Travel Insanity---Airline Charges for One Checked Bag

by Michele Cheplic | More from this Blogger

Not an extra bag. Not an extra carry-on. I'm talking about one single checked bag.

American Airlines just announced it plans to start charging $15 for passengers to check in a single suitcase.

INSANITY!

Oh, and did I mention it also plans to cut flights and lay off thousands of workers too?

The nation's largest carrier blames the moves on record-high fuel prices.

INSANITY!

They are serious folks. Beginning June 15th-as in three weeks from now-if you are flying American you will be charged $15 for the first suitcase you check in and $25 for the second piece of luggage you check. And that's just one-way. If you want your bags to come back with you on your return flight you'll have to shell out another $15 and $25 respectively.

Think about it; that means if you and your family are flying from your home to grandma's house this summer and you managed to squeeze all your clothes into two bags you will still be paying an extra $80 to check in both pieces of luggage round-trip.

And that's on top of the money you are forking over for the already exorbitant plane tickets. (American along with other major airlines has raised fares about a dozen times in the last six months.)

INSANITY!

American also announced it plans to raise other fees for services ranging from reservation help to oversized bags, which will cost between $5 and $50.

In the meantime (and you had to see this coming), United Airlines, the nation's No. 2 carrier, said it is "seriously studying" imposing its own fee on first bags.

Of course they are. And I'm sure Delta, Continental, Northwest and the rest of the nation's airlines are doing likewise. Why not? They all jumped aboard the added-fee-for-second-bag bandwagon last month. And they all claim to be crippled by the skyrocketing price of fuel. (American said rising oil prices have increased its expected annual fuel costs by nearly $3 billion since the start of the year.) So why not nickel and dime passengers until they finally resort to other means of transportation to get to their destinations?

American did mention a few ways to avoid having to pay the new first-bag fee. The carrier announced that passengers who belong to elite levels of its frequent flyer program, those who bought full-fare tickets, and those traveling overseas will be allowed to check-in one suitcase without having to pay $15.

What's your reaction to the new fee?

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Learn more about Michele Cheplic

Michele Cheplic was born and raised in Hilo, Hawaii, but now lives in Wisconsin. Michele graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Journalism.

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