Holiday Travelers Required to Pay Additional $10 Holiday Surcharge
Thursday, October 8th, 2009
Travelers planning to book tickets around Thanksgiving and New Year’s will be required to pay an extra $10 in surcharges as a holiday fee. Both American Airlines and United Airlines will be adding a $10 fee to tickets booked for travel on November 29 (Thanksgiving weekend), and on January 2 and 3 after New Year’s revelries subside. After these surcharges were made public, Delta Airlines, American Airlines, and US Airways followed suit.
The Sunday after Thanksgiving and the two days after New Year’s Day are typically among the most heavily traveled dates in the United States. These airlines are attempting to increase revenues in light of the recession by imposing these extra fees on traveler who choose to book on these high-traffic days.
While this may seem excessive for airlines that are already imposing extra charges on baggage fees, adding surcharges and fees for previously-free services, and other extra fees, most travelers are still getting a bargain. Many airlines have been forced to lower their average ticket prices for the year, which means travelers could save as much as 20% on the same ticket purchased for the same period last year. This means that the extra fees and surcharges may not be putting too much of a dent in the average traveler’s wallet.
Travelers who wish to change their flights to avoid these extra fees may be required to pay an itinerary change fee that can cost up to $25 or more per passenger. For now, most travelers will need to absorb the cost and find other ways to cut back on travel expenses.
Currently, Southwest Airlines and Continental Airlines have not added the holiday surcharge to any tickets for holiday travel. These airlines have not stated whether they plan to introduce surcharges on holiday travel at this time.
