How the airline got me

In the new and wonderful world of budget airlines, there are new lessons to be learned. The ability to fly for a fraction of the price is a brilliant change, one that travelers have been calling for, for years and years. But the old rule of ‘there’s always some bad that comes with the good’ is even true here too. The way that budget airlines are able to offer such low costs is due to limited schedules and cutting down on the extra features and frills. But as the devil is in the details, they also make a boatload of money to those who skip the policies and the fine print. Some charge you for how many items you bring aboard the plane, others will stop you and measure your carry-on luggage, as well as weighing your check-in bags. But this wasn’t enough for some airlines – a few airlines have found more creative ways to make a quick buck from their customers.

Unfortunately for me while traveling to Marrakech from Sevilla, they got me. I booked my flight with RyanAir, as it was a decently cheap flight. I tend to travel at random, deciding where I’m off to a day or two in advance. So I booked and had no access to a printer or anything. I read on my confirmation email that I didn’t need to worry about it, as I can just print off my boarding pass at the airport. Well, dummy me didn’t read RyanAir’s details, instead I went back to wandering the streets of Sevilla, thinking I was ready to fly to Morocco in a few days – no worries, right? I show up at the airport and am asked to pay an OUTRAGEOUS fee of €70 or else I can’t board the plane. It’s probably unnecessary to state that I was a tiny little bit perplexed at finding out that a piece of paper would cost me more than my entire flight from one continent to the next. Moral is, pay attention to the details.

While cheap flights are a step in the right direction for the future of budget travelers, you really must pay attention to every little detail. So, the moral is: Be sure to check out each airline’s policies before you book!

(Photo via mrwallpaper.com)