New Airline Luggage Regulations--Coming soon to our Airlines?

[diboja]

Sometimes I think the Airlines have a "think-tank" of guys somewhere who sit and try to figure out more and more ways to make flying difficult. Won't be long before our carriers get in on this.

 

Sure makes dragging formal wear around difficult!

 

How much clothing can you fit in your carry-on bag?

 

If new baggage fees just announced by British Airways take hold across the industry, you may want to find out.

 

According to breaking-news reports, British Airways (BA) will begin charging coach-class passengers extra fees to check a second bag starting Tuesday, February 13. The fees range from £30 ($59) on domestic flights within the U.K. to a whopping £120 ($235) on long-haul international flights.

 

Read the full article:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17052723/

[diboja]

I just wanted to add - that we travel with one suitcase each therefore I find this a non-issue. But, I see some people going on a cruise with 2-3 suitcases each!!!! Now, they are in for a surprise!

[FredUno]

That does NOT apply to US/UK or UK/US flights on BA. Check their website. www.britishairways.com

[hammybee]

Several weeks ago, there was a documentary about a week in the life of American Airlines or something to that effect. The cameras followed several flights in the normal course of their operations. I was stunned to learn that the profit on some flights was as low as $200- not per pax- it was the overall profit of the entire flight.

 

Up to about 10 years ago, I flew Chicago/NY almost weekly. I used to pay $500-750 R/T and yeah, I played the back to back game to make it appear I was staying over a Saturday night. I almost always could upgrade to first class for a nominal fee and did so. I often had a Special Meal too. Now I can book the same trip for $100-250 without playing and back to back games. The experience is nothing like it was ten years ago and given the flight costs me about 75% less than it did ten years ago, I get it.

 

Consumers have made it abundantly clear to the airlines that price and safety are the only things that really matter. And we get exactly what we are paying for, a bare bones flight that with any luck, will arrive safely at its destination, on time. It does not surprise me that air carriers will NEED to charge for baggage to survive.

 

Am I the only one who is bothered by wage and benefit reductions forced upon the airline employees who have a vital role in the safety and security of all flights? I am probably in the minority when I say if it means I have to pay to transport my luggage to sustain a carrier and the income/benfits of their employees, I will gladly do it, knowing the true bargain, flying is.

[diboja]

Your correct! BUT, believe me it will be coming!

The airlines will gouge for every extra penny but time will tell to see if I am right or wrong.

[flapr]

It's also beginning for US airlines as well!

 

As of yesterday, Spirit Airlines started charging additional $10 for the second bag, and $100 per bag for 3rd or more.

 

http://www.azcentral.com/business/consumer/articles/0209spirit0209-ON.html

[Pete Jackson]

Will this give a chance for baggage freight to get off the ground? Just have your stuff packed (can be cardboard boxes, not suitases, to save weight) and picked up the day before you leave and find it waiting at the hotel or cruise terminal after you land. Don't want to get cardboard boxes? No problem; your local UPS store will do it for you. Of course, it will cost, but then having a baggage-free flight would be worth it!

[NotRobinSilver]

About a month ago I noticed that American was charging extra for curbside check-in. I did not see it at any other airline.

[hammybee]

Your correct! BUT, believe me it will be coming!

The airlines will gouge for every extra penny but time will tell to see if I am right or wrong.

 

Why do we consumers call it gouging when a company wants to meet its payroll, pay its service providers, comply with government safety regulations, pay its taxes, maintain and improve their product, satisfy their investors and maybe, just maybe, still be in business for the return flight home?

 

I have a strong preference to not fly with a carrier that is losing money.

[diboja]

Why do we consumers call it gouging when a company wants to meet its payroll, pay its service providers, comply with government safety regulations, pay its taxes, maintain and improve their product, satisfy their investors and maybe, just maybe, still be in business for the return flight home?

I have a strong preference to not fly with a carrier that is losing money.

 

Then raise the bloody rates! Plus it is gouging to a degree - next you know we will be charged to use the bathroom facilities on the aircraft!

I fly to receive service, quality and be comfortable - remember those days????

