Compared with the train fare, which remains unchanged throughout the year, the price of air tickets fluctuates greatly, and the difference between cheap and expensive tickets is sometimes several times. Therefore, in order to buy cheap air tickets, passengers sometimes fight with big data, and sometimes gamble on luck according to metaphysics according to the departure date. Even if you buy a cheap ticket, it doesn't mean you can rest easy......
Trying to buy a cheap ticket but being harvested by baggage consignment, the ticket price is 8 yuan, the tax is 400, how many "invisible rules" are there behind a ticket that you haven't paid attention to?
文 | Seni & Paella 图 | 四象设计部
In fact, there are more than 10 types of aircraft cabins
In people's usual impression, there are two types of cabins on the plane, business class, which is favored by celebrities and bosses, and economy class, which ordinary people tend to choose, and the service and seating environment of the two are different, and the price is also different.
In fact, in order to facilitate the sale of tickets, airlines will also make a more detailed division of prices on this basis. At the time of ticket sales, the airline will adjust the number of each class according to the sales situation.
This segmentation can help airlines develop more profitable sales strategies, but for consumers, it is a classic "polishing" segment. In addition to changing and refunding low-priced tickets, the rights and interests of mileage accumulation, upgrades, and seat reservations are often different from those of high-priced tickets.
In the air travel guidelines issued by the Civil Aviation Administration, passengers are also reminded that if they have purchased a special ticket, they must pay attention to the restrictions. The part of the money you want to save is likely to have been marked for a long time.
If you accidentally have luggage that is more expensive than your ticket
Every time I take a plane, the most distressing thing is that in addition to where to buy cheap air tickets, I am worried about whether my luggage will be overweight. In recent years, the frequent occurrence of news such as "the size of the baggage is not up to standard and is forced to be checked", "the baggage is overweight by 5 kilograms and the check-in fee of 1,807 yuan is charged", which makes passengers alarm about the matter of checked luggage.
When you see a super low-cost ticket, don't rush to click to place an order, the trap may be hidden in the remarks that you have not carefully read, and the baggage check-in fee may be an invisible expense, especially for low-cost airline tickets, pay special attention to whether the special ticket you buy includes free baggage allowance, otherwise you may pay more at the airport than the ticket itself.
Low-cost airlines are trying to control costs by eliminating some traditional air passenger services, and checked baggage is undoubtedly the most maneuverable part of it.
Low-cost airlines sometimes offer two fares in the same class, with and without baggage, and the ultra-low fares you see may be classes without free baggage, which require the purchase of additional baggage, and this additional cost may be much more than the price of the ticket itself.
For example, we observed that Spring Airlines' "Super Fly" ticket from Zhangjiakou to Shijiazhuang costs only 180 yuan, and the small print note at the bottom of it reads "no free checked baggage allowance, no free meals" and can only carry a maximum of 7kg of hand luggage, while the "Premium Fly" ticket for the same flight costs 370 yuan, including 30kg of free baggage allowance and 10kg of hand luggage allowance.
According to the baggage check-in price provided by Spring Airlines for flights within 800 kilometers, if you buy a low-cost ticket for "Super Discounted Flight", the same 30kg of luggage will cost an additional 360 yuan for check-in fee, plus 180 yuan for the ticket itself, which exceeds the price of the "Premium Fly" ticket with its own baggage allowance, but it is not cost-effective.
However, if you don't need to check in baggage, or only have less than 10kg of checked baggage, the total cost will be lower than the Fly Privilege fare.
In short, passengers need to compare the total price of the ticket with baggage allowance and the price of the separately purchased baggage allowance according to the situation of their luggage, and choose the most cost-effective way, rather than choosing the cabin with the lowest face value.
Can't just buy a plane ticket if you want to get on a plane?
In order to attract business, some airlines will give out extremely cheap cabbage fares. For example, at the beginning of this year, Spring Airlines released a limited special ticket of "8 yuan Shanghai to Japan" and "9 yuan Shijiazhuang to South Korea". But if you really want to get on the plane, it's not enough to spend only 8 or 9 yuan.
When purchasing a ticket, there are three types of money that need to be paid, namely fare, government taxes and fuel surcharges, which are related to the distance of the destination, local policies, and airline pricing.
The special price is only the special price of the airline, and the tax will not be transferred by the airline's will to discount. For these eye-catching special tickets, merchants usually indicate "excluding taxes" or "taxes and fees XX yuan". For example, if you fly to Japan for 9 yuan, you need to pay taxes and fees of about 402 yuan. For low-cost airlines, in addition to this money, the cost of the baggage part must be calculated, which is the amount of money that will be spent on the plane in the end.
Since taxes and fees are a mandatory item, some ticketing agencies that use "free fuel for engine construction" as a selling point must have used some tricks or illegal means.
According to reports, some ticket agents who claim to be free of aircraft fuel fees will obtain low-cost tickets by acquiring them, stealing mileage redemption tickets, stealing credit cards, etc., and then superimpose the costs of aircraft fuel and other expenses into the selling price, and then claim that there are no taxes and fees, and sell them to consumers. This kind of ticket has the risk of slow ticket issuance, cabin difference, and even failure to issue a ticket and not be able to board the plane.
The price structure and ticketing mechanism of air tickets are more complex than those of train tickets, so there are many rules behind them that are difficult to detect and easy to ignore. Have you ever grabbed a cheap plane ticket? Feel free to share your experience in the comments section.