It's official: All the major airlines now charge for bags. But there's a bright side, too
Filed under: Extracurriculars, Transportation, Travel
The news, though, brightens in a few quarters. Simultaneously, Delta has decided to halve its fee for a second bag from $50 to a more sensible $25. Not many of us check two bags, though, so the net effect will still be negative for most casual travelers.
The major American airlines, now that they've got you on the hook for your checked bags, are relenting on their fuel surcharges. Delta and Northwest are eliminating their fuel surcharges. It's about time, too, since it's gotten pretty hard to defend them. The price of oil peaked back in the summer but is now less than half what it was at its peak, and in the past month, it has fallen about $30 a barrel.
Holiday Travel = Waiting?
**FILE** In this Feb. 10, 2006 file photo, tourists relax enjoying the sunset on a beach in the Caribbean city of Cartagena, Colombia. Several carriers have said that advance bookings for the 2008-2009 holiday season, show their planes are expected to be as full as or fuller than a year ago in part because they have taken so many seats out of the air. (AP Photo/Ricardo Maldonado, file)
AP
PHILADELPHIA - OCTOBER 16: Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) and his wife Cindy McCain are joined by campaign staff while transfering from his airplane to a helicopter at the Philadelphia International Airport October 16, 2008 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Due to airport delays in Newark, McCain had to take a helicopter to Manhattan so to make it to his appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** John McCain;Cindy McCain
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PHILADELPHIA - OCTOBER 16: Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) and his wife Cindy McCain are joined by campaign staff while transfering from his airplane to a helicopter at the Philadelphia International Airport October 16, 2008 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Due to airport delays in Newark, McCain had to take a helicopter to Manhattan so to make it to his appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** John McCain;Cindy McCain
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A special opera performance is staged in Xian, northern China's Shaanxi province on September 30, 2008 to celebrate China's National Day which falls on October 1. Millions of Chinese are spending their week-long October 1 National Day holidays travelling to various tourist spots and attractions throughout the country. CHINA OUT GETTY OUT AFP PHOTO (Photo credit should read STR/AFP/Getty Images)
AFP/Getty Images
A special opera performance is staged in Xian, northern China's Shaanxi province on September 30, 2008 to celebrate China's National Day which falls on October 1. Millions of Chinese are spending their week-long October 1 National Day holidays travelling to various tourist spots and attractions throughout the country. CHINA OUT GETTY OUT AFP PHOTO (Photo credit should read STR/AFP/Getty Images)
AFP/Getty Images
A special opera performance is staged in Xian, northern China's Shaanxi province on September 30, 2008 to celebrate China's National Day which falls on October 1. Millions of Chinese are spending their week-long October 1 National Day holidays travelling to various tourist spots and attractions throughout the country. CHINA OUT GETTY OUT AFP PHOTO (Photo credit should read STR/AFP/Getty Images)
AFP/Getty Images
A special opera performance is staged in Xian, northern China's Shaanxi province on September 30, 2008 to celebrate China's National Day which falls on October 1. Millions of Chinese are spending their week-long October 1 National Day holidays travelling to various tourist spots and attractions throughout the country. CHINA OUT GETTY OUT AFP PHOTO (Photo credit should read STR/AFP/Getty Images)
AFP/Getty Images
A special opera performance is staged in Xian, northern China's Shaanxi province on September 30, 2008 to celebrate China's National Day which falls on October 1. Millions of Chinese are spending their week-long October 1 National Day holidays travelling to various tourist spots and attractions throughout the country. CHINA OUT GETTY OUT AFP PHOTO (Photo credit should read STR/AFP/Getty Images)
AFP/Getty Images
Visitors admire the miniature figurines on display at an art exhibition in Xian, northern China's Shaanxi province on September 30, 2008. Millions of Chinese are spending their week-long October 1 National Day holidays travelling to various tourist spots and attractions throughout the country. CHINA OUT GETTY OUT AFP PHOTO (Photo credit should read STR/AFP/Getty Images)
AFP/Getty Images
A Chinese visitor admires the miniature figurines on display at an art exhibition in Xian, northern China's Shaanxi province on September 30, 2008. Millions of Chinese are spending their week-long October 1 National Day holidays travelling to various tourist spots and attractions throughout the country. CHINA OUT GETTY OUT AFP PHOTO (Photo credit should read STR/AFP/Getty Images)
AFP/Getty Images
Even those passengers who redeem frequent flier miles won't have to spring for the fuel add-on, and the travel blog Gadling reports that many customers who recently booked flights using miles may be able to call and get a refund for the surcharge they paid.
