Airline baggage fees

[Bridge Maven]

Do you consider airline baggage fees when planning your cruises? Check all that apply.

[Phxazzcruisers]

Luckily I do not have to. I have Chairman's status on US Airlines so my bags are free. Helps a lot !!!

[orchestrapal]

Do you consider airline baggage fees when planning your cruises? Check all that apply.

 

How about the option- No I don;t worry about because I fly Business or First Class and it does not apply.

[Bridge Maven]

How about the option- No I don;t worry about because I fly Business or First Class and it does not apply.

 

Orchestrapal - good choice - I didn't think of it because I only fly business class on flights to Europe and Asia, and the majority of our cruises leave from the United States, where we live.

[Karynanne]

I voted No, because I feel it is part of my vacation. Another $50-$100/RT isn't going to stop us from bringing everything we enjoy wearing. There are too many other things in life to fret over...and luggage fees are not one of them.

[Olive1950]

Yes. I now drive to ports that I used to fly to.

[reedprincess]

Our answer is always NO - we don't worry about baggage fees - there are several reasons.

What about several other no options as several apply here:

A) we have to fly to any cruise we take, no choice.

B) have airline CC - which gives 1 free checked bag pp no matter which class

C) always fly first or Business - free bags (for us, it's always a long flight!)

D) Fly JetBlue when the option works out right - 1 free bag each

Baggage fees are simply a fact of life now in a failing attempt to convince us they are keeping flight costs down - you simply have to add it into the cost of your vacation. It is now a part of the vacation cost like ticket price, port fees, tipping, port baggage handlers, etc. Add it in and don't worry about it.

For us - A, B, C and D all apply in different cases (D is a very rare option though - not a lot of cruises we want out of NY)

Enjoy your cruises!

[KaththeTaff]

My answer is simple. I will compare the overall total cost of flights, including booking fees, credit card charges, check in fees and luggage fees, and choose the cheapest one overall. I will also factor in the cost of getting to airports that are further away. It is the total price that matters, not the compnent pieces, much like cruising.

[DivasDare]

I chose "No, because it is such a small part of the cost of a vacation", but normally I don't incur fees, but not bothered if I am. I had to pay in euro once to return on an international carrier, and I did it without blinking. Some things you just do and keep it moving.

[Nebr.cruiser]

I didn't vote because none of the answers apply. We have airline status where we get free baggage. If we use a different airline, it might make a difference, but we almost never do.

[cruise kitty]

Hmm, I love your polls, but in this case, there was not a selection that fit me. My answer would be no, because we won't fly economy, but we still won't bring more than one small check in, & a carry on each, simply because we like to travel light, & we'll do a pre & post cruise stay that will usually involve lots of train travel. The laundry service is my friend. :) We used to just eat in the buffet on formal nights, now, we'll only book AQ for the casual dress.

[Cruise Junky]

It's a combination of things for us. Holidays in Hawaii, Vegas etc. we share one checked suitcase. I had status for years but would still not pack more than I could handle - European trains taught me that lesson. We now usually tag on a land trip to our Europe cruises that involves a car....very limited luggage will fit in those trunks.

[loubetti]

Got the new United / Continental credit card. No baggage fees for first two bags, plus other perks. Not as great as it used to be, but it is what is is.

[Denny01]

Although I voted no, just a cost of vacationing, but in reality, we usually fly an airline where we have free luggage due to our status, and also have an Amer Exp card that covers such expenses, if I use another Line.

 

Den

[EithneMay]

We budget for it as needed, so we kind of plan for it, but don't stress over it.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[A Sixth?]

I didn't vote because none of the answers apply. We have airline status where we get free baggage. If we use a different airline, it might make a difference, but we almost never do.

 

Didn't vote either because none of the answers apply, but dif reason than Nebr.cruiser.

