You’ve probably heard Peter talk about the dreaded asterisk in travel brochures and advertising, which means that the advertised price is probably not what you’re going to pay.

The worst offenders: the airlines and the Web sites that sell plane tickets.

To put this theory to the test, we checked out some fares that seemed too good to be true, and guess what—they were!

On Cheapoair.com, a flight from New York to London was advertised at $226 each way.

But you have to add on a $25 handling fee, a 3 percent service fee, a tax of nearly $15, and our favorite—international taxes and fees of $250!

That’s more than the advertised ticket costs!

Suddenly your cheap flight to Europe just cost you $800.

Even on short-haul domestic flights there are certain taxes and fees you can’t escape from, but it would be nice if they let you know.

So be sure to read the fine print before you ever buy these tickets, or your budget just flew along with you.

Get more information in our Airlines & Airports section.

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