Holiday ‘extras’ eating into holiday budget!

[Revolutioniser]

First world problem, I know. And not a surprise either. But still annoying having to pay:

• £22pp each way to get seats on the plane next to each other
• £8.50pp each way for a bit of food on the 4hr flight
• £8 per night AC for the hotel room
• £8 per night tourist tax
• £6 to drop us off at the airport for less than two minutes!

£300 of the holiday spends gone already!

Genuinely think it’s this kind of bloody thievery that makes people think the country is ‘broken’.

I don’t begrudge the tourist tax, to be fair. But the rest of it… ARGH!!!

This

A bottle of lemonade cost us almost a fiver 😆 on the way over.

We stopped buying plane food years ago when we had a toasted sandwich which was microwaved, soggy greasy and nasty, so now it's either Greggs on the way to the airport, or we make our own sandwiches at home. Same as airport food, refuse to pay the prices charged. Drinks? Take an empty bottle and fill at the drinking water fountains in the airport. Never pay for seats on the plane, we dont have young DCs though. Easyjet, Jet2 usually end up sitting together. Ryanair deliberately sit you apart so you pay next time. Recent flight from Dublin and virtually no one had paid for seats, but it was only a 40 min flight. We paid £140 tourist tax in Greece this year. I think the broken Britain claim is that we dont charge it to our visitors, it would raise billions.Aircon, that should have been in the boking conditions. The airport drop off charge is getting worse, but at least you can get close to the terminal al now. Manchester used to be grid locked a few years ago, it would take forever to get to the terminals, so I can see why it was introduced, but it is annoying.

I hate all the extra charges too but it’s not a representation of broken Britain. It’s airlines trying to compete for cheapest flight but then clobbering you for stuff that used to be free. I remember flying to Greece and the Balearics in the 90s and watching a film, getting a 3 course meal and seats together and two big suitcases included in the price. I have no memory of the price though .
These days we never eat on the plane, we often use Just Park app to park near airport and get an Uber in. We gamble on seats together as we’re adults. We tend to use the airport buses to get to our destination on the other side if we can as they are a few euros.Have never paid for air con as in a hotel it’s usually standard.

I knew that people would pick your post apart op, but I agree that it’s all designed to part you with money and the drop off fees at airports are also a rip off if your not using their car park ( which is still a lot to add to the cost of the holiday too , whichever way you get there)
I’ve had to pay for air con before, hotels don’t charge for it, but it is another extra and the tourist taxes on top.
Food is always pricy at airports, but not too many options there really. Even if your being really frugal, it’s still a lot of money to find and ( my own opinion) all designed to stop people flying. The UK should introduce tourist taxes too, I did read that some places might.

Why not bring packed lunch for flight and then fill up water at the airport (there is usually a water fountain even if you have to ask)

I agree UK should charge tourist tax. Also think that our museums should not be free for tourists. Citizens only.

That’s always the case (pardon the pun) if there’s too much hand luggage overall.

op you need to ignore the headline flight price, the overall cost for the flight including the things you’d get if you’d not gone budget, was that, in your view , reasonable?

Food for a 4 hr flight????? Get a MealDeal airside at the airport……much cheaper and healthier too! As for having to sit together on the flight……come on! You’re adults aren’t you? You don’t need to babysit one another! And to be honest, after all the potentially angst of travelling to the airport, checking in, queues at security, waiting for your flight, you might just welcome a bit of distance between you for a few hours……..and it will save you a bit of cash.

I’ve only stayed in one place where you had to pay extra for air conditioning and it was a budget hotel, the type where they’d minimised furniture because of potential for damage! The whole point of paid for air conditioning is for if you’re really on a shoestring you can choose to get by and not pay for it. OP - if you’re on a really tight budget consider a different kind of holiday to your old fashioned package holiday in Spain.

I never pay for seats, for BA I wait until the check-in opens and we either sit together or not.
EasyJet - there are plenty of free options when you book.

I would do it if I had a child under 10-12 but that's what I plan into the original budget when I book.
The same with tourist tax, it's hard to find a destination who doesn't charge it nowadays.
AirCon charge - that's a bad one, I would be miffed and make sure I plan better next time.

