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You’re not alone, booking travel has become frustrating

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You’re not alone, booking travel has become frustrating

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  • Travelers are feeling increasingly overwhelmed by the maze of hidden fees and policies for essentials like seat selection or luggage.
  • The government has attempted to cut down on these junk fees for travelers and get refunds back into their pockets quickly.
  • In May, the Department of Transportation was sued by major U.S. airlines after it announced a new rule requiring them to be upfront about fees.

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Travelers are feeling increasingly overwhelmed, and it’s not because of in-flight Wi-Fi offerings or lie-flat seat options. They’re too busy navigating the maze of hidden fees and policies for essentials like seat selection or luggage – and they’re getting frustrated, according to new data from the travel platform Travelport.

In Travelport’s recently released 2024 Modern Retailing Report, over half of the 1,659 respondents – from Germany, the U.S., South Africa and the U.K. – said the myriad of options for travel, from fares to bundles and brands, have become “complex and difficult to understand.” What travelers actually care about are luggage allowances, cancellations and changes to flights, and free seat selection.

From airline bundle offers that allow you to select your seat and bring a carry-on (for an extra fee, of course) to hotel and flight packages, travelers have to sift through more choices than ever before. Travelport estimates that travelers are currently faced with 10,000 offerings compared to around 500 in 2010.

“Uncertainty is one of the biggest challenges for air travelers right now,” Jen Catto, chief marketing officer at Travelport, told USA TODAY. “Travel is a high-stakes purchase, and people might feel worried they’ll be penalized for making a mistake when they book. What they need is more clarity, simpler comparison shopping, and a reassuring experience.”

On average, the travelers said they spend over four hours comparing and looking for the best deal, the report found. In 2013, people browsed through 38 webpages before booking their trip while now, it’s up to 277 webpages – from third-party booking platforms to the official airline or hotel website. Around 80% found that comparing fares from different airlines is “very time-consuming.”

Frustrated by air travel? It may be better than we think

And after all that research, nearly 71% of respondents said they still don’t feel confident with their booking.

“It could be easier to weigh ten really strong options that have been identified especially for you rather than looking at 100 options that have some basic element of what you’re looking for, but not everything,” said Catto. “You might be left wondering what else is out there.”

Facing too many hidden fees

According to the survey, the biggest challenge faced by travelers are hidden fees – two-thirds of respondents said there are just too many. These can range from a mandatory resort fee to paying extra to bring more than one personal item like a backpack on your flight.

For travelers, booking flights is twice as difficult than accommodations, the survey said.

Almost half of travelers are also finding themselves frustrated when it comes to cancellations and refunds, like trying to change their flight. Many airlines’ cheapest class fare won’t allow you to change your flight or pay a hefty fee.

“Servicing has also seemingly become an after-thought, and customers wind up confused and frustrated when some changes can or can’t be made, depending on what fare type they booked,” said Catto.

The government has attempted to cut down on these junk fees for travelers and get refunds back into their pockets quickly.

In May, the Department of Transportation was sued by major U.S. airlines after it announced a new rule requiring them to be upfront about fees. The agency said consumers are overpaying $543 million in fees each year. The rule would require baggage or flight change fees to be “individually disclosed” the first time consumers were booking their flight. The agency was also cracking down on “bait-and-switch tactics” in which a discounted flight ends up costing more due to mandatory fees.

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