ESL Podcast 590 - Paying Airline Fees
fee - money paid to do or have something; money paid for a professional service
The library charges a late fee of $1 per day for each overdue book.
to tack on - to add something; to include one or more additional items
Did you remember to tack on the tip for the waiter when you signed your credit card receipt at the restaurant?
surcharge - money paid in addition to the normal cost of something
When gas prices were very high, many shipping companies charged a gas surcharge.
whole slew of - many; a lot of; lots
They had to fill out a whole slew of paperwork when they bought their home.
checked baggage - luggage that is left with airline employees when one checks in for a flight and placed inside the plane, so that the traveler doesn't pick up the bags again until he or she has reached the final destination
How many pieces of checked baggage are allowed for each traveler on an international flight?
oversize - too large; bigger than allowed
Wanda is a bass player and whenever she travels, she has to check her instrument as an oversize item.
overweight - too heavy; heavier than allowed
If you fly with all those bottles of wine, your bags will be overweight.
to justify - to provide a reasonable explanation for something; to be a fair reason for something
The fact that she stole money from you doesn't justify stealing money from her.
to shell out - to pay for something, especially when one doesn't want to pay for it
The university expects students to shell out hundreds of dollars for new textbooks each semester.
to fly standby - to want to be on a flight that is full, putting one's name on a list so that if other passengers do not come for the flight, one can have their seat
Quentin has a ticket for a 3:30 flight, but he's trying to fly standby on an earlier flight.
reservation - an arrangement to have an airplane seat, restaurant table, hotel room, or other service available for oneself at a certain time in the future
We're trying to make hotel reservations for our trip, but so far we haven't been able to find any vacant rooms.
worked up - exited, agitated, upset, and angry; very emotional about something
I always get worked up when talking about politics.
to nickel and dime (someone) - to make someone pay many small amounts of money that together add up to be a lot of money
The telephone company says it charges just $29.99 per month, but then it nickels and dimes you with usage fees, taxes, and other charges.
base fare - the basic price of a flight, before taxes and other fees are added to the cost
The base fare was just $325, but after all the taxes and fees, the flight cost almost $800!
to turn back - to return; to go back the way one came
When Yogi was half way to his office, he realized he had left his glasses at home, so he had to turn back to get them.