We take food with us - we buy a coffee at the airport as I am normally not fully awake to function without when we arrive.

Apart from the tourist tax these are wants rather than needs.

You don’t have to pay for any of it, you want these things so you have to pay.

Broken Britain didn’t make you want an airline meal.

I never just look at the basic holiday cost, I know there will always be extras to figure in, DH & I both have medical conditions so our travel insurance is always v expensive and is increasing year on year. We usually pick up a sandwich & a bottle of water for the plane and just buy a hot drink on the plane. Tourist tax in Greece is very expensive now, if you stay in quality accommodation, we stayed in Oct 23, paid 28euros the same accommodation the following April 24 was around 70euros. But I do agree with tourist tax in general and we should be charging it here too.

I did pay for A/C at one place , a small room and 40 Euros for the week or something like that.
The actual place to stay was cheap , but it didn’t make it clear at booking that a/c wasn’t included unless I didn’t read the small print!
Caused the rep a few complaints at the time from other people , but it’s the only time I’ve had to pay it ( Greece) and of course you could have just stayed hot!

You have to pay for drop off fees at the airports ( with cameras around, people can’t even drop off close to the place without a fine it seems ) or parking or a cab or public transport to be there, so that is always an extra cost for everyone and increasing each time.
The tourist taxes will go up yearly. That’s a given.
No way around a lot of it really. It’s just more to budget for.

My ds flew easyJet recently (domestic flight) nd there were loads of seats for free. His mate had booked their ticket separately and outgoing the managed to get seated next to each other for free - coming back they were separate as not 2 together but they didn’t give a shit for an hour!!!

So get dropped off at hatton cross station and take free tube/bus to airport. Sone of the public transport is free

You don't need the £22 seats. You don't need to waste your money on crap airline food.
You'll be glad to pay 6£ for a taxi once arrived.
I have no idea how this relates to 'Broken Britain'.

I've been holidaying as a single Mum to the Canaries since daughter was 10 (now 16). We've always done it on what I had to budget. Book seats but cheap ones. Last time however, due to my disability we had the extra leg seats at front behind the kitchen.
Don't even get snacks from airport, take them with you. Nobody will starve on a 4 hour flight.
As PP said, take empty bottles and fill them after security.

It is a learning curve but not rocket science and I don't recall considering the political situation in Britain as we left!

Actually scrub that It seems they might've scrapped the free travel scheme

Which country are you saying is broken! The one you live in or the one you’re travelling to???

If you don't want to pay the drop off charge, all the airports we've used recently have a drop off at a further away car park and you can then take the free shuttle bus to the airport. Saves a fortune.

I do agree it’s not broken Britain, but it is corporate greed and someone is creaming off the profits from the cheese toastie and weak drinks they charge a fortune for. The airport drop off charges is taking millions, yet we all suck it up because we know there isn’t much you can do about that one.

Well, don't pay for the seats (I never do, I'm fine sitting anywhere) and buy food at the airport (cheaper surely).

I’m a real cheapskate but actually I don’t mind the drop-off charge at the airport – it means you can park right outside. If there was no charge the spaces would be full of people not moving I bet. It’s not much really. And yy as others say, there is usually a free drop-off option that is just a bus ride away. Just allow time for it. Or pay the £5-7.

I do see how the daily tax and aircon charge add up tho – were you not told about those?

And to yy Ryanair absolutley has free seats. You just refuse to pick a seat when checking in. I have flown with them my last three trips, never paid extra and always had a seat.

Pack your own food for the flight?

make some wraps, and take a travel coffee cup if you want a hot drink. You can take food on the plane.

i wouldn’t pay for a seat tighter for short flight unless you have kids. The cab is reasonable as you need to get your bags etc to and from the airport.

the paying for seats is already just so outrageous and now the prices are getting more and more egregious

Yes the fact that airlines are now actively not out putting people in the same booking together on purpose! And people want jump down you neck that it reasonable and make excuses for such actively predatory behaviour especially when non budget airlines are now actively doing it.

I can’t stand the bootlicking for corporations gouging