I’m not saying I’m in favor of this – I’m not. But it’s an ongoing situation on any number of airlines, and worth taking note of.
Let me begin with this article from the Arizona Republic – in which an angry couple watched in amazement as a US Airways gate agent in Charlotte stopped passenger after passenger from bringing aboard way-too-big carryons – which were then checked into cargo – for free.
The angry couple, of course, paid for their bags to be checked – like you’re supposed to.
Why do gate agents let this happen – cheating your own airline out of fees? Well, sometimes they are faced with a disagreeable choice – collect the fees – or make their “on-time departure” stats. Keep reading…
The gate agent should have directed the too-big bag carriers, to go back to the ticket counter and check the bags – but when there are a dozen such passengers…that’s a dilemma. One gate agent who understandably declined to be identified said, “If I had to stand there and argue with every passenger who came through, I could never get a plane out on time.”
One man in the article got so incensed watching others get for free what he had to pay for, actually contacted his credit card company to protest – and got his bag fee returned as a credit.
You have to wonder sometimes, why people go to the trouble of overloading a bag that they then have to drag throughout the terminal, all to save a few bucks.
Well, here’s the response from one traveler, who brought an overstuffed bag on board, along with a giant purse that was “filled with magazines, books, a camera, her toiletries and another purse” – all to save $15, because, as she explained, “It’s an outrageous fee. When we try to get away for a little weekend, if we have to pay those fees, it completely devalues the trip.”
Readers, have you ever been involved in similar scenarios?
We travelers are so cheap. It costs more for the airlines to fly us cheapos than we’re really worth to them. Seriously. The first class and business class ticket holders pay for the rest of us riff raff to fly. How do I know this? A friend of mine who is a international business traveler working in the airline industry says it’s the secret to why it seenms some carrier employees could care less about the economy flyer…they don’t. We are not all created equal on the plane…just check out first class service when your an economy flyer. Trying to get the best airline deal is in our bargain-hunting nature but we need to think about what we’re asking for. We want first class service with a plane ticket that doesn’t even pay for the fuel for trip. Let’s not cheap out on baggage charges as well. It’s, well, unbecoming.
Jane,
“Unbecoming” — you have nailed it.
Rick
We have carried all of our luggage with us for years. We started doing this when it was no longer possible to lock up your luggage & expect it to stay locked. Too many items were turning up missing & I didn’t plan on losing things that way. We carry as little as possible. We bring light weight clothes & wash them a lot when we get to our destination. Maybe only 1 pr of shoes & not a lot of extras. I’ve actually worn 2 blouses on the plane. Do we really need to wear something different every single day that we’re away? For what? Now that checked luggage needs to be paid for, we are really militant about carrying our belongings. I mean, we have to pay to have them picked through and stolen? Give me a break!
Jane:
Rick will correct me if I’m wrong, but business class doesn’t really subsidize the economy class these days (at least not when it comes to the domestic flights). The majority of passengers are in F because of their status and not because they payed the full fare. As a *G, I’m nearly always upgraded to F on US Airways even though all my fares are deeply discounted. I also keep monitoring seat availability in the front cabin and it’s pretty much empty up until the upgrade window and then all over sudden the cabin is full (which means that almost everyone got to the front of the plane as a result of their status). One or two front seats are also often given to the air marshals who monitor the flight.
For business travel, I NEVER check a bag for two reasons.
1) Even the airlines with the best records lose, on average, 3 bags/flight – not every flight but on average. I use a carry-on that is at the limit of what airlines allow. If one of the flights turns out to be on a regional carrier’s small planes, where the bag won’t fit – I gate check-it – not because of fees but because the bag can’t be lost this way.
2) TIme wasted checking/claiming a bag. First, to check a bag, you have to arrive early enough to stand in line for the ticket counter. With carry-on only – you go straight to the security line. Then, to claim a bag, you have to wait for the bags to make it to baggage claim. With carry-on – straight to the rental car. 2 hours per day adds up.
Jane, I wouldn’t call it subsidize, but they are more lucrative consumers for airlines, biz travelers for the most part wouldn’t fill an entire plane thus why we have 2 people sitting side by side that pay wildly different prices for their ticket.
Hey all, thanks for your feedback. I’ve learned a lot just reading these above comments and I feel a bit better about my unrelenting search for a cheaper flight!
I have not checked a bag since 1969 – I got too angry waiting for my bag at the carousel – it always arrived last. I agree with Louise Bishop – one can do more with less.
In addition, for those who travel frequently to the same place(s), it is worth leaving a stash of clothes, toiletries or whatever. Some hotel chains will store
a bag for you if you are a regular customer.
Lani Teshima at http://www.Travelite.org has some very useful information about the best ways to pack if you are a carryon-only traveler.
What bothers me about carry-ons is the fact when time comes to disembark the plane upon landing, the carry-on people hold up the disembarking customers who have checked their luggage. The people with no carry-ons should be allowed to exit the plane first; people with carry-ons in overhead, last.
When flying, you still get a good bang for your buck when comparing it to driving to your destination. $15.00 is the price of a pizza.
Just a matter of time: Airlines will further limit the size of carry-ons to raise more revenue from checked bag fees.
I say kudos to the people that are gaming the system — everyone should be doing this. These bag fees are ridiculous and have got to go.
Personally, I think we are safer if more luggage is stored in the hold rather in some rickety overhead bin that can fly open in turbulence.