American says few will be hit by bag-check fee

[brooklynite]

Source: Crains New York Business

Fewer than 20% of summer travelers out of New York will be affected by Americ

Starting Sunday, American Airlines will charge customers who purchase discounted fares $15 to check their bag each way, or $30 round-trip. The new policy will not apply to full-fare coach passengers, business- and first-class travelers, international passengers or members of its frequent-flier program.

It will also not apply to customers who purchase tickets before Sunday.

Read more: http://www.crainsnewyork.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080612/FREE/488447172/1047&category=FREE&nocache=1

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Or, as Leona Helmsley would say: Only the little people pay baggage fees...

[Lance_Boyle]

1. $30 baggage fee added to a discount fare

is still much cheaper than full-fare, and practically free next to business and first-class ticket prices.

I can't fault American for trying this. The market will punish them for it if it turns out to be a bad idea.

[geomon666]

2. Hmmm...

So I could pay up to $100 more for full fare coach or I could check my bag in for $30 round trip.

[liberal N proud]

8. How many idiots will pay the extra fare just to avoid the baggage fee?

You know there will be a bunch of them, this is America.

[geomon666]

9. Good point.

I forgot to consider the idiot factor.

[Scairp]

14. Fucking stupid huh?

Thank goodness my husband booked our tickets, using all of his frequent flyer miles, months ago. Plus he upgraded us to business class because we are flying from California to NY with a three year old. Still, when I go alone to visit my friend in Ohio I never pay full price and never fly anything but coach to save money. I guess the next time I make that particular trip, if I want to take my razors to shave things and anything else not allowed in carry on bags, I will be paying up.

[Tesha]

16. Join their frequent flyer program. (NT)

[gratuitous]

3. Then why institute it?

If it's not going to be a significant source of revenue to help defray the elevated cost of fuel, why institute the fee at all? Because they can sock it to the folks who fill up the last few seats on their planes. Brilliant. Save $50 on a plane ticket by careful shopping, then give it back at the counter because of some arbitrary decision by a muckety-muck in his wood-paneled office.

Then, when air travel numbers inevitably go down, these same muckety-mucks will depart their wood-paneled offices, schlep over the Capitol, and whine to anyone who will listen about how they need more tax breaks, federal assistance, and plain old corporate welfare to make a go out of the airline business. Oh, and can we gut the federal regulations a little more, because maintaining airplanes and making sure pilots aren't schnockered when they get into the cockpit is just too, too demanding.

[Retrograde]

7. so they can advertise a "low" fare

a lot of people just look at the quoted price and don't think about total costs. If airline X advertises a $99 fare, how many people think, ok, that's $99 each way plus baggage fees plus airport fees etc? And how does that compare with airline Y's $225 all-inclusive package? The former looks cheaper so it grabs attention.

[enki23]

4. no, but it's a nice little regressive fee to hit travelling families

the business class folks aren't the ones checking in the big suitcases.

[deadmessengers]

5. Discounted fares, discounted service

Want to save on your fare? Bring less stuff with you. Want to bring more stuff? Pay for it. It's really easy to comprehend.

Full-fare passengers, business-class and first-class passengers, international passengers are already paying OUT THE ASS for their fares. To give you one example - a Y fare (full-fare coach) between Atlanta and LaGuardia is $938 round-trip. The same fare discounted is $232. So, yes, one who chooses to carry a lot of stuff would have to spend $30 more for their baggage, but that would in turn be offset TWENTY TIMES OVER by the fare difference.

And, I've said this before, and I'll say it again - Frequent fliers are the ones by far the least likely to check a bag. I've been on 70 flights & over 120,000 miles in the last year, and I've had to check a bag exactly TWICE - once when I was coming back from my mom's funeral and had with me a lot of my stuff I was taking home from her apartment, and another time when I was coming back from an overseas trip when the carry-on standards were different from my outbound flight. (The EU has smaller carryon standards, so the same bag that I was able to carry on going to the UK was too big coming back).

[merwin]

13. Frequent fliers are the ones LEAST LIKELY to check a bag?

For 3 years I flew every couple of weeks to various locations around the USA and I think there were only a few times when I didn't check a bag. I usually had a backpack, laptop bag, and a checked bag. If you're going somewhere for more than a few days, you're going to need to check a bag, especially if you have to dress nicely and can't just cram everything into a carry-on.

[Whoa_Nelly]

6. really? then why did my friend who just flew AA have to pay?

SHe paid $15 a week ago Saturday, and again on her return this past Sunday.

[ladywnch]

10. united just announced they are following suit along with the same exceptions

[defendandprotect]

11. My son is traveling in July --- this is all making me very nervous . . .

Mainenance was bad enough --- and oversight insufficient -- BEFORE the increases in oil prices.

Now . . . ???

[merwin]

12. Alaska airlines is doing this as well. I go with my church to Tijuana via San Diego every year

to build houses, and we make good use of that second bag allowance to haul tools and sleeping bags. This is going to up our costs significantly, with about 15-20 of us checking second bags.

[AndyTiedye]

15. Seems Like a Way to Get People Signed Up To Their Frequent-Flyer Program

It doesn't cost anything to sign up to their frequent flier program.