 

Can't get a decent meal, can't get a pillow, can't listen to music/newscasts - no headsets, wait in line like sheep to check-in, etc, etc, etc

 

I don't want to be nickel-dimed at every move PLUS receiving virtually no service whatsoever..

 

I don't want to fly with a carrier that is losing money either - but is this what the flying public want? Complete lack of consideration for the passenger!

I would gladly pay 40 or 50 bucks more to get a wee bit of service and consideration back as it used to be.

[diboja]

dble post - sorry!

[Navy_Chief]

The only time this is an issue for me is when I travel for extended business stays when I need 2 pieces of checked baggage but seeing the company is footing the bill, it again becomes a non issue :D

[hammybee]

Then raise the bloody rates! Plus it is gouging to a degree - next you know we will be charged to use the bathroom facilities on the aircraft!

I fly to receive service, quality and be comfortable - remember those days????

 

Can't get a decent meal, can't get a pillow, can't listen to music/newscasts - no headsets, wait in line like sheep to check-in, etc, etc, etc

 

I don't want to be nickel-dimed at every move PLUS receiving virtually no service whatsoever..

 

I don't want to fly with a carrier that is losing money either - but is this what the flying public want? Complete lack of consideration for the passenger!

I would gladly pay 40 or 50 bucks more to get a wee bit of service and consideration back as it used to be.

 

$40-50 more????? It now costs 75% less to fly Chicago/NY RT than it did 10 years ago. That's $400-650 less, for coach.

 

The discounters offered the same popular routes with reduced and less costly crew and bare bones service and the consumer chose them over the major airlines. The consumer made it clear they were willing to forgo meals and service for a substantially cheaper ticket.

 

The major airlines had to compete and to do so, they too cut back on all the things we used to expect out of a flight. The number of flight attendants were slashed and their job functions were restored to their original and primary function, passenger safety. Wages and benefit cuts have been required of all flight and ground service crew, at all major airlines with no end in sight.

 

The type of service you want is still available. You don't have to wait in line beyond the lines for the security check point, get priority boarding, pillows, headsets, cocktails, the "good nuts" and attentive service. All you have to do is pay for a First Class ticket.

[kryos]

I just wanted to add - that we travel with one suitcase each therefore I find this a non-issue. But, I see some people going on a cruise with 2-3 suitcases each!!!! Now, they are in for a surprise!

And that is exactly why HAL and other lines are gonna probably even further reduce formal night requirements in the coming months. Especially for couples, or worse ... a single ... traveling on the airlines to get to the embarkation pier, it's gonna be impossible to pack everything needed for a seven or ten-day cruise. It's much easier to just leave the formalwear at home, and plan to eat in the Lido or in your cabin on those nights. At least when a whole family is traveling together, even the kids are entitled to two suitcases right now. It's easy to spread the bags over the whole family and have plenty of allowance to get everything on the airplane without paying anything additional. But the single or the couple is gonna have a problem and like it or not, they are gonna have to travel light. Light generally means eliminating the formal wear in favor of getting all the necessary things in the bags.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[kryos]

Then raise the bloody rates! Plus it is gouging to a degree - next you know we will be charged to use the bathroom facilities on the aircraft!

I fly to receive service, quality and be comfortable - remember those days????

Problem is that no one carrier can raise their rates ... if they did, they would have empty planes sitting on the tarmac. If they all got together and decided to raise their rates ... that would be called price fixing ... and it would be illegal.

 

Sadly, since deregulation, the airlines are faced with a very, very competitive market, and if anything, they find themselves slashing prices rather than raising them. When prices get slashed, there is less of a profit margin, and that's why you will see more and more things being charged for on the airplane ... and more and more seats crammed into the same space where fewer seats were at one time. I've heard that many carriers are gonna start charging for soft drinks and snacks in coach. Even those bags of peanuts will no longer be free. You will also pay a premium for an aisle seat and if you don't want to pay that premium, don't be surprised if you find yourself stuck in the middle seat between two very "well padded" passengers. And, who knows? Maybe they will eventually charge you to use the facilities onboard. I wouldn't be surprised.

