AA announces charges for the first checked bag

[FinelyCruising]

It might be OK as I still hold out hope for a turnaround and a reversal in these extras....I hope, I hope, I hope....

[Sky Sweet]

I just don't know why they don't raise their fares and include what they did before. This is all too confusing. You will have to almost be a lawyer to figure out what it will cost to travel. Their fuel went up--we have to pay...that is the bottom line.

 

Hi Caroldoll :)

 

I agree with you.

 

The fee itself is just a minor annoyance. The major annoyance will be when it takes the airlines a lot longer to process each person who checks in at the airport with luggage because of all these fees.

 

I would much rather pay a little more when I purchase an airline ticket than be subjected to long lines at the airport because of this new policy.

[yarlenna]

Does this mean that they won't wreck bags anymore or just loose them?

[JPEvans]

Time to start boycotting the airlines. Charging $15 fee for every leg of the trip, is stupid. I think we need to hurt the airlines where it counts. We gotta band together.

[amanda blake]

and the second bag will be $25...

 

there is no charge for weight or size of passengers however...

 

so here is what I plan to do...get a big Harpo coat..many pockets...stuff all of my things....

 

I cant understand why I who weigh 100lb should pay for a suitcase, while someone who weighs 200 is not charged extra for it...but suppose the charge for a persons weight is already being considered as the next thing to be gouged for...

 

yes I am angry...

[Caroldoll]

My TA feels, and I concur, that it will cause havoc at the airport. We are all going to be waiting in double lines longer than now. We ALL know gas is going up and what goes up never comes down SUBSTANTIALLY, so reality has to set in. Personally we fly first class so I don't think a lot of this is going to affect us, but it will affect a lot of people. Poor businessmen who are in a hurry and use overhead bins for just a little "stuff" will be out of luck as everyone will be trying to carry a lot on. There will be mass confusion. Believe it or not, some people will be unaware of all the charges and not have the funds to pay. I think this is downright stupid and the airlines are shooting themselves in the foot. Just go for it with a price increase.

[YOW]

I'm not sure what the best solution is for the airlines, but it's clear that no matter what they do, some unhappiness will be caused. Raising fares overall would probably have been a decent way to go, as a $15 or $25 hike does not draw media attention. I agree that this way is going to cause some chaos at the gate and on the aircraft, and unless they begin boarding an hour ahead of the flight (not realistic when turnaround times are typically shorter than that), we're going to see some delays. As to the weight argument, it has basis in an economic vacuum -- why should my wife, at about half my weight, also get charged $15 for a bag? But the reality is that charging pax based on weight would have huge (no pun intended) consequences on human rights and civil liberties grounds. And the airlines know that boycotts are not a real threat -- driving to one's destination will also see increased costs thanks to high gas prices.

 

Yup, even though it's not the most equitable option, they probably should have just raised their fares and been done with it.

[halbfl2]

It seems to be the cost of fuel that is causing this, so why not add a fuel surcharge as the cruise ships are doing instead of charging for the bag. This is going to cause such havoc while boarding. The people who's rows are called last won't be able to find any bin space. I can envision people actually getting into fights over the bin space plus the safety factor in more people stuffing more than they should under the seat.

[bbro]

We were joking last night that instead of people taping drugs to their bodies we're all going to start taping extra socks, underwear, t-shirts etc to ourselves to save on space!!! :D

[amanda blake]

only makes sense to raise fares or a fuel surcharge...it will definitely cause havoc....

 

yes the Harpo Marx coat is the way to go...lol...

[Cruising Greek]

Is this a case of re-regulation for the airline industry? It sort of seems to me that we maybe have too many airlines. I think we're going to see a bunch of mergers, whittling down the weaker ones from the herd.

 

I wonder if it would make sense for the cruise lines to consolidate some of their homeports and start chartering flights themselves, combining the costs into one. How are you, and for that matter my wife, supposed to get our stuff for a 15 day cruise across the country?

[PurpleCow]

Time to start boycotting the airlines. Charging $15 fee for every leg of the trip, is stupid. I think we need to hurt the airlines where it counts. We gotta band together.

You knew that was a joke, right?

[Gonzo70]

Time to start boycotting the airlines. Charging $15 fee for every leg of the trip, is stupid. I think we need to hurt the airlines where it counts. We gotta band together.

 

I think the airlines are already hurting quite a bit. That is why they are raising fees. Perhaps they could have raised fees in a different manner, but raising fees was definitely necessary. I am one who would have preferred that they just raised the ticket price.

[gillianrose]

I just don't know why they don't raise their fares and include what they did before.

 

I agree. If they all do it, then no one has a "price" advantage different from what it was before.

 

I'm not a price shopper when it comes to airline travel, except as a secondary matter.

 

I will not fly certain aircraft and I book nonstop flights. I hate the HUB concept. Any airline that turns my nonstop flight into a connecting flight or changes the aircraft I booked will not get my business again if I can possibly avoid it.

 

MORE HOMEPORT CRUISING!

[red knight]

Steve please do not post those so publickly, we do not want teh aiarlines getting any bright ideas do we?:D

[Cruise Arizona]

We were joking last night that instead of people taping drugs to their bodies we're all going to start taping extra socks, underwear, t-shirts etc to ourselves to save on space!!! :D

 

You have solved my problem. I thought I was going to have to go on Nudist only cruises now, but I think you have given me a better idea. Just wear all my outfits for the week one over another and then just tape the extra socks and shoes around my waist.

 

This is really crazy, but I guess I should just be thankful that we have already purchased our tickets for our upcoming trips to Michigan, Florida and Barcelona. We beat all the deadlines so we can check two bags. Next time i'm booking I'll know to add all those extra fees to the cost of my ticket.

[ccletzgo]

I just don't know why they don't raise their fares and include what they did before. This is all too confusing. You will have to almost be a lawyer to figure out what it will cost to travel. Their fuel went up--we have to pay...that is the bottom line.

 

 

United announced today that they did just that. Raise fares. I think I heard $60.00. Sure is alot less complicated, and I'm sure there check in process will be alot smoother..;)

 

The reason they add fee's instead of raise prices is they want there prices to stay in line with the competition. So many people use booking engines like cheap tickets. They look for the best price. By adding fee's the "real" price does not come up when you do a search. You have to proceed to the next step to see the fee's.

[SusieV]

United announced today that they did just that. Raise fares. I think I heard $60.00. Sure is alot less complicated, and I'm sure there check in process will be alot smoother..;)

 

The reason they add fee's instead of raise prices is they want there prices to stay in line with the competition. So many people use booking engines like cheap tickets. They look for the best price. By adding fee's the "real" price does not come up when you do a search. You have to proceed to the next step to see the fee's.

 

I'd rather have the fees on Star Alliance... but that's because I'm Prestige and don't wish to pay them!

[Sky Sweet]

There was a great cartoon in today's New York Times. It showed a flight attendant giving the typical safety speech about the oxygen mask if there is a loss in cabin pressure, with an additional comment about a $15 fee to deploy it if necessary...LOL :)