Travel Tips
Online Travel Booking Carries Hidden Costs
Buying travel tickets online, touted as a great way to get cheap fares, can cost more than you think. A study by Consumer Reports Travel Letter found that 12 big online travel providers charge fees that can add as much as 85 percent to the advertised price of your ticket.
More than half the sites polled charged from $4 to $30 to book and mail paper tickets rather than issuing electronic tickets, which often are no more than a reference number issued to a traveler. Most discounters won't mail paper tickets without a charge.
Once you have a ticket, changing the itinerary could cost more than the ticket itself. While airlines tend to charge a $75 penalty for altering travel arrangements, some online sites charge up to $375, Consumer Reports said.
This article is a reprint from the March 5th edition of the San Francisco Examiner.