New Zealand’s favourite airline, Jet Star, have again surrounded themselves in controversy.

Reportedly customers have been falling afoul of their online ticket purchasing service, unwittingly paying extra for additionals such as insurance fees, baggage fees, credit card fees, booking and service fees etc. It seems these ‘hidden’ fees have the ability to turn a cost effective, $40 domestic flight into a sojourn of almost double that cost.

The thing is with Jet Star’s online ticketing options, similar to practically every other online form one might ever have to fill out, by default many of the ‘extras’ boxes come already checked; it is therefore up to the person filling out the form to carefully un-check them.

It’s a clear money-making strategy which most every company uses and in my opinion, given that any person filling out any form, online or otherwise, ought to have thoroughly read every word on that form, it’s a pretty clear case of caveat emptor – let the buyer beware. As a consumer, you should never assume that a service’s most stripped-back rate will come aligned with its most stripped-back package.

As a consumer, you should be aware also that these companies are not trying to be your friend; these companies are trying to screw as much money out of you as they legally can.

Article by Tim walker

Edited by Dee V Huss

Photography by Jett Starr