Episode 2: Aftercast - Extended conversation on Fees and Deals

During this aftercast, we give you, our listeners, a "value-add" -  Four different airline fees charts for researching fees before booking your flights.

Scott's favorite 4 airline comparison charts, other sites and more!



Listen to the show by clicking HERE



4) http://www.farecompare.com/how-to-shop/domestic-fee-chart.html- phone reservation fees, checked bags fees, seat location - updated January 2010 for American domestic carriers

3) http://www.expedia.com/daily/flights/airline-fees.asp - checked bag fees, seat selection, fees for extras (like soda and snacks), in addition to fees for pets, accompanied minor fees. - updated March 2010

2) http://www.smartertravel.com/blogs/today-in-travel/airline-fees-the-ultimate-guide.html?id=2623262American carriers, fees for one bag , additional bags, overweight bags, oversized bags, ticket change fees, booking fees (phone or in person), seat selection, in-flight food, blanket and pillow fees.  Some of the offenders are American $8 for blankets and pillows, Jet Blue $7, Virgin America blanket or pillow $12.
While waiting to hear Scott's #1  pick, Elaine explains about her travels on Southwest.  We discuss the benefits of shipping luggage by FedEx or UPS.

Scott's #1 pick is KAYAK!

1) http://www.kayak.com/airline-fees
Their chart is interactive! You can select which airlines you want to travel on, and a variety of other items.

Elaine explains to Scott how she follows Kayak on Twitter.

Scott has two websites for real time flight tracking and one for seat selection that he highly recommends.  These are:
1) www.flightaware.com
2) www.flightstats.com
3) www.seatguru.com by tripadvisor

Flightaware and flightstats are competitors giving you approximately the same service.  All you need is the airline name and flight number to watch the planes progress from start to destination.

Seatguru will show you the seating arrangement on the type of plane you are traveling on and assists you in seat selection.

Airlines really don't have to charge separate fees, as they used to put all of these fees within the ticket price. An itemized statement could list the fees.

A friend of the show, Michael, who is also a fan of ours on facebook, explained that if just one airline stops charging fees, people will flock to them and the other airlines will be forced to change the fees that they charge.  Thank you Michael, that's totally the truth!

Scott explains that Secretary of Transportation, Mr. LaHood, is furious with Spirit and RyanAir regarding their fees.  You can see the link to that article on our facebook page.

Elaine's favorites for the week were the FREE recyclable bag from Earthbound and the FREE Waffle cone from TCBY.  We continue on with our conversation on bags, Entenmann's sells the recyclable bag but when you bring it to the store you get a FREE item at checkout.  At Safeway, when you reuse your plastic bags, or bring a recyclable bag you get 5 cents per bag off your grocery bill (this is in effect in Colorado).

Scott's pet peeve this week is The Automated Checkout at the grocery store. 90% of the time, he is more efficient at the Automated Checkout, but if there is a problem, the person overseeing the automation is often not available to assist you.  We discuss the good and bad points of using the Automated Checkout.  Scott gives it a thumbs up, while Elaine gives it a thumbs down.

We welcome emails with your comments and suggestions - we might even read them on the air!