American Airlines to charge for checked luggage (first bag fee!)

[Roger]

http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/a ... dist=msr_7


Well, I kind of saw this coming - first it was a fee for the second checked bag, now it's for the first as well. Charge more for the leisure travelers for the benefit of the business travelers who don't check.

Considering that you can't bring everything with you onboard (i.e. tripod), hopefully other companies won't follow suit. (I know the superdiscount airlines have been doing this for sometime)

 

[Tim]

spirit airlines has been doing this for quite awhile (no free first bag either)... 10 bucks per bag each way per person if you reserve it online ahead of time... 3rd back if you're so daring... $100+ each way. it really is a shame. you would think that they would at least give you the free soda? nope, that's another buck!

i have also heard that some carriers will start charging "premiums" for window and aisle seats!

 

[zackiedawg]

All I know is...I'm feeling happier and happier that I live so close to my two primary vacation sites - Port Everglades and Port of Miami for cruising, and Disney!

1 square foot of living space per passenger, Soviet-Gulag-style service, screaming babies, flying test-tube of viruses, 6-hour runway waits, metal fatigue, suicidal religious extremists, checking shoes and banning liquids, and now charging for food, entertainment, and luggage...What's next, charging for a reading light and an air nozzle? We could all just chain-gang ourselves to leg shackles and squeeze in standing-room only, arms slung above our heads in manacles while the crew trains a gun on us lest we speak up and complain! I thought service industries were supposed to...SERVE! You can tell I love flying.

Nope...most of my vacations I get to pack any size and quantity of luggage I want, leave any time I want, throw in some good CDs, sit in a nice, roomy, comfy seat, and pull right up to my vacation in style. Now, if they'd just build a bridge to Europe, I could enjoy my overseaas travel just as much!

 

[Roger]

i have also heard that some carriers will start charging "premiums" for window and aisle seats!

I heard that UnitedUSAirways will be doing that; I seem to prefer JetBlue's idea, which is to add a premium for the rows that add an extra 2" of leg room.

 

[Dan]

I just have to add the same thing I always do when talk gets around to bashing airlines. They're all being pushed into bankruptcy by fuel costs and competition. Whereas the oil companies set new records every year for the amount of profit they can earn and yet no, of course they're not working together to price gouge their customers, the airlines are competing with each other to the point where they're not making any money. They were doing this before oil started setting price records every other month, now with the extra pressure of rising fuel costs they have to make some money back somewhere. Every bag that a customer doesn't check is that much more space and weight that can be taken up by paid freight.

They're also slowing down their flights, so you can look forward to spending more time in the air as well. On the slightly more scary front, I've read that they're starting to leave planes with less reserve fuel as well, I've read that pilots are starting to complain about not having enough fuel. That's done because the lighter the planes are, the less drag they create and the less fuel they burn. Fuel can amount to a lot of weight, but the reserve fuel margins shouldn't be open to reduction by accountants. I'm actually kind of surprised they can do that, I'd expect there to be FAA regulations regarding that sort of thing.


What I'm mad about is that train travel costs more than air travel at this point, yet it's more efficient. I looked into train service from DC to New York City a while ago, for when I'm there in late June (in DC I mean, but I'm considering small side trips to other places in the area), they have a nice high speed train running between DC and New York, but it costs more than a plane trip. Even the regular Amtrak train is nearly $100, one way. That's absurd.