How to Avoid Airport Taxi Scams

Soon, you won't have to ask that question, because airfare ads will have to include all mandatory taxes and fees. When does a $59 flight cost a lot more than $59? Pretty much always. By now, most travelers understand the annoying particulars of the typical airfare sale, in which prominently listed flight prices are followed by tiny asterisks. In the fine print below, it's inevitably revealed that all sorts of additional (and mandatory) taxes, fees, and surcharges aren't included in the featured prices. Figuring out exactly how the traveler actually has to pay out of pocket for such the flight requires a visit to a booking engine or the airline's website. In some cases, it turns out that the true cost of the flight is 10 percent, or even 20 percent more than what was advertised. All of this rigmarole should soon disappear, though. Starting on Jan. 26, 2012, the Department of Transportation states that all "carriers will be required, among other things, to include all government taxes and fees in every advertised fare." As a result, the prices travelers see in ads are the full prices, in their entirety, that travelers can expect to pay (provided availability). Hopefully, this will mean that fewer travelers feel like they've been subjected to a bait-and-switch, in which the fare that first attracted them to book is replaced by a flight that isn't quite as good a deal. In the months before the new rules take place, the DOT has gotten more aggressive in dealing with airlines that fail to properly information regarding fees and taxes. In early January, the DOT fined AirTran $60,000 because the airline's website listed routes and prices in one place, but failed to provide details regarding taxes and fees in the same spot. (To get that info, a customer had to scroll way down to the bottom of the page.) Likewise, in November, Spirit Airlines was fined $50,000 by the DOT for the way it advertised $9 fares on billboards and posters and made consumers jump through multiple hoops before revealing mandatory taxes and fees, along with the requirement that to qualify for such a fare, a round–trip purchase was necessary. Mind you, it's only the non–optional taxes and fees that must be included in advertised fares. A wide range of optional fees, including those for baggage, seat selection, in–flight entertainment and refreshments, won't be included in the fares you see. For some travelers, these fees will come as a most unpleasant surprise. MORE FROM BUDGET TRAVEL: How the Most Hated Airline Fee Became a Huge Success Airlines Add "Carbon Fee" for Passengers Between U.S. and Europe Introducing the $450 Checked Baggage Fee

How's this for upsetting? Many airlines have been turning nonstop transatlantic flights into stopovers due to strong headwinds on the way from Europe. The Wall Street Journal had the scoop that Continental Airlines, owned by United, had to divert of 43 of 1,100 flights headed to Newark and Washington's Dulles Airport in December. That's a fairly large number, and about three times the rate of a year earlier. The trips all involved Boeing 757s, an aircraft that has a shorter range and holds less fuel than a larger Boeing 777. US Airways and American Airlines had to divert planes to Canada or Iceland, too, though they don't use as many of the aircraft (featuring only 170 to 220 seats) for routes across the Atlantic, reports USA Today. Flying a smaller aircraft across the ocean increases the chance of unscheduled stops because its fuel tanks aren't as large. If that's a concern for you, be sure to opt for flights on planes that are larger, like Boeing 777s or A380s. You can see jetliner information listed in the details of a flight before you buy a ticket. Picking a larger aircraft is one way to reduce the chance of an unscheduled pit stops in Canada on your way back from Europe or the Middle East. If you need to make a flight connection, that can be an important factor. Headwinds on flights returning to the US from Europe have been blowing more than average, or about 54 miles per hour, compared with the 28 mph typically, according to Bloomberg. United may googlenews_wsj" target="_blank">add auxiliary fuel tanks to its smaller panes jetliners, according to the Wall Street Journal. SEE MORE FROM BUDGET TRAVEL Airlines Add "Carbon Fee" for Passengers Between U.S. and Europe Tests Show FAA Should Relax Rules About Electronics on Planes Airlines: 4 Best Uses of Facebook and Twitter for Fliers in 2011

