$1,800 to check in 4 bags, seriously?, Latest Travel News - The New Paper
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$1,800 to check in 4 bags, seriously?

In addition to the mostly high fares, many airlines these days make you pay for every little thing.

You can be charged extra for just choosing to check in at the airport counter rather than online.

And usually the only seats that don’t cost more are in the middle. Imagine being stuck in one of those on a long haul flight, with an overweight snorer on the aisle side, and in the window seat a beer swiller who keeps going to the loo. No joke.

Well, neither is what this family travelling from Vietnam to Indonesia found out when they turned up for an AirAsia flight with four pieces of baggage they had not pre-paid for.

They said they had to pay the equivalent of S$1,800 at the airport.

It was much more than they had paid for the two adults and two children to fly Hanoi-Kuala Lumpur-Jakarta.

“It’s like if a little kid put up a lemonade stand and charged a hundred dollars per lemonade,” says one of the children.

They didn’t find much sympathy online though, with many comments saying they should have read the conditions stated on the airline website.

Yes, but $1,800 for checking in baggage seems a bit much, right?

Well it seems the charges can add up, depending on the weight of the bags, and whether, as in this case, there are flight connections involved. There can also be taxes and credit card processing fees.

So remember folks, pay attention when you are booking tickets online, and READ THE FINE PRINT.

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