Who doesn’t love to fly cheap? Well, now a European airline is offering tickets for less than zero. Yes, SkyEurope offered tickets that sold for MINUS 10 Czech crowns (about 46 U.S. cents) for some one-way tickets. Heck, I thought it was cool when I bought tickets from them for “free.”
Does this honestly mean they’re paying you to fly? No, the hitch is that you still have to pick up the taxes and maybe some fees, so you might be surprised at the final cost, all-in. For example, a survey by Prague Business Weekly found that another carrier advertised a 7 euro flight, which, after all fees and taxes were included, netted to 265 euros.
This kind of deal has stirred the interest of regulators and legislators, some of whom think this is fraudulent advertising. The article points out that the EU might step in to require carriers to post all applicable taxes, charges, and fees with the advertised price, but says that regulation is at least 18 months away.
My thoughts on this? Look, you still can back out of buying the ticket at any time until your credit card is charged. Does anyone really feel ripped off when all they are paying is the taxes?