Insane, right? This article explores the biggest hidden airline fee that no one seems to be covering. This is not clickbait.

The problem

If you step on an airplane this year, guess how many other flights you are expected to take? 2.6 other flights for a total of 3.6 flights for the year. Obviously, you can’t take .6 flights unless you pack a parachute and jump out mid-flight. The reason it’s 3.6 is because it’s an average. If you take 4 flights this year and I take 3, our average is 3.5 (7 total flights / 2 people = 3.5 flights).

On each flight you take, you overpay by about $57. So over the course of a year, you are overpaying for your flights by about $205 dollars per year (3.6 flights per year x $57 overpaid per flight = $205).

If you are:

• A male
• That lives to be 78 years old (the average lifespan of a male in the US)
• And you start flying when you are 18 years old

You will overpay for your flights by a total of $12,300 ($205 per year x 60 years worth of flying), correct?

NO!

You will actually overpay by $278,433. How come? All because of the 8th wonder of the world, per Albert Einstein, compound interest.

What is compound interest?

Compound interest sounds like a fancy term you’d hear on Wall Street, but like most complicated words, it means something incredibly simple.

If you:

• Invest $100 in the stock market right now
• The stock market goes up 10% between now and next year
• You will have $110 next year ($100 x 10% gain = $110)

This is great, but what if you:

• Held on for the next 60 years
• and the stock market went up 10% every year?

Your original $100 investment would now be worth $30,500.

How does compound interest relate to my flights?

Again, you are expected to take 3.6 flights this year (if you fly) and overpay by $205 total. If you were instead:

• Able to save this $205 every year you fly during your whole life and invest this into the stock market
• You would save $276,433 over the course of your life

For those interested, here’s the math

• $205 saved per year
• 60 years = 78 year average lifespan for a male – 18 years old when start flying
• 8%. Average stock market return per year

If you put these estimates into a compound interest calculator, like this one, you will get to $276,433 as shown here:

How do I save $276,433?

Just upload your passport, credit card and social security number here. Just kidding.

One simple rule: pay attention to the price of your flight after you book it. Very often, the price of your flight will drop after you book it and you can cancel and rebook your ticket to get your $57 back (or $205 per year). Most people won’t do this because it’s a lot of manual work just to save $57 on one flight. But,

• As we just saw, $57 per flight can eventually become $276,433. So it clearly is worth paying attention to
• You can use Sky Key to automate this for you

What is Sky Key?

Sky Key is the first platform to automatically save you money on your airline tickets. Sky Key is very easy to use, just upload your ticket to get started.

Sky Key will then automatically secure you savings when your ticket drops in price. All while keeping you on the same flight and same seats. Savings come in the form of money, miles/points, or future travel credits.

If this still sounds like too much work, connect your Gmail account to Sky Key and we will automatically detect your tickets and save you money!

– Billy Bund. Co-Founder @ Sky Key