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booking-guidance: add per-program fee profiles before booking flow #15

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booking-guidance: add per-program fee profiles before booking flow #15

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17 changes: 17 additions & 0 deletions plugins/travel-hacking-toolkit/skills/booking-guidance/SKILL.md
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Expand Up @@ -11,6 +11,23 @@ Finding the deal is half the battle. Telling the user how to actually book it is

**Reference data:** `data/alliances.json` has booking details for major programs in `key_booking_relationships`.

## Program Fee Profiles

**Check this before recommending a transfer or locking in a departure city.** Fees vary dramatically by program and origin airport and can add $100-400+ per person on top of the miles cost.

| Program | YQ Surcharge? | Typical fees/pp | Notes |
|---------|--------------|-----------------|-------|
| Aeroplan (Air Canada) | No | $50-100 | No YQ pass-through on Star Alliance partners. Low fees. Best for LH/LX/UA awards. |
| Flying Blue (AF/KLM) | Yes | $300-400 | Air France passes full fuel surcharge. France adds heavy departure tax (~$200/pp from CDG). Budget $350-400/pp minimum from Paris. |
| United MileagePlus | No | $50-100 | No YQ on most partners. |
| Virgin Atlantic | Yes (on VS metal) | $100-300 | Low on Delta metal, higher on VS-operated flights. |
| Turkish Miles & Smiles | No | $20-50 | Extremely low fees. Best for Star Alliance if you can book by phone. |
| British Airways Avios | Yes | $200-400 | Notorious for carrier surcharges on BA metal. Use for short-haul or partner metal instead. |
| American AAdvantage | No | $50-75 | No surcharges. Partner awards (JAL, Cathay) have low fees. |
| Alaska Mileage Plan | No | $25-75 | No surcharges. Consistently low fees. |

**Key rule:** If the trip ends in Paris, London, or on Air France/BA/Virgin metal, factor in $300-400/pp in fees before comparing to other programs. A 40K Flying Blue award from CDG often costs more in cash fees than a 50K Aeroplan award from FRA.

## General Booking Flow

1. **Find availability** (Seats.aero, airline website, or MCP tool)
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