 

I guess the only way around this is to go back to the old days when the airlines were regulated and no matter which carrier you chose, you paid pretty much the same fare ... a much higher one. I remember back in the 70's flying to Florida to meet a friend for a Disney World vacation. I think I paid something like $400 for my round-trip ticket. Today I get the same ticket for about $140 or so. So, of course, I have to expect a lot less comfort and service.

 

If comfort is really important to you, I guess your only option is to only fly first class. Lots of people do and they get a far more pleasant and comfortable flight because of it.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[hammybee]

I have been pricing flights from Chicago to London and most were in the $1200 R/T range for the peak time I need to fly. Then wham-bam, a well known UK discounter announced it was starting service out of Chicago for less than $600, or $825, with all the taxes. Within minutes, all the major U.S. and UK carriers met the new low price.

 

I imagine there are several pax who booked flights at the higher rates who are mighty angry right now. And I bet there are a lot of airline management wondering how they are going to break even on these flights.

 

Rita, you might be right. They may have to start selling aisle seats at a premium to stay in business. And in the meantime, as a consumer, I am thrilled with my $400 savings X 3.

[wandb]

Added to the problem of paying for a second checked bag---how much clothes we can stuff into a carryon may not help. British Airways has a ruling that on all flights within the United Kingdom and all flights leaving the United Kingdom, there are NO carryons allowed---evidently not even a purse. The web site states that a wallet and necessary medications are the only things allowed on the flights, and those must be in a clear plastic bag. That means that on our return flight home after a 3 week trip, we have to fit everything into one checked bag or pay more.:(

[kryos]

Rita, you might be right. They may have to start selling aisle seats at a premium to stay in business. And in the meantime, as a consumer, I am thrilled with my $400 savings X 3.

As is just about everybody else. We want the lower prices, but we want all the comfort and service too. It's not gonna work that way. It can't.

 

As for selling the aisle seats ... I saw that on a segment of the news a couple of months back. They were talking about how all the airlines are having difficulty staying afloat, and some of the ideas they were planning to implement to boost their sagging profit margins. Some of the things mentioned were charging coach passengers for a blanket and a pillow, charging for soft drinks and snacks, and charging a premium for certain "preferred seating," such as the bulkhead and aisle seats. Believe me, those changes are coming. Frankly, I'm surprised many of them have not already been implemented.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[kryos]

British Airways has a ruling that on all flights within the United Kingdom and all flights leaving the United Kingdom, there are NO carryons allowed---evidently not even a purse. The web site states that a wallet and necessary medications are the only things allowed on the flights, and those must be in a clear plastic bag. That means that on our return flight home after a 3 week trip, we have to fit everything into one checked bag or pay more.:(

I think most people going away for more than a couple of days are gonna wind up routinely paying for a second checked bag. I think this new rule is basically just a "ploy" to charge more for the fare, without the additional charge "seeming" like a rate hike. How on earth can someone leaving for a two week vacation possibly get everything into one bag ... and have that bag possibly meet the airline's weight limitations? Believe me, British Airways will routinely be collecting the extra bag charge from just about every passenger. So, in effect, they've raised all of their fares by $50 to $75 and the dumb passengers don't even realize it.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[Denn33]

I have been pricing flights from Chicago to London and most were in the $1200 R/T range for the peak time I need to fly. Then wham-bam, a well known UK discounter announced it was starting service out of Chicago for less than $600, or $825, with all the taxes. Within minutes, all the major U.S. and UK carriers met the new low price.

 

I imagine there are several pax who booked flights at the higher rates who are mighty angry right now. And I bet there are a lot of airline management wondering how they are going to break even on these flights.

 

Rita, you might be right. They may have to start selling aisle seats at a premium to stay in business. And in the meantime, as a consumer, I am thrilled with my $400 savings X 3.

 

Can you share / give a hint which UK discounter this is?

