Another reason to cut back on your packing

[dec2007w3boys]

This time it is Airtran - luckily we bought our tickets back in April and still can take 2 checked bags without a charge. But now....

 

AirTran Airways will begin charging passengers $15 for their first checked bag, for flights on or after Dec. 5, just as the holiday travel season gets under way.

AirTran made the announcement Wednesday, Nov. 12. Customers who bought tickets on or prior to Tuesday will not be charged for their first bag.

AirTran will continue to charge $25 for a second checked bag and $50 for each additional bag. Business-class travelers and A-plus Rewards Elite members will be exempt from charges for the first or second checked bags.

AirTran followed the lead of Delta Air Lines, which last week said it will charge $15 for the first checked bag and $25 for the second bag for travel within the United States on or after Dec. 5. That is consistent with policies of Northwest Airlines, with which Delta is merging, Delta said.

Customers who bought Delta tickets on or before Nov. 5 and who will travel on or after Dec. 5 will be charged $50 for a second checked bag, but will not be charged for the first one pursuant to Delta's prior policy.

All Delta customers flying in first- or business-class, including SkyMiles Medallion members and WorldPerks Elite members, will receive up to three bags free, weighing up to 70 pounds each.

AirTran and Delta are consistently the two busiest carriers at Dayton International Airport.

[stlrboo]

DW and I are going to have our first experience with 'packing lite' in 31 days..:eek: Wish us luck... :p

 

We still get 'in' under the wire on Continental, as we purchased our tickets almost a year ago, but we need to practice for June 2009.. Three of us on that cruise...:o

[cobraman99]

This time it is Airtran - luckily we bought our tickets back in April and still can take 2 checked bags without a charge. But now....

 

AirTran Airways will begin charging passengers $15 for their first checked bag, for flights on or after Dec. 5, just as the holiday travel season gets under way.

AirTran made the announcement Wednesday, Nov. 12. Customers who bought tickets on or prior to Tuesday will not be charged for their first bag.

AirTran will continue to charge $25 for a second checked bag and $50 for each additional bag. Business-class travelers and A-plus Rewards Elite members will be exempt from charges for the first or second checked bags.

AirTran followed the lead of Delta Air Lines, which last week said it will charge $15 for the first checked bag and $25 for the second bag for travel within the United States on or after Dec. 5. That is consistent with policies of Northwest Airlines, with which Delta is merging, Delta said.

Customers who bought Delta tickets on or before Nov. 5 and who will travel on or after Dec. 5 will be charged $50 for a second checked bag, but will not be charged for the first one pursuant to Delta's prior policy.

All Delta customers flying in first- or business-class, including SkyMiles Medallion members and WorldPerks Elite members, will receive up to three bags free, weighing up to 70 pounds each.

AirTran and Delta are consistently the two busiest carriers at Dayton International Airport.

 

man!!!! guess i am going to have to hit up a delta platinum member to book our tickets for us.

[sappygirl]

It is getting really crazy with the airlines. With the prices for airfare going up and charging for baggage, flight delays and cancellations, I don't plan on going anywhere in the near future that I have to fly too. With gas prices going down we will drive where we want to go.:)

[popsec]

Gotta love Southwest!.....no charge for either 1st or 2nd bag and you can still find great deals! We booked Albany,NY to Ft Laderdale,Fl for Jan at only $89 pp each way :)

[Sugar*Magnolia]

Great price POPSEC. Be glad you're not travelling in December, you wouldnt be able to find that rate.

 

We havent flown anywhere to cruise in years. Instead of the 12 pcs of lugagge we took last yr on our 12 night we will each have one lg suitcase and only one garment for all of us. Not accustomed to flying anymore since we can cruise out of NJ now (& still NY).

[crusinpsychRN]

Glad I live within driving distance of the ports.

[jennlee]

Yeah I'm glad I booked my Airtran flight months ago. I wanted to fly Southwest, but when I was looking for fares they were significantly higher than AirTran's (like $100 more...about a month later the prices came down of course :(), so I went with the cheaper flight. However, I had planned on cruising alone, but my best friend is coming with me, and she isn't booking her flight until Friday so she will get hit with the additional fee

[mjl1960]

It is such a rip off to be charging for what should be included in the price of a ticket. I could see charging after the first 2 bags...but good grief!!

[denisey]

AirTran followed the lead of Delta Air Lines, which last week said it will charge $15 for the first checked bag and $25 for the second bag for travel within the United States on or after Dec. 5. That is consistent with policies of Northwest Airlines, with which Delta is merging, Delta said.

Customers who bought Delta tickets on or before Nov. 5 and who will travel on or after Dec. 5 will be charged $50 for a second checked bag, but will not be charged for the first one pursuant to Delta's prior policy.

 

Wait a minute here.....Since I bought my Delta ticket prior to Nov 5th, I will be charged $50 if I check 2 bags (Zero for the first one, $50 for the second) However, if I had purchased the ticket after Nov 5th, I would be charged $40 for 2 bags ($15 for the first and $25 for the second.)

