take those trips and give you some peace of mind.