Fees

It would be funny if it wasn’t true

Baggage, Carry-ons, Fees

The Tonight Show is on way past my bedtime, so I’m really glad that Terry Maxon at the Airline Biz blog makes a point of posting the jokes and jabs Jay Leno makes about airports and air travel.

All those extra charges and service cutbacks the airlines are announcing are making it way too easy on the Tonight Show writers. From Leno’s monologue last night (June 17, 2008):

“If you’ve been to the airport at all the last couple of weeks, you know the airlines are now charging people to check your bag. One bag, you have to check it now, and they charge you $15 to check a bag, 15 bucks, and 30 bucks if you ever want to see that bag again.”

There’s more….


Crackdown on carry-on bags

Carry-ons, Fees, ,

United Airlines and US Airways recently announced they will join American Airlines and start charging passengers to check a first bag. That means a lot more people will start packing a lot more stuff into their carry-on bags.

“Not so fast” say the airlines. They’re cracking down on over-sized carry-on bags by posting staff at the security checkpoint lines in an effort to ‘head ’em off at the pass.’

Find out more in my Well-Mannered Traveler column on MSNBC.com. suitcase.jpg

Setting air fares by weight

Charge by weight, Fees, Well-Mannered Traveler

Folks were intrigued to learn about Derrie-Air, a new “carbon-neutral luxury airline” that charges passengers by the pound. It turned out to be a publicity stunt, but it got folks talking about the concept of treating passengers more like freight.

The folks at NAAFA, the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance, found it “sort of funny,” but ultimately “preposterous.” But as you can read in my Well-Mannered Traveler column on MSNBC.com, others thought it was actually a great idea.

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Southwest brags about baggage policy

Baggage, Fees,

Now that American Airlines has announced that it will begin charging most domestic passengers $15 to check their first bag, it’s a fair bet other major airlines will do the same.

Travelers are pissed off about this move, but it just seems inevitable that everyone will soon pay to check their bags at the airport.

But maybe not. Consider this: Southwest Airlines, which allows travelers to check two items for free, sent out a press release Thursday reaffirming that the airline has no plans to change its checked baggage policy.

The release ends: “We look forward to seeing you on board very soon. (And bring your luggage!)”

Any bets on how long this will last?

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Remote Baggage Check-In. Worth it?

Baggage, Fees

It’s a fair bet that, for the foreseeable future, there are going to be longer-than-usual lines at curbside check-in kiosks and lobby ticket counters as travelers, airline personnel, and skycaps get accustomed to the new fees most airlines are now – or will soon be – charging for checking more than one bag.

One way to avoid the lines – but not the fees – is to check-in your bags someplace other than the airport. In my USATODAY.com column this week I describe services that allow travelers to check bags at hotel lobbies, convention centers, cruise ships, short and long-term parking lots, and car rental facilities.

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