Few things are as frustrating—and costly—as airline ticket change fees.
On many flights it’s about $200, and in some cases, that’s more than the cost of the original ticket itself.
On some international flights, the change fee is $400 or more.
There are no real labor costs here. This is pure profit for the airlines.
As a result, more and more passengers end up booking what become essentially throwaway tickets.
That translates into no shows on planes.
When the number of no shows increases, the airlines try to compensate by overbooking those flights, and that leads to bumping more passengers.
Who benefits here? NO ONE.
There’s a simple solution.
I’m not asking the airlines to eliminate change fees. They wouldn’t listen anyway.
Instead, just make them LESS than the price of the original ticket. Perhaps a percentage of the cost.
But if a ticket is $150 and the change fee is $200, PLUS the additional cost of the fare difference for another flight, it becomes nothing less than absurd.
A big shout out here for Southwest Airlines, which does not charge any change fees.
JetBlue and Alaska, for example, charge less for changes made at least 60 days out.
All else considered, that’s a much more reasonable way to do business.
For more information about airline tickets, check out:
- What’s the Best Day to Buy Airplane Tickets?
- Decoding the Letters on Your Boarding Pass
- Booking Online? Why the Country of Origin Matters
Keep reading for more travel tips.
