Credit card companies usually get pissy when companies try this crap. I expect MasterCard / Visa / etc. will be making a call to them soon.

Eh... I went to Europe in 2006 and they changed me a fee to use my credit card back then. Nothing new. Still the cheapest and fastest way to get around after you add in all the fees.

Doesn't Europe have a pretty good high-speed rail system? Do they charge similar fees? If not, I could see a fair amount of people opting for the train ride when they have the extra time to spare, just to give the middle finger to the airline companies.

\Doctor Jan Itor: Credit card companies usually get pissy when companies try this crap. I expect MasterCard / Visa / etc. will be making a call to them soon.

The rules are different in Europe. Credit card use is significantly lower, and the companies don't have anywhere near as much leverage because of the prevalence of debit systems (aka Bankomat) and electronic transfers.

That said, Ryanair can eat a bag of dicks. They charge fees for everything, so that £6 flight ends up costing £50 by time you take everything into account. It's cheap, but it's so unpleasant that I don't ever fly with them anymore. It's not much more expensive to upgrade to an actual airline, especially if you want to take any bagage with you.

Yo dawg...

Tendancy to over-dew it: Doesn't Europe have a pretty good high-speed rail system? Do they charge similar fees? If not, I could see a fair amount of people opting for the train ride when they have the extra time to spare, just to give the middle finger to the airline companies.

Know how I know you've never been to Europe? We all wear black, too. Bring your diet Coke!!

RyanAir should be renamed Asshat Airlines.

/same people that want to charge to use the lavaoratory
/same people that want to have no seats and standing-room-only

dokool: I'm just relieved it's not a US airline.

/Tokyo->NYC in mid-May, $1800 for a nonstop/RT flight
//5 years ago it was $900 or so
///fark airlines

TravelZoo has $850 RT to Japan for Jan-April travel. Just sayin...

Just tell me what the total bill will be for the flight. I'll make up my mind from there. It really doesn't have to be harder than that.

Friskya: I'm old enough to remember when gas stations used to offer a discount for cash. The pumps all reflected the "normal" price while pumping and the discount was given when you paid cash. Of course, I can also remember having to go inside to pay. No pay-at-the-pump back then.

/my lawn - OFF!

I remember when 'gas station' meant 'service station that sold gas' and not 'convenience store that sold gas'. You pulled in and rolled over the air hose, a large bell inside would announce your arrival with a loud *clang!* *clang!*, and the man there would come out and pump the gas for you. He would also clean your windows, check the oil, and sometimes the tire pressure too. And he did this all for 65 cents a gallon.

As far as airlines go, TWA and Pan-Am were still around and all the National girls wanted you to fly them. The only monkeys banging on your luggage were the ones on TV for the American Tourister commercials. I also ate the chicken in coach using real silverware.

/either get off my lawn or start mowing
//then there was the coolness of SkyLab

Tendancy to over-dew it: Doesn't Europe have a pretty good high-speed rail system? Do they charge similar fees? If not, I could see a fair amount of people opting for the train ride when they have the extra time to spare, just to give the middle finger to the airline companies.

The days of the romanticized European international rail service are long gone partly because of the deregulation (regulation?) of the airlines which created the likes of Ryanair and Easyjet. A train ride from Paris to Rome could take 6-10 hours depending on the route etc with changes involved and Im not sure about the cost. You could take a flight and be there in an hour or so and be charged significantly less than €100 if you timed it right. European train travel has turned into people traveling within their own country as commuters or for short breaks, i.e. someone traveling from Rome to Milan for the weekend.

DemoKnite:
The days of the romanticized European international rail service are long gone partly because of the deregulation (regulation?) of the airlines which created the likes of Ryanair and Easyjet.

Who are you shiatting? I did Paris to Amsterdam last year for 130 euros. Oh, that was first class (2+1 seating, meals, drinks, the works...), and a 3 hour 15 min trip. Far nicer than any budget airline, and for only a few dollars more. And we left and arrived right on the clock. Wake me up when an airline can beat that....