[Bridge Maven]

In case anyone is wondering, this is my thinking behind the option to take back to back cruises to bring less clothes. Many people don't like to wear the same outfit twice during a cruise. So if someone takes two back to back cruises instead of one long one equal to both of them, they can bring half as many clothes.

[Desertbelle]

An extra couple of hundred dollars for luggage is hardly worth worrying about for a cruise vacation that will end up costing between $7000 and $10000.

[fleckle]

In case anyone is wondering, this is my thinking behind the option to take back to back cruises to bring less clothes. Many people don't like to wear the same outfit twice during a cruise. So if someone takes two back to back cruises instead of one long one equal to both of them, they can bring half as many clothes.

Now this is an interesting concept that I had to stop and think about, and I still don't understand it. :confused:

It looks like something out of one of those "Ask Marilyn" columns in the Sunday paper where she relates some anecdote and challenges the reader to figure it out.

(Maybe Bridge Maven is secretly Marilyn who writes that column.)

 

If I am going to be on a ship for 14 days, I don't see how the amount of clothing needed for one 14 day cruise would differ from the amount needed for two 7 day cruises.

 

I would need to have laundry and dry cleaning done either way.

 

If climate or weather changes necessitate different types of clothing for each week, I would need to bring additional clothing for the second week regardless of whether it was booked as one cruise or two.

 

The only difference I can see is that if you are elite on Celebrity, you get 2 sets of laundry/dry cleaning coupons for two 7 day cruises, but only 1 set of coupons for one 14 day cruise.

 

It would be silly to lug along additional suitcases with double the clothing needed though just to save a few bucks on laundry charges. You would not only have the work of all the extra packing and unpacking and schlepping, but would be stuck with all that extra laundry and dry cleaning after you return home.

 

I am trying to imagine the amount of clothing someone would have to bring on a world cruise if he/she really was unwilling to wear the same outfit twice!

An extra cabin would be needed just to store all the additional clothing.

 

Now that I think about it, I recall once reading about an eccentric man with a phobia who always had to buy new clothes because he could never bring himself to wear anything more than once.

I wonder if he ever went on any world cruises. :D

[DC2OC]

We have learned to pack less after bringing too much on previous cruises.

Bringing an extra bag for formal adds $25 on most airlines each way for our flight as we share a formal bag.50 bucks so my wife can enjoy formal night is money well spent.50 bucks for clothes we will never wear is a waste and better spent else where

We've also learned to pack more in our carry ons.

We also like being able to drive to ports for Caribbean Cruises but that's more to avoid the hassle of flying than to avoid baggage fee's

[NukeIT]

Havi elite status means I never worry about bag fees

[Merriem]

My bother with the baggages fees is that it is not considered income for the airlines, and they pay no taxes on "fees". I would prefer it to be included in the ticket price, as they are getting away without paying their fair share.

 

We have flown business class where there was no charge, but that is only for LONG flights.

 

http://www.mainstreet.com/article/lifestyle/travel/airlines-pack-away-34-billion-bag-fees

 

That link will tell you about the 3.4 Billion that the airlines collect in baggage fees and pay no taxes on.

[sn2792]

I said yes, we drive to ports, although it is the high airfare along with the baggage fees that have made it less expensive to drive 20 hours to Florida, even with the extras hotels that are needed.

[JLC@SD]

People are taking too much luggage .......and it costs the airline just as mush to fly 100 lbs of luggage as it does to fly 100 lbs of passenger.

 

You pay to fly mail and freight....why do people think all that excess luggage should fly free.

 

I check the air fare + luggage fee .......and make my reservations based on the total cost ......schedule and flight time involved.

[JLC@SD]

[quote=Merriem;33848681http://www.mainstreet.com/article/lifestyle/travel/airlines-pack-away-34-billion-bag-fees

 

That link will tell you about the 3.4 Billion that the airlines collect in baggage fees and pay no taxes on.

....interestingly .........you left off the rest of the statement:

 

"making it easier for airlines to their lower fares in order to attract more customers."