RIP free checked luggage?

[JBillyGirl]

Cash-strapped American Airlines has announced that it will charge $15 to check ONE piece of luggage on the plane, not long after it announced charges starting with the SECOND checked bag. They are apparently the first major airline to do so. Other airlines will be watching closely for customer reaction. Will this be yet another end of an era?

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/22/busin ... ir.html?hp

[MarleysGh0st]

Cash-strapped American Airlines has announced that it will charge $15 to check ONE piece of luggage on the plane, not long after it announced charges starting with the SECOND checked bag. They are apparently the first major airline to do so. Other airlines will be watching closely for customer reaction. Will this be yet another end of an era?

I wonder if they'll accompany this new policy with draconian enforcement on the size restriction for carry-on bags? If not, I wouldn't want to get involved in the fight for overhead luggage space!

[PlacentiaSoccerMom]

Shit.

Maddie is checking a bag today on Jet Blue. Hopefully they won't change their rules while she is on her trip.

[earendel]

Cash-strapped American Airlines has announced that it will charge $15 to check ONE piece of luggage on the plane, not long after it announced charges starting with the SECOND checked bag. They are apparently the first major airline to do so. Other airlines will be watching closely for customer reaction. Will this be yet another end of an era?

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/22/busin ... ir.html?hp

If it would guarantee that passengers would get their luggage it might be worth it, but I would be seriously aggrieved if I had to pay that fee and then the airline lost my luggage anyway.

[KillerTomato]

Shit.

Maddie is checking a bag today on Jet Blue. Hopefully they won't change their rules while she is on her trip.

While not a hard-and-fast rule, the airlines tend not to make these changes applicable to people who have already bought their tickets. At least that' how UselessAirways handled the charge for the second bag. I'm surprised they haven't started charging for a second carryon yet.

[sunflower]

I just wish they would add it to the price of the fare if that's what they're going to do. I don't care that much about the cost, as much as the hassle and inconvenience that will be added if I have to pay for my luggage at the airport. Checking in online won't matter, if I have to wait in line in order to pay my $15.

It's almost not fair because we are forced to check luggage if we want to carry liquids. Then we have to pay for it? I'll give the airlines the leeway on charging for the second bag, but this is disgusting.

[MarleysGh0st]

I just wish they would add it to the price of the fare if that's what they're going to do. I don't care that much about the cost, as much as the hassle and inconvenience that will be added if I have to pay for my luggage at the airport. Checking in online won't matter, if I have to wait in line in order to pay my $15.

They might be able to tack that on to your total when you buy your tickets, but the new philosophy is to price everything a la carte. You want to check a bag? Pay for it! Want some food? Pay for it! Want some extra legroom? Pay!

They'd charge us to have any kind of seat at all, if the FAA didn't have some safety rules about that.

It's almost not fair because we are forced to check luggage if we want to carry liquids. Then we have to pay for it? I'll give the airlines the leeway on charging for the second bag, but this is disgusting.

Ah, but that's a matter of homeland security!

I was flying home from Disney World a couple days after those liquid rules went into effect. Most passengers were responding to that by checking in everything possible; it really was one of the easiest flights I can remember boarding, without all that hassle of people storing all their stuff.

[sunflower]

They'd charge us to have any kind of seat at all, if the FAA didn't have some safety rules about that.

Kind of like that Jet Blue flight where someone had to sit in the bathroom??

I was flying home from Disney World a couple days after those liquid rules went into effect. Most passengers were responding to that by checking in everything possible; it really was one of the easiest flights I can remember boarding, without all that hassle of people storing all their stuff.

Yeah I will go back to carrying on, out of spite, if all of the airlines do this. I can pack a week's worth of stuff into a single carry on. I just won't be able to have my toiletries. I'd rather pay to ship them to myself or pay to buy them in the local city...seriously it is sheer spite, I'd rather have the USPS or Target have the money than the nickel and diming airlines!!!

Okay...off my soapbox now...

[VAdame]

Damn, Nicole Hollander works fast:

Today's "Sylvia"

[cindy.wellman]

We used RyanAir in Europe for a lot of our air travel. Their big hook is that you can get tickets for as little as .01 euro cent, and only have to pay for airport taxes and luggage. There are higher priced tickets too, but for the most part they were all very reasonable.

The first time we flew with them, I was surprised to see the flight personnel onboard passing out brochures with lots of various merchandise. The brochure was somewhat similar to the skymall magazine. The prices were very reasonable on some things. The staff later came back through the airplane taking orders.

Three other big differences were:

1) You HAD to be there, checked in at the ticket counter 40 minutes prior to your flight. We read that this was a requirement on the website, but I was surprised when the person working at that counter literally closed the window with people still in line.

2) It was a free-for-all for seats. First there, first seated. We didn't know this the first time, and all three of us sat by ourselves.

3) Everyone cheers when the pilot lands. I couldn't help myself by laughing out loud when it happened! The next time I cheered right along with everyone else.

[Bob Juch]

1) You HAD to be there, checked in at the ticket counter 40 minutes prior to your flight. We read that this was a requirement on the website, but I was surprised when the person working at that counter literally closed the window with people still in line.

That would seem to be pretty dumb if they had empty seats.