Planning some holiday travel? You’ll probably check one of the “big three” travel sites — Expedia, Orbitz, and Travelocity — for airfare deals. (Also worth trying: Kayak, Mobissimo and Sidestep.)
But beware of add-on fees imposed by the airlines—these won’t be reflected in your searches.
Two examples:
For flights from New York to Tampa in January, Travelocity’s lowest round-trip fare was $208 on American or Delta. But if you and your companion each check a bag, American will ding you $15 per person each way. That’ll add $60 to your total cost. You’d be better off on Delta, where baggage is free.
And for flights from Detroit to San Francisco, Orbtiz found several airlines with fares of $268 round-trip. But if you’re fussy about where you sit, Northwest charges $5 to $35 extra for some window, aisle and bulkhead seats.
To get an idea of which airlines charge fees, see this chart from the October/November issue of ShopSmart (PDF). And since fees change constantly, double-check with your carrier before you hit the “buy” button.