Why wouldn't airlines continue sneaking in fees? Folks still seem to line up for the fleecing. biatching about it will accomplish absolutely nothing.

/refuses to fly on my own dime unless there is absolutely no other option.
//hope airlines tank.
///fark them and the TSA.

Is it just me, or does it seem whenever there's an abuse of airline passengers going on, the odds are good that it's a story about Ryanair?

It's like they're the Herman Cain of airlines or something.

PsychoPhil: DemoKnite:
The days of the romanticized European international rail service are long gone partly because of the deregulation (regulation?) of the airlines which created the likes of Ryanair and Easyjet.

Who are you shiatting? I did Paris to Amsterdam last year for 130 euros. Oh, that was first class (2+1 seating, meals, drinks, the works...), and a 3 hour 15 min trip. Far nicer than any budget airline, and for only a few dollars more. And we left and arrived right on the clock. Wake me up when an airline can beat that....

Glad you enjoyed it, but it's anecdotal at best. If it werent cheaper and more convenient to fly people wouldnt do it and Ryanair wouldnt be one of the most profitable airlines in Europe. For anyone in the UK/Ireland, crossing the Irish Sea or English Channel is expensive, if you live in an "outlying" city like Madrid or Rome it's cheaper and more convenient to fly.

edmo: Doctor Jan Itor: Credit card companies usually get pissy when companies try this crap. I expect MasterCard / Visa / etc. will be making a call to them soon.

Please do notify them about the entertainment industry, professional sports teams, TicketMaster, etc.

Yeah :( "Service fee" my ass. Fees to pay for things should be illegal. It should be considered falsely advertising the real price of the item.

PsychoPhil:

Who are you shiatting? I did Paris to Amsterdam last year for 130 euros. Oh, that was first class (2+1 seating, meals, drinks, the works...), and a 3 hour 15 min trip. Far nicer than any budget airline, and for only a few dollars more. And we left and arrived right on the clock. Wake me up when an airline can beat that....

It's just so *nice* when European trains run on time....

stellarossa: Know how I know you've never been to Europe? We all wear black, too. Bring your diet Coke!!

I'm just glad you all speak English so we don't have to learn phrases in all those bullshiat dying languages. Feel free to speak them amongst yourselves, though, it adds to the atmosphere when we're on vacation.

Ticketmaster is getting into the travel business? It was only a matter of time.

Why are people willing to complacently accept excessive fees to fly on an airplane but will go on an almost witch hunt and burn the building down when it comes to banking fees?

A budget airline nickel-and-diming people? Who da thunk?

Folks, here's the way it works: the legacy carriers cost more and roll all of these fees into their total cost of service. The budget carriers tend to be less, and want to come up the cheapest flight option when you search for flights on Kayak, Expedia, Travelocity, etc., so all of the service fees are below the line.

sonorangal: Why are people willing to complacently accept excessive fees to fly on an airplane but will go on an almost witch hunt and burn the building down when it comes to banking fees?

Most people fly once or twice a year, but bank daily.

DigitalCoffee: Friskya: I'm old enough to remember when gas stations used to offer a discount for cash. The pumps all reflected the "normal" price while pumping and the discount was given when you paid cash. Of course, I can also remember having to go inside to pay. No pay-at-the-pump back then.

/my lawn - OFF!

I remember when 'gas station' meant 'service station that sold gas' and not 'convenience store that sold gas'. You pulled in and rolled over the air hose, a large bell inside would announce your arrival with a loud *clang!* *clang!*, and the man there would come out and pump the gas for you. He would also clean your windows, check the oil, and sometimes the tire pressure too. And he did this all for 65 cents a gallon.

As far as airlines go, TWA and Pan-Am were still around and all the National girls wanted you to fly them. The only monkeys banging on your luggage were the ones on TV for the American Tourister commercials. I also ate the chicken in coach using real silverware.

/either get off my lawn or start mowing
//then there was the coolness of SkyLab

"You can trust your car to the man who wears the star, the big, bright Texaco STAAARRR!"