Published: Thursday, 21 May 2009 | 11:32 AM ET

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With airline travel projected to drop 7 percent this summer, you’d think every offer out there would be a deal for consumers, right? But thanks to fine print, even the best fares can come with buried disclaimers that can cost you big time.

Gabe Saglie of Travelzoo explains that the “contract of carriage” is the term for the contract you enter into with an airline when you buy a ticket. It is this document that contains all the relevant information you need, from taxes and fees to lost baggage policy to cancellation policy to even the mode of conduct the airline expects from its passengers.

United’s contract of carriage contains an intriguing policy, Saglie notes. If you cancel your reservation within 24 hours of your credit card being charged you can get a full refund. After that, up to the day of flight, you can cancel for a credit, but you are charged a $150 change fee.

There’s also “Rule 240,” an old provision put in place by the government before the airline deregulation of 1978. It stipulates that airlines must place passengers on competitor’s flights if their original flight was cancelled or severely delayed by fault of the airline. Meant to protect the consumer, Rule 240 still exists in some form on most large carriers but can vary wildly between them, especially the newer ones. Some airlines, such as Southwest, don’t have the rule at all.

On international flights, Saglie says, the final price you pay is not necessarily the actual final price. The taxes and fees that you pay as part of the ticket price can change, even after you’ve paid, and you may be responsible for them. That means if those charges increase, you’re on the hook. It also means if they go down, you may be entitled to a refund in that amount – but how many travelers know to ask for that?

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