Budget Airlines - Bane

Singapore - I read a good article in today Sunday Times on the hidden cost of flying on the cheap.

1. Once a booking is confirmed, it will cost anything from $70 to $100, depending on the airline, to change flight or passenger details for a round trip. Fare top-ups will apply if you were originally scheduled to leave on a slow day such as Tuesday or Wednesday, and now want to fly over the weekend or during the school holidays, when the airlines charge more.
2. Change fees - these are subject to fare top-ups. Airlines allow customers to book new flights provided they did so within a stipulated number of days of the originally scheduled departure date. Typically, such waiver period last a week or two.
3. Low-cost carriers do not give refunds. And if they do, the refund process can be tedious and can wait for months for the refunds to be paid.
4. Flight is cancelled or delayed for whatever reason, you will not get a drink or a bite out of the airline while you wait at the airport, and it will not put you up at a hotel either.
5. If bags are lost or damaged en route, do not expect a hardship allowance or quick compensation. Read the fine print on the when claims must be made upon returned.
6. Getting in touch with budget carriers can be tough especially in a crisis. Nobody picks up the phone and there is no email contact for customer service either.

Fly low-cost by all means. There are many good deals out there and, most times, nothing will go wrong. But if something does - a coup here or an earthquake there - it is always good to know where your airline stands on matters such as flight cancellation and refunds.