Airfare News

Discount air carrier, Zoom, flying from the UK to regional airports in Canada, the Caribbean and New York, left hundreds of passengers stranded and over 600 workers unemployed as it joined the growing list of failed airline carriers last night.

The founders, Scottish millionaires Hugh and John Boyle, issued a statement on Zoom’s website offering their regrets for the situation. They blamed increases in fuel prices of over 50 million (UK pounds) as the source of their insolvency.

The only recourse for passengers who booked their cheap airline tickets to Europe on this discount carrier is to file a claim with their credit card companies. Virgin Atlantic and British Airways stepped to the plate and offered Zoom’s passengers reduced-price tickets for their flights home.

Analysts suggest that Irish airline Aer Lingus and Italian airline Alitalia, both of which are facing heavy losses this year, are also at risk of ceasing operations.

How can we ensure our air travel when we purchase cheap airline tickets to Europe and beyond? One of the best ways is to also purchase travel protection insurance - but make sure the insurance carrier has not listed the airline from which you purchased your tickets as a “non-covered carrier.”

In this time of uncertain fuel prices, it is impossible to guaranty that the flight you purchased will not have delays, schedule changes, or worse, an insolvency.

Low cost airfare on Jet Blue has an added fee, effective immediately - if you want to use a pillow and blanket on a flight over 2 hours, be prepared to pay $7. Free pillows and blankets were removed from all of its airplanes on August 4.

If you’re willing to pay the added fee, you’ll be able to keep the pillow and blanket for re-use whenever you fly. Of course, you may not want to lug them with you when you depart the plane, or remember to take them in your carry-on the next time you fly.

While the Jet Blue spokesman, Bryan Baldwin, maintained that the pillow policy change is an improvement for customers, it seems more like an inconvenience. As airlines battle to keep costs down despite rising fuel prices, simple amenities - beverages, magazines and now pillows - have become a new source of revenue.

Will they start charging for the tiny bag of pretzels distributed during the flight? Or charge passengers to use the bathrooms? Charging for carry-on luggage may be next. Low cost airfare is an oxymoron when you add in all the fees.

When comparing the real cost of low cost airfare, remember to include all the “hidden” fees. If you don’t want to spend additional money once you board the plane, be prepared to starve, be thirsty and sleepless.

If you’re traveling to Hawaii from the US mainland after October 1 on Hawaiian Airlines and haven’t purchased your tickets, be prepared to pay $15 for your first checked bag. Inter-island flights are not affected by the new fees for the first checked bag - but for a second checked bag, Hawaiian already charges $17 on inter-island flights and $25 on flights from the mainland.

Hawaiian Airlines joins a rapidly growing list of airlines who are charging fees for checked luggage, limiting carry-on luggage, adding costs for “preferred seats” and exploring other ways to add to their bottom line while remaining “competitive” on fares.

Finding the lowest fares online is hard enough without having to check and compare each airline’s policy on fees for checked luggage and soft drinks. The situation is worse when you’ve already purchased your ticket and discover that a decent seat assignment will cost more.