Delta, United, American, and US Airways have added a $6 round-trip surcharge for flights between the U.S. and Europe since January 4, reports the AP. Carriers are passing on the extra cost of complying with a new European Union pollution management scheme. Officially, airlines haven't explained the purpose of the $6 surcharge. But aviation experts say the fee is meant to compensate the airlines for payments to the European Union. The charge is essentially a new jet fuel tax. Since January 1, airlines in the U.S. and other countries must pay the European Union for certificates for permission to emit carbon dioxide in European airspace. The rule applies to foreign airlines operating the route, too. So, Lufthansa says it will raise current fuel surcharges soon for transatlantic flights that depart from the U.S. Strangely, the E.U. has not sent any bills to the airlines yet, given that the program has just started. So, the airlines don't exactly know how much they need to pay. That hasn't stopped the airlines from estimating the cost of buying carbon dioxide (CO2) emission credits and passing the cost along to passengers. Infuriatingly, airlines may be profiting from the surcharge, according to Reuters. A study released today and part-funded by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration has revealed that airlines may be able to use the surcharge as a way to artificially increase ticket prices, collecting "windfall profits of $2.6 billion between now and 2020." Ordinarily, government laws prevent airlines from colluding in price rises. But airlines will effectively be able to charge more for their services without having to add additional costs or engage in a price war with competitors. (Plus, the income from the fees isn't taxed.) The study, published the Journal of Air Transport Management and done by researchers mathematicians from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, predicts that profits for U.S. carriers may increase. Once the airlines know how much exactly they have to pay the E.U., the fee for passengers may change. In the first two years, the E.U. is only requesting small payments from the airlines. But after two years, it is scheduled to ask for much more money, and airlines may pass along the cost to passengers, with price hikes of $15 to $45 each way on a transatlantic ticket. Additional costs related to the CO2 plan may hike ticket prices by an average of 3 percent in the long run, aviation information provider OAG told Bloomberg News yesterday. Airlines that operate older planes and that don’t fly as many business-class and first-class passengers will be the most affected by the new law, say analysts. The EU defends its charges by saying that it’s not fair that foreign airlines are allowed to pollute their airspace without paying any price. Hence, the new scheme. SEE MORE FROM BUDGET TRAVEL Tests Show FAA Should Relax Rules About Electronics on Planes How the Most-Hated Airline Fee Became a Huge Success Euro Dips Under $1.30, Making Europe Affordable

Among the latest revelations from passenger confrontations with the TSA: You can't bring a tub of cream cheese through a checkpoint. Spread it on bagels, though, and there's no problem. Snow globes and holiday sweaters are on the strange list of items that could possibly get you held up at airport security. Liquids and gels are also no good, and have been banned for quite some time now. As many travelers are aware, though, the rules for what is and isn't OK are often confounding, especially because enforcement of the rules seems so haphazard. The Freakonomics blog highlighted a recent head–scratcher of a situation, in which a flier tried to pass through security at the Milwaukee airport with a package of bagels, lox, and cream cheese to bring home. The bagels and lox were OK, but the cream cheese was a no–no because of it was gel–like and held in its own container. Apparently, the TSA agents considered the cream cheese potential dangerous. But they didn't confiscate it. Instead, they offered an interesting solution, in which the woman could still bring the cream cheese through security: They agreed that it would be okay, and she could bring it on board, if the cream cheese was spread on the bagels. Salon.com's Patrick Smith, meanwhile, followed up on a recent situation in which TSA agents in Texas wouldn't allow a passenger's cupcake through security because the heaping of frosting was too big and "gel–like." When Smith asked the TSA about what happened, a spokesperson told him, "In general, cakes and pies are allowed in carry–on luggage." Well, that clears that up. It's as clear as cream cheese. MORE FROM BUDGET TRAVEL: Should the TSA's Patdowns Be Outlawed? Suggestions: Allow One Free Checked Bag, Stop Treating Everybody Like Terrorists TSA Tests Passenger Behavior at Boston Airport