Spring Break Deal - $9** Jamaica

Another nice airfare sale from Spirit Airlines -- $9** each way from Fort Lauderdale - Kingston, Jamaica. Just in time for spring break, too -- fly out March 11-12 or 21 and return March 11-12 or 24. What's up with those asterisks?

When you look into an airfare sale on an airline's or travel agency's site, learn to notice the asterisks after the ticket price or the word "From" preceding a ticket price -- you'll find that those indicate the "plus plus" part, which may mean that fees will increase that figure, or that the fare may only be good on certain travel dates. When I walked through checking a ticket price for a Fort Lauderdale-Kingston roundtrip on Spirit Airlines (02/21/2006), these are the taxes and fees that comprised the total ticket price (the asterisks' plus-pluses):

Airfare: $18.00
Passenger Facility Charge: $4.50
Security Tax: $2.50
International Airport Departure Tax: $29.00
Federal Inspection Fee: $5.00
US Immigration Fee: $7.00
International Departure Tax: $29.00
International Fees: $38.43
Total: $104.43

$104.43 is still a very fine fare to Jamaica -- just remember to check taxes and fees before you do the happy thing when you see a cheap fare mentioned or advertised -- it may not fit your budget after you've added in the plus-pluses. You should also check around a bit to ensure you've gotten the best airfare deal you can find -- look into special student-only airfare discounts and, if headed somewhere like Jamaica for a spring break fling, check out spring break deals, too.

• Learn all about spring break deals -- where and how to get 'em

More student travel airfare discount resources:

• About special student airfare discounts