US Airways joins United, will charge $25 for second checked bag

[wildcatlh]

Just got this press release

 

US Airways has added a news release to its Investor Relations website.

Title: US Airways Amends Checked Baggage PolicyDate: 2/26/2008 10:00:00 AM

For a complete listing of our news releases, please click here

TEMPE, Ariz.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 26, 2008--US Airways (NYSE:

LCC) today announced it will implement a $25 service fee for a second

checked bag. The fee applies to travel that occurs on or after May 5,

2008.

 

The new checked bag policy will apply to all flights within the

U.S., to/from Canada, Latin America, the Caribbean and Europe.

 

Customers may continue to check one bag free of charge. In

addition, the airline will waive the fee for its most frequent

customers including:

 

-- All Dividend Miles Preferred members (Silver, Gold, Platinum

and Chairman's Preferred)

 

-- Confirmed First Class and Envoy passengers at time of check in

 

-- Star Alliance Silver and Gold status members

 

The following customers will also be exempt from paying the $25

fee for a second checked bag:

 

-- Active military personnel (in uniform with ID)

 

-- Unaccompanied minors

 

-- Those checking assistive devices

 

The fee only applies to tickets purchased on or after Feb. 26,

2008 for travel on or after May 5, 2008. Customers may pay this

service fee at an airport kiosk with a credit card or at the check-in

counter with a credit card, check or cash. Customers who already

purchased tickets for travel after May 5 are exempt from the new

service fee on their current itinerary.

 

Additional information is available at usairways.com/baggage

greater thangreater than baggage policies.

 

US Airways is the fifth largest domestic airline employing more

than 36,000 aviation professionals worldwide. US Airways, US Airways

Shuttle and US Airways Express operate approximately 3,800 flights per

day and serve more than 230 communities in the U.S., Canada, Europe,

the Caribbean and Latin America. US Airways is a member of the Star

Alliance network, which offers our customers 17,000 daily flights to

897 destinations in 160 countries worldwide. This press release and

additional information on US Airways can be found at

http://www.usairways.com. (LCCG)

 

-Fly With US-

 

 

 

CONTACT: US Airways, Tempe

Media Relations, 480-693-5729

 

SOURCE: US Airways

[JJPNYC]

And US Airways sinks even lower in my opinion.

[greatam]

And US Airways sinks even lower in my opinion.

 

Remember when you posted about the "wacko" ideas Dougie thinks up during the PBR? Guess this one came DIRECTLY out of the Bird's Nest.

 

Another nail in the coffin-I now KNOW he is DELIBERATELY trying to sabotage the airline. Could have made the airline STANDOUT by not instituting the charge. Guess his golden parachute must be VERY LARGE $$$$$$$.

[JJPNYC]

The only logical rationale I can think of is that all of the dry heat in Phoenix has finally baked off the last of any functioning brain cells in Dougie's head.

[Globaliser]

Personally, I don't see what all the fuss is about. Most of the rest of the world works perfectly well with a 20 kg or 23 kg per person limit. The North American baggage allowance has been wildly over-generous for decades, and is just coming back into line with common sense.

[greatam]

Personally, I don't see what all the fuss is about. Most of the rest of the world works perfectly well with a 20 kg or 23 kg per person limit. The North American baggage allowance has been wildly over-generous for decades, and is just coming back into line with common sense.

 

Maybe you, my very British friend, can get by with one suitcase, 44 pounds. But me, the spoiled American diva, absolutely, positively MUST have my two suitcases when embarking on any trip over 1 week (except to Asia-I buy new clothes and come home with 2 bags). I would even make a MR just to keep status if it meant 2 bags, no charge. Oh, the pain!!!

[Globaliser]

Oh, daaaahling: I understand exactly what you mean .... :D

[spongerob]

Personally, I don't see what all the fuss is about. Most of the rest of the world works perfectly well with a 20 kg or 23 kg per person limit. The North American baggage allowance has been wildly over-generous for decades, and is just coming back into line with common sense.

I'm honestly quite tired of hearing this response from our friends across the pond. When did everyone over there decide that acceptance of minimal service was a good thing? Is mediocrity now considered virtuous? I guess I should run out and by some ill-fitting puke-green sweaters so that I can dress like my overseas colleagues too, because that's all I've got room for in my single allowable bag that has to kept light enough so that even a pasty, skinny-armed weakling can manage to shove it off a baggage cart and leave it laying on the tarmac.

 

Two bags is not, "Wildly overly-generous." It has been the standard for as long as I can remember. How about you guys demanding more for your money, rather than settling for less and belittling others who won't drink the socialist kool-aid?

[Globaliser]

Two bags is not, "Wildly overly-generous." It has been the standard for as long as I can remember.

No, it hasn't. And we haven't settled for less.

 

20 kg or thereabouts is the standard and has been for decades. Most of the world manages perfectly well with such an allowance.

 

The only people who don't understand this are North Americans, who are the biggest exception to the rule.

 

It's a bit of a laugh to read the suggestion that a 20 kg baggage allowance amounts to "minimal service", when this is the standard baggage allowance applied by the finest airlines in the world - none of which are based in North America. If you want to find "minimal service", you'd get it from airlines that are based there - and it would probably be an appropriate description even if they were to allow you a tonne of luggage per person.

[Globaliser]

I guess I should run out and by some ill-fitting puke-green sweaters so that I can dress like my overseas colleagues too, because that's all I've got room for in my single allowable bag that has to kept light enough so that even a pasty, skinny-armed weakling can manage to shove it off a baggage cart and leave it laying on the tarmac.

FWIW, I've now found my cruise clothes packing list (posted earlier on CC):-

• 8 pairs of undies
• 8 pairs of socks
• 6 T-shirts
• 6 polo shirts
• 2 casual shirts (maybe one or two more if there are jacket-and-tie nights as well as formal nights)
• 1 dress shirt for formal night
• 1 dinner suit
• 1 pair cufflinks (maybe two for a two week cruise, if I can be bothered)
• 1 bow tie (ditto)
• 1 jacket (only if there are jacket-and-tie nights)
• 1 pair formal night shoes
• 1 pair gym shorts
• 1 pair gym shoes
• 1 pair gym socks
• 1 pair swimmers
• 1 pair swimming goggles
• 2 pairs of trousers
• 1 pair of normal shorts
• 1 pair of Tevas (sandals)

This will easily weigh much less than 50 pounds, even when packed into a suitcase. This is pretty much what I take for a 9-night trip for a one-week cruise in the Caribbean (flight, one night pre-cruise, 7 nights cruise, overnight flight back). And it allows me to take a change of clothes in my carry-on so that when I'm at the airport on my way home, I can shower and then get into a set of clean clothes for the overnight flight home.

[paul929207]

Not really surprising that USAirways is following suit. I expect all the others to follow shortly.