Airlines' added charges

This reminds me of last year when finding our prepaid seats on an Air Europa flight to Madrid. The airline had sold our seats to two other passengers. Outrageous.

How airline fees have turned baggage into billions

The amount carriers now charge for luggage is raising the ire of politicians and consumer groups.

www.bbc.com

I can confirm what the article says. Having recently searched for my next flight to Italy, whenever I used a search tool, like Google flight, kayak, sky scanner, gotogate etc. the lowest price was always with just a carry on. LATAM had the lowest fare, but adding a checked luggage meant +$100+ each way, which no longer made it the cheapest option. Besides having to juggle between the luggage thing (most search tool do not have the option to include the first checked baggage in the comparison, you have to find out manually the final charge by simulating purchase adding the checked luggage), some options had very long layovers, like 11 hours in San Paolo between 11 Pm and 10 am, which meant having to pay to spend the night to sleep somewhere. Even airport sleeping pods are $100 a night, so it is better to pay more for a shorter flight with less hassle (as your checked baggage is checked and you have to bring with you a change of clothes and personal hygiene items in your hand baggage, which needs to be purchased in smaller size due to safety regulations on liquids).

It is a pain to fly nowadays!

Quote from serafina

It is a pain to fly nowadays!

Hence why we go Biz only even if it means flying less. We couldn't fly long haul economy nowadays.

But the layover and the airport security rules are the same regardless of your flying class, UK Man.

I remember that when I visited Portugal, I was flying with a low cost airline with just cabin luggage. Stupid me bought a Port-based jelly as a gift to my father, and realized that it would classify as a liquid on my way to the airport. Paying to check in my luggage was more expensive than the jelly itself.

The image below is just for illustration purpose.

The same issue concerns Nutella: you can't fly with a nutella jar in your hand luggage (unless it is less than 100 ml), but you can travel with a Sandwich with a nutella spread. Seems like a joke...

And everyone knows that terrorists use Nutella to hide explosives....

Quote from serafina

But the layover and the airport security rules are the same regardless of your flying class, UK Man.

I know but at least you know comfort awaits on board....after helping yourself to the complimentary food and booze in the lounge of course.

I’ve avoided luggage fees these past years by limiting my travel to only on direct flights to/from Argentina. On American Airlines that is first 50lbs for free. Using my points for a free flight in premium economy allows a second free 50lb bag. That limited travel route has made my foreign travels rather boring, but at least avoided the modern complications mentioned in that news article. I traveled this way when last month when I noticed many award travel opportunities for a last minute booking.
If I was to travel to a European city which forced a connection, I would take the opportunity to layover a few days to explore the city, plus for me it would be a touristic trip with little needs for much baggage.

Quote from aficionado

If I was to travel to a European city which forced a connection, I would take the opportunity to layover a few days to explore the city, plus for me it would be a touristic trip with little needs for much baggage.

Yes we used to do that when using miles as it usually didn't mean paying more and even if it did it was worth it especially those places we hadn't been to before. However on cash tickets taking a stopover usually hikes the price up considerably. To be honest we've seen most of the places we wanted to see around the world so our desires to travel anywhere else except to the UK has evaporated over recent years.

Quote from UK Man

However on cash tickets taking a stopover usually hikes the price up considerably.

Oh right, I used the wrong term. I should have said stopover , not layover. That is a sign of how boring my travels have been these recent years.

On one of my first trip back home, I had a long layover in Madrid, maybe 7 hours. I was able to leave the airport and visit the city. But it was in the morning and from Argentina, so I didn’t mind it. It is different when the layover is at night, especially ina big South American city such as San Paulo.
On my way back to Argentina, I am not inclined to leave my precious checked luggage at the airport longer than the bare minimum as it is full of prized purchases made in Europe.

Quote from Rice

Could NOT agree more, serafina . After years of weekly long-haul commuting in the US, in 2018 we essentially stopped flying anywhere that we could drive, limiting flights to Hawaii and Argentina. Then came Covid. The place we always stayed in Maui was sold, so we were down to just Argentina for the past couple of years. Then came the trump/musk job cuts at the FAA, understaffed control towers, and a sudden surge in plane crashes in the USA.

Starting this year, we are planning to enjoy staying at home as much as possible.

It's the one thing that puts me off visiting the UK. Not to mention transferring in Madrid with yet another ridiculous security check which we have already done in Gatwick/Heathrow.

They screw us every which way.

Quote from Splinter

It's the one thing that puts me off visiting the UK. Not to mention transferring in Madrid with yet another ridiculous security check which we have already done in Gatwick/Heathrow.

I do agree. I so wish there was a direct flight to Milan. I found that the long haul flight really takes the most toll, hence I do better when I reach my destination right after the long haul flight vs. having to take the shorter flight after the long one.

I really liked flying LATAM with a stopover in San Paulo, as I was still fresh after the shorter flight from Buenos Aires to San Paulo, and once I flew San Paulo to Milan, it took less than 60' to lie on a bed!

However, I haven't flown on that arrangement since pre-covid, i.e. ever since, I have had a layover in Europe, whether Madrid, Paris, Amsterdam, London, or Rome (depending on the carrier). Having to go through security again after the long haul, boarding another plane, etc. with the tiredness from the long haul is really tiring. Last time, I fell asleep the second I sat on the flight from London to Milan - I was exhausted. When I woke up one hour later, we were still on the tarmac -a technical issued delayed our plane of 2.52 hours, exactly 8 minutes short of the threshold to get a reimbursement under EU regulations.

This time, I am flying again via Madrid. At 'just' 15h40min, it is the shortest route to get to Milan.

No need to go through security when connecting at Frankfurt as long as your onward flight, as it was for us, leaves from the same B gates.

This absolutely nails it!

Channel 4 on Instagram: "‘BOARDING PASS!’ First look at brand-new sketch comedy show Mitchell And Webb Are Not Helping. Coming next month."

57K likes, 1,479 comments - channel4 on August 1, 2025: "‘BOARDING PASS!’ First look at brand-new sketch comedy show Mitchell And Webb Are Not Helping. Coming…

www.instagram.com

Quote from Rice

This is comedy, though it crosses into unpleasant reality. Just watching it adds to my growing dread of the whole airport experience, which, for me, is already at the point of completely counterbalancing the joy of visiting other countries and the fun of just getting away.

But the sketch IS funny. Just painfully so.

It reminds me of going through Gatwick security and I placed my laptop in the same tray as my backpack, which was fine. Same at Bristol.

At the Madrid connecting flight where you have to do exactly the same, I assumed same tray for backpack and laptop.

Wrong!

I was told in no uncertain terms - different tray for laptop senor!

I really dislike their fucking attitude.