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!!!

If air-con is charged separately by the place then it's a fairly cheap place, my daughter had to pay 100 euros per week last year.

Surely when booking it's possible to keep track of the extra charges, if the airlines included everything then some people would be paying for things they didn't want/need and then there would still be complaints!

Yep, it’s all DIY now and god forbid you get any of it wrong or your boarding pass doesn’t swipe or the e gates are not playing ball. You end up with an eye roll from some officious worker who thinks it’s something you have done.
Airports are just a mass of stress as well as being expensive. Again, goes back to my theory that they don’t want us going away really and will make it as hard as possible ( or only of your rich and the extras to pay for isn’t a huge problem)

How would know who had paid though? Lots of us still don’t. I wouldn’t mind if someone asked me.
I checked in yesterday for a flight next week. DH and I have the aisle seat across from each other. If someone wants mine for a window seat, I’m moving.

@StrawberrySquash

Nailed it.

I was looking at the cheapest EasyJet flights to Malaga based on this thread.
The total price including the cheapest luggage option ( it’s hold not larger cabin bag) put the price up x4 from the original fare.
Also the luggage costs changed depending on flight, even on the same day.

Would be more honest to quote the £178 fare and let you take off items to get down to £39 if that’s what you wanted ( this was my actual research this morning)

If he’s that fussy, surely he’s not going to want to toxic ‘hot meals’ coming out of the weird little ‘ovens’ in the galley of a short haul aircraft 🤢

You hear stories of very odd people who ask and then won't take no for an answer, even when a very tall person has booked extra legroom or whatever. I read about one passenger who was big so booked two seats and someone demanded the 'spare' for their under two!

Only me then who lives for airplane snacks ?

I bet these flight / holiday websites can get up to all sorts regarding prices online.
They need a bit more scrutiny, but probably generates too money for the government for them to get too involved with their selling practices and procedures.

I have never heard of a hotel charging for AC! Surely that must have been mentioned in the terms though? Regardless, that would be a must have for me unless we were on holiday in northern Scandinavia or somewhere.

If you need to or strongly want to sit together on the plane, then you accept the extra fee as part of the cost of your plane ticket, just the same as if you're checking a bag. None of this should come as a surprise.

Buying food on the plane? I have never done this. I'm in the US and most flights of 4 hours would include a non alcoholic drink and a snack (just some pretzels or something). We will often eat a meal on the way to the airport or at the airport or on the way to where we are going after we get off the plane, depending on timing. Sometimes we'll buy food at the airport and take it on the plane. But you're not going to get anything much cheaper than 8.50 anyway, so if the food you can but onboard is decent it might be worth buying for the convenience. We'll also bring packaged snacks from home to keep in our carry-ons in case we get peckish. I've never brought sandwiches from home. It just doesn't seem worth the hassle just to save a couple of pounds, but I suppose it depends on how much you need to scrimp and save.

The airport drop off charges in the UK blow my mind! That is not a thing in the US. Furthermore, at my local airport, which is a decent sized international airport with lots of flights including to the UK, there is a short term parking garage where you can park and the lift right there literally takes you directly to either the check in desks to the security entrance, depending on which floor you press. Parking for up to one hour is free. So not only do I not have to pay to drop off visitors when they are going home, I can park my car and go with them to check their bags and wave them off at security, and it's completely free to do so.

But, if it's a charge you do have to pay, again - that's part of the cost of the holiday. It's not an "extra". Maybe there are public transportation options that are cheaper, but you have to weigh up what it's worth to you.

£6 for an airport transfer is sooo cheap!! most airports charge you £5 , just to enter at drop someone off!
you really dont NEED to sit together
and you could bring your own food for flight.
paying for a/c sounds weird..we're you in a hostel?

The £6 the OP mentions is the drop-off charge I think.

The place I paid for A/ C was in Greece and although it was marketed as a hotel , it was more of a small villa set up with a pool, but it wasn’t AI. Didn’t know that we would have to pay for ‘ the gas’ as they called it, but may have been something we overlooked tbf.
( a few others were not aware too)

The 6 pounds is just for a five minute drop off fee for cars / cabs and most airports in the UK have this now.
lots of fines if you go over this five minute window.

I used to buy the mini chocolate fingers - but now we go to Tesco on the way and get the snacks - twice as much for half the price.

we make egg bites / like the Starbucks egg bites, soaked oats and chocolate fingers. Then we purchase drinks

usually we get seated across the aisle from each other, which is fine.

I factor in £100 for taxi to and fro, but parking is also between £70-100 and train is not always possible due to not starting early enough. I’ve done Manchester, overnight and parking for £95

i don’t really want to be opening my purse and throwing money about on stuff that’s not really needed and is shit anyway

But they're all unnecessary 'add-ons'! Even kids can go 4 hours without food. You don't have to sit together - who wants to sit with their family when they could enjoy 4 hours peace and quiet anyway?!
AC and taxis are a necessity depending where you are so I'd prioritise those.

Its generally advised not to drink tea and coffee on planes as some use the tap water and its not rocket science that the water may have sat there awhile and they dont rinse out their water facilities often. Not that you said you had hot drinks.
But once your in the departure lounge you can buy food safer and cheaper for the flight as a mid flight snack.
Again I have a friend in pest control and planes get rodents and he is really busy with planes in the hot weather and food is left about, really try to avoid plane food if possible.
Plane seats are free and I have never booked them and always been sat together.
Air con is a rip off 😪 so that one sucks..perhaps choose a hotel where its included next time. Not that that helps you now.
Aside from everything, hopefully you will have an amazing time.

Ryanair charge for seats if you have children

Oh come on most people need to eat something on a 4 hour flight. Especially if you have small children. You always get people on these threads competing for who needs to eat the least.

However OP I honestly have never bought food on the plane. I have no idea who buys it. It always looks absolutely awful. We always go to Pret or similar, if morning we buy porridge and croissants or breakfast rolls, if later on sandwiches / baguettes / DD likes their mac and cheese. It's not cheap but it's way better than plane food.

I've been drinking coffee on flights for years with no issues. The only time I don't is if it's a bit bumpy because I don't want to risk spilling it.

Depends on time of flight. If it’s 10 am I’ll have had breakfast before( brought to airport from home) I board so no need to eat in the next 4 hours. Might bring some fruit .If night flight eat before again.

@Mydadsbirthday

that’s what most people are saying though - just get a meal deal at the airport which is less than £8 and then you’ll be fine on the plane. Once you get to your destination you can get something then. Healthy adults can go 4 hours without food easily.

I think its the actual taxi journey from hotel? but who knows

easyJet are charging you for seats at. Checking? That's strange as they generally allocate you one for free, just like Ryanair

I tend to eating lounge before boarding. Too tight to buy food on plane or at airport

For a four flight, you can easily be on the plan for over 5hrs. Not to mention time in passport control etc after. And if you have transfers booked, no time to hang around buying a meal at the airport..

So yes, I think most people would need at least a snack for a four hour flight! But that can be food brought from home