E-TRAVEL TIPS AND INFORMATION By Bob Rosenthal, April 2010 Dear Travel Friend Every month, Travel Travel will email you up-to-date travel industry information which should not only be interesting but could affect your future travel arrangements and decisions. This month, travel consumer fees have been in the news. These fees can have a huge impact on the final  cost of travel and vacation. Below is information that will help make informed decisions regarding travel consumer fees. LAS VEGAS HOTELS RESORT OR FACILITIES FEES Some Las Vegas hotels and resorts are now charging an additional mandatory resort or facilities fee at check-in, regardless of how or where your room was purchased. Theses fees vary from hotel to hotel, starting from $1.00 to $25.00 per room, per night, do not include tax and are subject to change without notice. Some resorts may also apply room tax to their resort fee. Some services or facilities that  may be included in your Vegas hotel fees are:   Wired and wireless high-speed in-room internet   Unlimited local and 800 calls and special long distance rates   Fitness center and/or pool access and pool towels   Daily local newspaper   Gift shop discounts   Shoe shine service   Hotel, strip and/or airport shuttle service   Special d aily offers and discounts   Some business center services, copy and fax service   In-room coffee and/or bottled water   Valet parking or covered self parking   In-room safe use   Concierge services and luggage storage Wake up calls For a list of Vegas hotels charging and not charging resort or facilities fees click  here. WHAT CONSUMERS PAID IN AIRLINE FEES Major US Airlines reported they collected more than $1.9 billion in revenue for the third quarter of 2009 alone, by charging ancillary fees for checked, overweight and oversize baggage, in-flight food and drink, ticket change fees and other miscellaneous fees and charges. Airlines started unbundling services and charging them in an a la carte fashion in the summer of 2008 and have made no secret of their intent to expand this type of pricing. Some airline fees revenues for the second quarter of 2009 are: American $565 million, Continental $277 million, Delta $942 million and United $276 million. Click here for more consumer fees information. HOW YOU CAN AVOID PAYING AIRLINE TICKET CHANGE FEES? Most available options require you pay extra upfront. Change your ticket as soon as possible: Some airlines, will allow you to change or cancel a booking without penalty within 24 hours of purchase. Make sure your ticket is correct immediately after purchase. This option will not help if your travel plans change after the 24-hour deadline has passed. Purchase travel insurance: Travel insurance is a great option and rates are affordable and well worth the extra money and peace of mind. Just one of the many benefits of travel insurance is that some plans will cover you for any reason, and r eimburse you for change fees you might have to pay if your trip is cancelled,  interrupted or delayed. Be sure to contact your travel agent to research which plan is right for you and your intended trip. Click here for more information. Fly standby: Remember, a confirmed standby seat can only be offered if possible flights aren't full. Make sure your travel plans won't be affected by arriving at your destination earlier or later. Standby rules vary by carrier and some airlines offer the option to travel on an earlier flight for free. Some carriers offer a same-day confirmed seat for a small fee, a significant discount to ticket change fees. Purchase refundable  or a higher class fare:  If there's any chance you may have to change your itinerary, it might be worth your while to pay extra and book a refundable or non-restricted ticket. Airlines may waive change fees for travel interupted by natural disasters or adverse weather conditions and allow ticketed passengers to rebook or cancel without penalty. FREE CARRY ON BAGGAGE RIGHTS SPIRITED AWAY! For reservations purchased on or after April 6, 2010, for travel August 1, 2010 and beyond, Spirit Airlines will be charging consumers from $20 to $45 per carry on item! Until now, US airlines have charged consumers every fee they felt they could get away with. To-date, five major carriers have already agreed not to follow Spirit's lead and will not charge fees for carry on baggage. Despite what Spirit Airline's CEO's says, it remains to be seen how consumers will react to their sacred free carry on baggage rights being taken away. QUESTIONS? 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