Airfare $19.86 surely way below fuel cost. Who even came up with this system?

  • spongebue@lemmy.world
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    2 days ago

    Well, half of it is a “carrier interface charge” - basically, you’re paying to buy online. Fees are taxed differently, but they have to be optional. If you buy at an airport, they don’t charge it.

    That’s Frontier for ya. The Ryanair of the US

    • crimsonpoodle@pawb.social
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      24 hours ago

      Wait so if you go to the airport without planning for a flight in advance it’s cheaper? I mean seems kinda like a very cross your fingers way of traveling. However could be fun if cost reduction is significant and going on a common flight route.

      • spongebue@lemmy.world
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        23 hours ago

        No, if you find a flight you like and, instead of putting your credit card information right there, you drive to the airport, pay for parking, wait in line at the ticket counter, tell the agent you want to buy that itinerary you just found online, argue with them when they say they can’t/won’t so it because it’s freaking Frontier, pay for your ticket, walk 10 minutes back to your car in the parking ramp, pay for your hour of parking, and drive home.

        Probably not worth it for a single person/purchase, but if it’s charged per person, per direction (I think it is but not sure) and you’re paying for your whole family it may be worth it.

      • faythofdragons@slrpnk.net
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        24 hours ago

        I haven’t done it in decades, so I don’t know if it’s changed, but there used to be an option called flying standby. You’d buy a ticket without a seat assigned, and you’d just go to the gate and wait to see if a flight went to your destination with an empty seat you could claim. It was cheaper, but no guarantee of getting a flight.

        • spongebue@lemmy.world
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          23 hours ago

          That’s only really done now for nonrevenue (employee) travel and changes in existing itineraries (trying to get an earlier flight, getting rebooked to a full flight because you missed your connection and that’s the next one, etc)

          Some flights during certain seasons (spring break in Florida, for example) are so full that you hardly stand a chance of getting on, and of course that’s the airlines’ fault