Travel question: How can airlines justify their extortionate extra charges?

Q We’ve booked to fly with Jet2 only to find that some extortionate charges have been applied: luggage for two adults, £120, and extra legroom seats, £106. The total added to my holiday is £226. I think this should be free of charge like it is on British Airways. At the end of the day we’re being ripped off unmercifully as airlines jump on the increasingly profitable bandwagon. Somewhere along the line this has to stop. I think such charges are a major con. How can they possibly be justified?

Rod A

A Ever since easyJet started flying in 1995, charging 50 pence for an inflight cup of tea rather than including hot drinks in the price of a ticket, airlines have progressively introduced fees for items that used to be free.

I applaud the policy. Basic fares have fallen sharply; there is now an incentive for people to travel light, which helps in a small way to combat the environmental damage caused by aviation; and people like you who really need extra legroom can get it, rather than the emergency exit seats being dished out randomly.

If I am not mistaken, you chose to book the flight at whatever was the prevailing fare, and decided to add checked baggage and extra legroom seats to the booking. It is likely that other airlines were offering similar flights, and also charging extra for checked bags and extra legroom at similar rates.

It is also worth pointing out that British Airways, in order to remain competitive, now levies additional charges for checked baggage and extra legroom.

On the subject of baggage, three airlines deserve a special mention. British Airways has the most generous free cabin baggage allowance: 46kg divided between two bags (one large, one smaller). And while Ryanair and Wizz Air have both sharply reduced their free hand luggage allowances from 1 November, they have also introduced a cut-price category for checked baggage weighing up to 10kg, with fees starting at £8.

You might want to bear these offers in mind when choosing your next trip.

Every day our travel correspondent Simon Calder tackles a reader’s question. Just email yours to s@hols.tv or tweet @simoncalder