These days, you can jump online to find flights, compare costs, and book tickets -- all in a matter of minutes. Travel sites like Orbitz and Travelocity make scouting out super deals easier than ever, but they also indirectly encourage carriers to develop sneaky fee policies. To keep their ticket prices competitive, airlines break out add-on fees for seat assignments, baggage checking, and other previously included (or nonexistent) services. As a result, the listed fares seem relatively low, and most people don't notice all of the tacked-on tolls until after they've clicked and committed. Sneaky fees are a shady way of doing business, and ultimately they negate much of the value to consumers of comparison shopping.
