The airline change fees they are a changin’

by Janice Hough on January 19, 2009

With all the added fees for onboard services, baggage, unaccompanied minors and pets, it’s easy to lose sight of the cost to change a reservation.

And while the airlines announce fare sales and mergers and new routes with much fanfare, they don’t do the same when they increase their change fees. Which means that for travelers not paying attention, the costs can really add up.

Perhaps the biggest culprit has been jetBlue, which started out with $25 fees, changed to $40, and then last year upped it to $100, which is as much or more than the price of a ticket in some markets. JetBlue encourages passengers to book on its web site for the “lowest” fares, but the higher fees are way down in the fine print, where past passengers might not notice. A regular business client who booked a personal ticket with jetBlue last week called me looking for help because he had totally missed it, and wondered if it was different for travel agents.

Alas, it isn’t.

Delta Air Lines, which once made a big deal out of their lower change fees, has quietly raised its fees up to the industry norm of $150, probably to be in line with Northwest. (Why when airlines say that they need to “align” their fares do they always go up, not down?)

And even Alaska Airlines, with both a consumer-friendly reputation and need to compete with Southwest Airlines, has upped its fees to $75, with an extra $25 for changes made by phone with their reservationists or at the airport.

Of course, airlines need to make a profit, and of course, it costs something for them to change a ticket. In addition, from a public relations perspective, announcing higher fees is never a winning strategy. But particularly for leisure clients, especially families, these changes can amount to a sizable hit on a vacation. And while consumers should always read the fine print, it would be nice if the higher fees were more obvious.

Even travel agents don’t always read all the rules every time, and even experienced agents I know have been caught. (The result is a later non-negotiable invoice – called a debit memo – from the airlines.)

So far, no airline has dared break the $150 (plus fare difference) barrier, though most international ticket change fees have gone up to $250. But eventually, one of them is likely to try it. And I’m not betting on a press release.

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Tagged as: airline change fees, change fees, Delta Airlines, JetBlue

  • Allison

    I’m so glad I fly with Canadian airlines. Both Air Canada and WestJet have eliminated their fuel surcharges, WestJet never charged for the first two bags and Air Canada has eliminated that fee as well… and both airlines only charge $50.00 for a ticket change right up to the day of the flight.

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  • The man who notices things

    Fuel Surcharges – replaced with Carbon Use Surcharge

    Luggage Surcharge – replaced with ‘Passenger Belongings fuel charge’

    Telephone ticketing Charge – replaced with ‘Passenger Choice Fee’

    Ticketing Change Fee – replaced with Passenger Itinerary Update Fee’

    Don’t you know that every fee is the passenger’s fault? If you did not want to fly you would not encounter any fees.

  • claudia carbone

    I was pleasantly surprised to learn that I was not charged a change fee when I recently canceled a flight on Southwest. I just have to apply the cost of the ticket to another flight within a year. I’m now a fan.

  • jlawrence01

    In recent months, everyone has been quick to point out that Southwest Airlines does not always offer the cheapest fare from point A to point B. You can find cheaper flights on the legacy airlines and save $40 or $50.

    Book another airline and you have to deal with the myriad of fees that certain airlines are charging – fees for luggage, fuel surcharges, snacks and beverages, etc. when you compare flight costs.

    The beauty of Southwest is the freedom their system allows. If you cancel any SW reservation, even the cheapest fares, the cost of your ticket can be applied to future travel, with no fees or penalties. You would have to make up any difference, if you bought another ticket at a higher price. The other airlines have hefty fees for changing all but the priciest tickets.

    Last year, business forced the cancellation of my vacation twice. My employer offered to compensate me for the differences in fare and any cancellation fees. I was able to tell them that I truly incurred no fees.

  • laura

    Southwest has almost always been the cheapest fare for my domestic traveling needs (if they fly there). This is especially true now that they still allow up to 2 checked bags for free. For an upcoming vacation to Florida with my entire family that means I ‘save’ $320 I would have spent with US Airways whose ‘base’ fare seemed cheaper. When I consider the other amenities SW has – no change fees and great, even humorous, personnel (absolutely the best crews overall when traveling with children) there is no comparison.

    One thing that irks me about baggage fees that might confuse those less well-travelled is that most of the websites list the extra baggage fees on some hard to find, legalese laden page, and they don’t explicitly state that the $15/$25 charges apply BOTH ways on a roundtrip flight. A friend of mine was upset to learn her family’s $120 charges doubled to $240.

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