The cruise lines have been way ahead of the game on this one. They started giving up fuel surcharges weeks ago, and now, the only major lines to retain them are Crystal and Disney. All the while, reps at the domestic airlines said they had no intention of reducing theirs, too, even though many international air carriers had done it or had folded the added cost of fuel into their base airfares.
Apparently there has been a change of heart. The airline industry is one spineless game of Follow the Leader, and now that Delta and Northwest (newly married in the corporate courts) have eliminated fuel fees, expect others to follow within a few weeks. Just when you think the airlines are out to bleed us for every penny, and just when their chests puff up in a display of mock rigidity, they cave. Thank goodness for market forces.
So that's where it stands. For now. Because next summer, there's sure to be another gas price hike, and the cash-strapped airlines are sure to be among the first to reach for the surcharge menu and order freely. The bill, of course, will be ours to pay.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
11-06-2008 @ 8:20PM
An Airline Employee said...
Lets be truly honest, did the gas companies refund the amount they overcharged you per gallon? Or if you took a pay cut because of the fuel cost, did they refund that, or even replace that? The price of jet fuel has not even come close to falling as much as gasoline. Yes it went down some, but get the fugures, you will see I am right. As for the airline employees, they are subsidizing the traveling public. Every major airline has taken pay cuts since 9/11, they still have not gotten their pay back, and the fact is, they probably never will. So, get it right, its the public who is wrong and expects everything from the airlines for free. Maybe they should charge you for meals, pillows, blankets, seats, on time arrivals and everything else, then maybe the employees who are baring all the public's despleasures, would get their money back! Think about that!
Reply
11-06-2008 @ 8:30PM
Ron Woody said...
Wow! Mr. Airline employee you are exhibiting the reason that the supposed major air carriers are going bankrupt. That is the entire problem with the airlines they think they are smarter than everyone else and know better. That's why United just lost $779 million in one quarter. Why does Southwest contiually make money and the so called majors lose billions. It is ridiculous! This is written by someone whose father worked for 42 years in the industry (Braniff & Northwest) and I worked for four years in the industry (America West & Braniff 2). I got out because there was no security.
11-06-2008 @ 9:31PM
David B said...
If you are like most airline employees, you are still overpaid. If I was able, I would get the airlines people to train my employees in customer service, then tell them to do the opposite. If the airlines had any competition, they would all go out of business.
11-06-2008 @ 10:06PM
Linda said...
And if the CEO's didn't have to have millions of dollars in pay and in bonus' we could all travel like we used to before Bush destroyed our economy. The employees suffer at the expense of upper management. Their greed is what's driving this economy into the toilet!!
11-06-2008 @ 10:49PM
BC said...
They do charge for those things and they are rarely on time.
11-06-2008 @ 11:14PM
steve said...
If it's to hot in the kitchen, Get Out!!!
11-07-2008 @ 2:25AM
michelle said...
And yet...Airline employees still get to fly more than once a year for practically nothing! (I have a friend who works in the airline business...don't even try to deny that!)
I do feel for the employees themselves, but why should the public pay 300-600 dollars or more for a ticket and then pay even more? it should all be included! There should be no extra charge for sodas, blankets, pillows....these are all things that SHOULD be included in that price tag that we pay up front. Most of all, there should be NO extra charge for LUGGAGE!!! It's absurd!!!! I have a family of four, we are military and do not live anywhere NEAR our families. Do you honestly know how hard it is to travel with only carry on luggage when you have children???
Honestly, it is people like me, those who travel every so often who pay the most money. Business travelers don't have to worry about the extra baggage fee because most of them are on overnight trips and can deal with being able to pack most things in one of those small carry on bags.
It is the lower middle class who are getting screwed!
11-06-2008 @ 8:20PM
StevefromSacto said...
And they wonder why more and more people are flying Southwest, which doesn't charge for bags!
Reply
11-06-2008 @ 8:21PM
Robert said...
