What you see is often not what you get. Ask air travellers, who invariably end up paying much more than the rock-bottom fares advertised by airlines.
Broadly, there are three reasons why the price does not match the pitch. First, genuinely cheap air tickets come in a very limited edition and are used to fill empty seats, or grab eyeballs.
Next, the low fare advertised is usually not all-inclusive. The airfare you cough up has some components which do not go to the airline.
One cannot be generous with other people’s money. So the airline can take a cut only on its share of the pie.
Finally, the airline may agree to a lower fare to take you from point to point, but can charge for the extras that you want on the flight — food on the plane, preferred seating, excess luggage, etcetera. Here’s a list of the many costs to take to the sky.
20/12/15 Anand Kalyanaraman/The Hindu Business Line
Broadly, there are three reasons why the price does not match the pitch. First, genuinely cheap air tickets come in a very limited edition and are used to fill empty seats, or grab eyeballs.
Next, the low fare advertised is usually not all-inclusive. The airfare you cough up has some components which do not go to the airline.
One cannot be generous with other people’s money. So the airline can take a cut only on its share of the pie.
Finally, the airline may agree to a lower fare to take you from point to point, but can charge for the extras that you want on the flight — food on the plane, preferred seating, excess luggage, etcetera. Here’s a list of the many costs to take to the sky.
20/12/15 Anand Kalyanaraman/The Hindu Business Line