[RevNeal]

It's all about priorities and god Dollar, not Dress Codes ... and Rita, my friend, you really need to let that Formal Code puppy rest. HAL isn't dropping Formal Nights, nor are they making them officially "Optional." Certainly not by July 4, 2007.

 

If airlines start charging for that 2nd checked bag, those who whine and complain about having to bring formal wear will still pay in order to bring two bags ... bags loaded with shorts, jeans, t-shirts, and other similar kinds of "grunge" apparel as well as their resort casual wear and (grudgingly) a jacket, slacks, and (maybe) tie. On the other hand, those of us who enjoy wearing formal clothing on formal nights will also be willing to pay extra for that second checked bag in order to enable us to bring all the various kinds of things we want to bring on a cruise (and, really, compared to the cost of the cruise it's not that much). Why? Because it's a PRIORITY for us! Indeed, that's true for EVERYONE -- regardless of our attitudes about formal night garb and dress codes, we all make priorities and we all live with them every day.

 

It's not about the luggage, nor is it about liking or not liking formal nights, it's about how one establishes one's priorities. And, frankly, most of us who post here have decided to make cruise-vacations a priority in our lives. This means travel to and from ports of embarkation/disembarkation ... which, for most of us, means flying and dealing with packing luggage to meet airline requirements. If that's our priority, and if having a blast on our cruises is the priority that I would guess it is for most of us, then an extra $50 or so bucks for an extra checked bag for a 10+ day cruise isn't worth whining over. Not really. And especially not when one considers what one is willing to pay for that 10+ day cruise! The airlines know this. So does HAL ... which is also why any speculated dress code changes will NOT be determined by this kind of issue (the current change wasn't driven by packing issues, so why should any speculatively projected -- hoped or wished for? -- changes be any different?)

[diboja]

If comfort is really important to you, I guess your only option is to only fly first class. Lots of people do and they get a far more pleasant and comfortable flight because of it.

Blue skies ...

--rita

 

Your absolutely right Rita.....

I just checked Air Canada rates from my hometown to FLL return

First Class - $3,297.62

Economy - $861.74

 

Thats in Canadian $

 

Looks like I will just have to suck it up, stop whining and put up with the issues - because for the $2436 extra I can put up with a lot (unless I rob a bank) :D

 

Revneal - as far as your comments regarding the packing issue.

Considering what people pay for a cruise they will gladly pay the extra for luggage costs and continue to dress in their usual manner. I don't think that Formal nights will disappear from HAL for many years if at all. Informal nights - They are doing the right thing by eliminating them........

 

Just to make y'all feel better this morning - when I awoke it was -38C (-36F)

Cripes, my furnace is burning up more extra gas in a month than what I would pay for 3 extra pieces of luggage!! ;)

[Krazy Kruizers]

It will be interesting to see what happens with the major airlines here in the states over the next few months.

Since we are always gone for nearly a month, we do take 4 suitcases and 2 carry-ons. Neither of our carry-ons are large enough to carry clothes in. One is for all the medial supplies (DH takes a lot of medications) and the other carry-on is for camera equipment and our books.

 

We would have no choice but to pay for the 2 extra suitcses.

[Krazy Kruizers]

We noticed over a year ago that United at our airport was already charging for curb-side check-in - $2 a bag.

[tomtal]

Having read BA's new policy, my understanding is that mainly they are not letting people take the amount of 32kgs in one case anymore, which allowance did not apply to coach class anyway. Until 13 February those travelling coach class were allowed, for international travel, a maximum of 20kgs but could take this in any number of cases. The limit for coach travellers is now 23kg, but only one case. This does not apply to the USA, Canada and a few other countries where 2 cases will still be allowed, maximum weight of each to be 23kg. For other international travel, those travelling first and business class will be allowed 3 cases, each of 23kg, and World Traveller Plus, 2 cases each of 23kg. At least, that's my understanding from the web site - I could be wrong. Personally, I agree that 32kgs in one case is far too heavy for the handlers and feel that BA is being very fair to all. I, for one, shall still back my national airline and, yes, I wouldn't be surprised if others follow suit. In fact, it would be much easier for all if all airlines could agree a standard.