 

That makes no sense, but I guess it's the airlines we are talking about here!

 

I was converted to being a light packer on our last cruise. We did a 3 week vacation (2 on the ship and one on land) with a carryone each. It took a little creativity (renting a tux for hubby, plain black dress with different shawls for me...) but we didn't miss any of the stuff we normally drag around.

 

I'm guessing we'll just have to plan on extra fees into our budget from now on.

[Nezmo]

Gotta love Southwest!.....no charge for either 1st or 2nd bag and you can still find great deals! We booked Albany,NY to Ft Laderdale,Fl for Jan at only $89 pp each way :)

For now. Didn't they just post their first loss in ages?

[dec2007w3boys]

I love the fuel surcharge I just paid for pizza delivery - gas is 1.77 today - I could understand at 2.77.... I guess they have a right to charge what they want and we have a right to buy it or not.

 

BTW - we are flying from Dayton to FLL via Airtran. Five of us = 10 checked bags sine we booked before the date in April. So if anyone needs us to bring a bag or two for them...... :D I am hoping to have three large suitcases and one small, plus backpacks/purse. What a goal!

[kelz66]

For now. Didn't they just post their first loss in ages?

 

 

Southwest Airlines posts first quarterly loss in 17 years on fuel charge

 

10:36 PM CDT on Thursday, October 16, 2008

 

By ERIC TORBENSON / The Dallas Morning News

etorbenson@dallasnews.com The words quarterly loss and Southwest Airlines Co. haven't been put together for more than 17 years, but the Dallas-based company said Thursday it lost $120 million in the third quarter based on accounting charges related to its fuel-hedging program.

 

 

Southwest said its streak of profitable quarters would remain alive at 70, however, if the $247 million related to the accounting charge were removed. Without the "special item," the world's largest low-fare carrier earned $69 million, or 9 cents per share.

Analysts surveyed by Thompson First Call had predicted a quarterly profit of 7 cents a share. A year ago, Southwest had net income of $162 million, or 22 cents a share.

"Our outlook on fuel prices has actually dramatically improved," chief executive Gary Kelly said in an early morning conference call. "The even bigger issue in our world is what is going on with the broader economy."

Southwest's bookings are solid for the rest of the year, and its unit revenue – what it earns for each seat mile flown – for October is up 14 percent from last year, helped in part by a marketing campaign highlighting its lack of fees compared with its rivals, Mr. Kelly said.

"We're going to have a decent fourth quarter," he added.

After that, it's anybody's guess what demand for air travel will be, and Southwest is preparing for what may lie ahead.

It drew down $400 million of a $600 million credit facility to help weather the storm and will be cutting its capacity as much as 6 percent in the first quarter. It will continue to fly all its 535 aircraft, but will cut some "unpopular" flights at odd times of the day in its schedule, Mr. Kelly said.

Third-quarter revenue grew 11.7 percent to $2.9 billion from a year earlier, and the carrier expects to see strong revenue growth in the fourth quarter as rivals cut their capacity, Mr. Kelly said.

The fuel hedges that have helped Southwest save $1.3 billion this year can also take a bite out of income when fuel prices fluctuate as wildly as they have the past few months.

Oil traded at below $70 a barrel Thursday, and the value of the airline's fuel hedging positions had to be written down, according to accounting rules.

It's the same accounting rule that has put a lot of banks in trouble with mortgage assets, and it has stung other carriers that bought fuel at prices well above today's spot market. Nevertheless, Mr. Kelly said he's not at all concerned about his carrier's hedges going forward or his ability to manage the airline's finances.

Neither is analyst Jamie Baker of J.P. Morgan, who said in a note to investors Thursday that because Southwest's cash on hand dropped in the quarter, the result was "a liquidity situation that is worse than we expected but certainly not fatal." He expects Southwest to easily exceed his fourth-quarter earnings estimates, though future quarters are murkier.

Southwest's third-quarter fuel bill rose 44 percent to an even $1 billion, pushing its costs up 20 percent over the previous year. The outlook for its unit costs isn't going to get better as Southwest slows its growth in the current quarter to 1 percent and prepares to cut capacity in January.

"Now is not the time to be growing capacity," Mr. Kelly said. "I'm comfortable that we're making just the right moves at the right time."

[aggieastrosfan]

Wait a minute here.....Since I bought my Delta ticket prior to Nov 5th, I will be charged $50 if I check 2 bags (Zero for the first one, $50 for the second) However, if I had purchased the ticket after Nov 5th, I would be charged $40 for 2 bags ($15 for the first and $25 for the second.)

 

That makes no sense, but I guess it's the airlines we are talking about here!

 

I gotta admit, that's pretty funny!

 

We're slowly getting better at our packing. We packed 9 days' worth for 3 people in the same bags we used to use for 2 people in 7. We're going to try and reduce by one more for the next one to save on the bag fees.