Wow, I got an 80% discount off my LTL shipment.  What a deal!  Of course, those who deal with LTL shipping know that the discount doesn’t really mean anything.  It’s all about the base rate surcharges and added costs.  I always thought that LTL truckers had absurd pricing using irrational discounts, proprietary commodity classifications with different rates based on various weight breaks.  Couple that with  minimum chargess, fuel surcharges and various other accessorial charges like lift gate, inside delivery, non-commercial deliveries, notification, extra length, cubic capacity charges and limited access deliveries, one realizes that a transportation Management System (TMS) is needed to sort through the complexities.

Airlines are catching up fast.  At least one particular airline (not to be named) has taken pricing to a new level.  I booked a flight for my Mom to see her brother in Phoenix in February.  I had heard about this discount airline and their ridiculously cheap flights, but also was warned that they don’t fly every route, every day.  No worries.  This is for my retired mother andI knew she could be flexible with her schedule.  So I looked up the fare on the airline’s web-site and flying  round trip, the fare was $109.75.  Yes round trip.  I couldn’t believe my eyes and couldn’t wait to book this outstanding deal.

Once I hit the “next” button, I learned that the taxes and fees were $49.63.  Wow, that seemed high.  Upon further review I learned that the $49.63 was comprised of many things one of which was $8.23 for FED Excise Tax.  Okay, I’ve heard of that before so I’m okay with it.  Next was a $7.40 segment fee.  It’s a direct flight, so I guess I don’t understand what a segment exactly is.  Oh well.  A $9.00 PFC charge was included.  Not sure what that means, but it sounds like an official acronym so I better go along.  I got hit with a$5.00 911 security fee (damn you Osama!).  And then, the best one was the $20.00 convenience fee.  Since I was booking on-line, they nabbed me for this one.  I suppose it is more convenient for them if I call them and tie them up for 15-20 minutes and perhaps I could avoid this fee.  Probably not, as they might have a person-to-person live chat fee.

Okay, so I think  I’m doing all right.  Let’s get this booked.  Next the airline charged me $5.00  for an early bird boarding fee.  I decided Mom could get on board later, she won’t mind.  Un-check.  Gee, I love you Mom, but as Southwest says, any seat will do.  Plus, Mom is very friendly and she can have conversations going with the people on each side of her middle seat, all at the same time.  Un-check.

Okay, Mom’s getting up there so I better let her check a bag.    Where was that Southwest Airlines referee when I clicked okay?  Now the fare is over $200 and that’s after I declined some options.  What happened to the $109.75?  It doubled.  Just before I clicked the “I want to purchase” button I noticed that a $23.00 Trip Flex fee had been added.  A what?  I researched that and it stated that this ticket could be changed anytime without having to pay one of those expensive change fees.  Well, Mom might have to change plans.  Interesting that for every four people who agree to this, they exceed the revenue of a change fee.  Nice insurance program for the airline.

So, all in, a round trip to Phoenix that started out at $109.75 came in at $232.36.  Even though that’s a good deal, it just doesn’t feel like it.  I feel like I got nickel and dimed.  It reminds me of that 80% LTL discount.  While 80% off anything sounds good, it depends on what that discount is applied.  And then, are there other fees.  At the end of the day, I simply want to know what something is going to cost without going through the entire buying exercise to find out.  I know that a good Transportation Management System (TMS) will quickly provide the total cost of shipping something so I can quickly make decisions and book shipments.  I guess I need a TMS that works for airlines so I know early on what the true total cost is without dragging me through an arduous process.