Lowest fare may not be best option

I used many of the websites recommended in the article “Surfing before you fly can uncover best fare” (July 15) for our recent trip to Europe. We bought tickets for round trips between Los Angeles and Stockholm and between Stockholm and St. Petersburg, Russia. But our experience showed that low fares can have hidden costs. Both trips required switching airlines at connecting airports (London Heathrow and Moscow).

These connections were horrible experiences. It took us two full hours in dreadfully long lines and a shuttle bus to get between planes at Heathrow. At Moscow, we had to transfer between domestic and international airports, which no website told us were far apart. The “shuttle” between them turned out to be a city bus, which was doubly inconvenient given that we had to claim our luggage and carry it with us. To top it off, the flight in Russia required paper tickets, and we somehow lost one, forcing us to replace it at full fare.

Readers should be aware that these days, the lowest fare may be lowest for a reason.

Bryan Baker

Apple Valley