What do you mean next year there will probably be another fuel price increase, that's impossible. George Bush won't be president next summer so he won't raise prices like he did this year. President Obama will save us all. Gasoline prices are sure to drop back to $.89 per gallon. In fact I bet once his Holiness speaks to the Imams in the Middle East will probably start giving America its oil for free. Obama has already don't so much for humanity.
Reply
11-07-2008 @ 2:13AM
Donna said...
You sound like a nut case. Obama is a politician.........not the messiah. I can't wait for you all to figure that out. You all act like he is going to mail 1,000,000 dollar checks to everyone his first day in office.
As far as airlines go you can fly on a major airline for the same you could fly on them 25 years ago. Hello what else can you buy for the same price you bought it for 25 years ago.
11-06-2008 @ 8:29PM
Ron Woody said...
When is the media going to wake up and start recognizing Southwest as a major carrier. Just because they don't fly international doesn't mean they aren't major. If the so-called major airlines had followed Southwest's example maybe they would have figured out how to make a profit. Instead they try to pretend that Southwest doesn't exist. Thanks Southwest, With LUV!!!
Reply
11-06-2008 @ 8:32PM
Lynn said...
The airlines sure got this one backwards. Ever notice how many carry-on bags there are and the size of these bags keep getting larger. Why not charge for carry-on and not the checked bags. That way, you would be able to get the passengers on and off a whole lot quicker not to mention making it more comfortable. The lines at the security check-point would move along much faster too and there would be less worry about carry-on liquids. As it is now, I will buy the largest bag I can and get as close to 50 pounds as possible in that one bag that I have to check.
Reply
11-06-2008 @ 8:37PM
Ron Woody said...
Lynn, your solution makes too much sense companies that continually lose billions of dollars don't use common sense. They are too short sighted to understand what it takes to be successful. When companies started letting accountants take over as CEOs they lost all concept of how to manage a business from the customer or employee perspective. It is all spreadsheets and EPS.
11-06-2008 @ 8:52PM
Mytpoet67 said...
Finally! Someone with some sense. Thank you, Lynn. Getting off and on the plane takes forever due to the morons that try to lift and shove heavy oversized carryons (and totes, coats, and purses) into the overhead bins. Personally, I'll be taking the Amtrak train from Dallas to Chicago for my Christmas vacation. It may take longer, but it's cheaper and more relaxing!
11-06-2008 @ 8:36PM
An Airline Employee said...
Obviously you guys don't know the airline industry. Southwest quoted an operating loss, YES THEY LOST MONEY the last quarter! Due to the price of jet fuel. A barrel of oil was selling for about $110 a barrel at that time. During the same period jet fuel was $170 - $175 a barrel and still remains substantially above regular oil, so why don't you both crawl under a rock because you don't know what is happening in the aviation field.
Reply
11-06-2008 @ 8:42PM
Ron Woody said...
Yes, I know Southwest had a loss for the QUARTER! How many consecutive years have they shown a profit! Can any other airline match that! NOOOOOOO! When the so called real airlines finally wake up and realize it truly is about giving your customers what they want. Since Southwest has started Braniff, Eastern, TWA, Republic, Continental, etc. etc. have all gone bankrupt or out of business. With your attitude I am sure your airline is either on this list or will be soon. In case you didn't catch the remark my family has over 45 years experience in the airline industry so yes I know a little about the industry.
11-06-2008 @ 8:52PM
book said...
Flying is getting to be a bigger mess all of the time. Planes do not arrive or leave on time. Counter and cabin service is rude. Security is a major hassle and my friend is is elderly and has issues walking has a problem getting her shoes on as off as there is no chair and she doesn't bend well. Now they want to charge for bags. After spending 11 hours in travel time and lay over I know drive a lot of places I used to fly too. It takes a little longer but I am not nearly as tired, and stressed when I get there. No longer plans trips to places that take a long time in the air. It's not worth it.
Reply
11-06-2008 @ 8:50PM
casurfer0187 said...
i use to hate southwest, but i like a lot more than every other airline, except virgin america.
Reply
11-06-2008 @ 9:17PM
janelle said...
Pretty soon they will see all of us in the airport with just clothes in our hands! LOL.
Reply
11-06-2008 @ 9:29PM
marilyn said...
Now we have to pay to have our luggage checked. Which means we are ripped off twice, once by the airline and then by the handlers. We are limited on amount of liquid medication we can carry on and when it goes through as checked baggage your meds are stolen.
Reply