Travel is not what it used to be. Make that, airline travel is not what it used to be. Make that, airline travel costs are not what they used to be.
I know this, having just been on a bit of a trip.
The flight fee was decent. The other stuff, not so much. There were federal taxes and aviation taxes. There were seat selection costs. There were fees for extra bags and boarding passes and luggage that was four ounces over the weight limit. There were onboard charges for everything from headphones to cups of juice to little bags of peanuts. And when I say little, I mean six nuts a bag.
The return-trip ticket was something like $199. We paid, oh, something in the neighbourhood of $5,400, give or take a few thousand.
I can only imagine where this is going - and I'm not talking about travel destinations.
"Would you care for ice with your water?" the flight attendant will ask. "That will be $2 a cube. And, of course, $20 for the water."
Never mind asking for a pillow, for heaven's sakes, and really, forget the blanket. Those could add up big time.
Back in the day - and by that, I mean back in a day when airline seats allowed you to fully stretch the legs and not feel the arms of your neighbours - there were things like meals. Meals! Complimentary meals! Meals that included steak and salads and fresh veggies and chocolate cake and tiny bottles of vodka and rum and Tia Maria.
It's not only the case with planes.
Back in the day, when a hotel said your room would cost $150 a night, it would be, well, $150 a night. With a little added tax, of course.
Not so today - at least, if my recent trip is any indication.
There was the room charge. But then there were tourism costs. And civic levies. And cleaning charges. And booking fees.
Fast forward two years? "How many pillows would you like?" the check-in gal will ask. "That'll be $30 for each one. If you want more than one roll of toilet paper, that will be $5, and any additional soaps will be $7."
If a room has a view, there'll be an extra fee for that. Ditto with a television, an armchair and a shower. A "basic" room, I am betting, will have a mattress and nothing more. There may even be a BYOB policy - as in: bring your own bedding.
Travel, as I say, is not what it was. I'd like to book a trip for a few hundred bucks, but it'll end up costing me thousands.
