Airline Baggage Fees

[Ro_Laren]

If you're flying a round trip flight, then do you have to pay baggage fees for the flight to your destination and the way back? Most airlines it is $15 for the first bag and $25 for the second. That means you could potentially be paying $80 to bring two bags on a flight???

 

[FrontLine]

Yes. you pay both ways I'm so fucking sick of the fees too.

 

[SmoothieX]

I can't stand how airlines are crying poor when every flight that I or someone else I talk to takes is packed to the gills.

You can't even get a pillow on most flights anymore.

 

[Mutai Sho-Rin]

Fly Continental Airlines. Pillows and blankies on all flights - FREE. Meals at reasonable mealtimes, even in coach - FREE. Soft drinks, juices any time - FREE. They do have baggage charges unless your are a OnePass Elite member or carry a Chase Continental MasterCard. I have over 1,350,000 miles on CO and I'll do my best to use them if they have service to my destination.

 

[auntiehill]

Hm....I have a business trip to go this August. They usually book on Continental--but I wonder if I will have to pay the baggage fee? Maybe I'll just carry on my bag this time.

 

[T'Bonz]

Most airlines (save Southwest) have baggage fees. I hate them. It's an extra $30 a trip, because unless one is just going away for a weekend, one needs to bring a suitcase.

Some airlines now make you pay for selecting a seat. With a bad neck, I really need to be careful where I sit. It's the difference between arriving with a bad headache or feeling OK.

Greedy scum-sucking bastards.

What I really dislike is that they'll show their "sale" prices, but never factor in MANDATORY fees. So it's always 15-50 dollars more than their "sale."

And they wonder why people are angry? I don't expect cheap or free flights, but I don't like being gouged and getting less service with every price hike.

 

[SmoothieX]

^ That's exactly it. I feel like they are gouging me with all the hidden fees. Fee to check baggage, fee for meals, cancelling snack service on shorts flights, fee to reserve your ticket, fee to rent headphones. It goes on and on...

 

[Marc]

^ That's exactly it. I feel like they are gouging me with all the hidden fees. Fee to check baggage, fee for meals, cancelling snack service on shorts flights, fee to reserve your ticket, fee to rent headphones. It goes on and on...

then by the time you've added all the fees and charges you have to wonder if you've really saved anything by going with a cheaper airline.

But maybe it will discourage people from taking so much on the plane. The amount I've seen some people take on as carry on makes me dread how much they had as check in.

 

[Pegaritaville]

But maybe it will discourage people from taking so much on the plane. The amount I've seen some people take on as carry on makes me dread how much they had as check in.

If anything, the baggage fees encourage people to try to get away with taking too much on board as carry-on. Not that I want to see airlines gouge their customers further, but I sometimes wish they'd charge for carry-on as well just to discourage passengers from trying to take everything but the kitchen sink aboard as carry-on.

I usually fly first class so I don't incur baggage fees, but I don't care for the practice. They should spell out the exact price of a ticket instead of inflating the price afterwards with all of those added fees.

 

[Ro_Laren]

But maybe it will discourage people from taking so much on the plane. The amount I've seen some people take on as carry on makes me dread how much they had as check in.

If anything, the baggage fees encourage people to try to get away with taking too much on board as carry-on. Not that I want to see airlines gouge their customers further, but I sometimes wish they'd charge for carry-on as well just to discourage passengers from trying to take everything but the kitchen sink aboard as carry-on.

I usually fly first class so I don't incur baggage fees, but I don't care for the practice. They should spell out the exact price of a ticket instead of inflating the price afterwards with all of those added fees.

What is the price difference normally between first class and the "regular seats?" If you have lots of bags is it actually cheaper to fly first class?

 

[nevermore]

Eh, I've never paid a baggage fee. I fly Southwest for domestic flights and BA for international and neither charges fees for bags (unless you take enormous bags or more than two checked ones).

 

[Marc]

If anything, the baggage fees encourage people to try to get away with taking too much on board as carry-on. Not that I want to see airlines gouge their customers further, but I sometimes wish they'd charge for carry-on as well just to discourage passengers from trying to take everything but the kitchen sink aboard as carry-on.

I usually fly first class so I don't incur baggage fees, but I don't care for the practice. They should spell out the exact price of a ticket instead of inflating the price afterwards with all of those added fees.

What is the price difference normally between first class and the "regular seats?" If you have lots of bags is it actually cheaper to fly first class?

To put it bluntly a shitload - Airlines make a packet from people in first class because you effectively pay for 3 people.

to given an example. I flew from Adelaide South Australia to Toronto Canada one economy and my air fare all up was $AU2800 (so about $US2000). Had I done the trip first class it was in the vicinity of $AU9500 (so about $US8000) And that's one way. I'm not sure the extra luggage capacity was worth that. Business Class on airlines that have it is a bit cheaper (My dad did L.A -> Sydney return on American Airlines Business Class about 8 years ago and that was $AU5000.

Air Canada and Qantas aren't the cheapest airlines in the world but I ran some other options and it wan't much cheaper going different airlines and different ways.

 

[Azlynn]

I carry on. My bag doesn't get thrown around, no crooks rifling through it (yet another news story last week about a crime ring in an airport), and no waiting upon arrival. If I can do a 7 week trip out of a backpack... now people who have large equipment, or who need a large business wardrobe, that I can understand.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

I usually don't take much with me anyway when I fly. I'm about to go on my traditional NYC vacation and all I ever take is a week's worth of clothes (I stay with my aunt and uncle - I do laundry when needed). So I take a carry-on and that's it.

I mostly started doing that, though, so I wouldn't have to wait at baggage claim. I'd been doing this for awhile before the baggage fees kicked in.

 

[Lindley]

I don't think JetBlue has baggage fees yet.

 

[JAG]

They don't. It seems ridiculous that these bag fees were created to help the airlines get over the high fuel prices. Now that the price of fuel has gone down, why do we still have them?

 

[FrontLine]

I usually don't take much with me anyway when I fly. I'm about to go on my traditional NYC vacation and all I ever take is a week's worth of clothes (I stay with my aunt and uncle - I do laundry when needed). So I take a carry-on and that's it.

I mostly started doing that, though, so I wouldn't have to wait at baggage claim. I'd been doing this for awhile before the baggage fees kicked in.

Which is great if you dont have the need of a toilet kit. When I travel for business I dont have that option. My carry ons are my laptop case and my electronics in another carry on. The clothes have to be checked.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

So I take a carry-on and that's it.

I mostly started doing that, though, so I wouldn't have to wait at baggage claim. I'd been doing this for awhile before the baggage fees kicked in.

Which is great if you dont have the need of a toilet kit.

Actually, I *do* need one. I just take travel-sized shaving gel and toothpaste.

 

[jep]

They don't. It seems ridiculous that these bag fees were created to help the airlines get over the high fuel prices. Now that the price of fuel has gone down, why do we still have them?

I think it's because the airlines have contracts with fuel providers to provide fuel at a specific cost, and and bunch of those contracts seem to have expired and had to be renewed during the pricing run up late last summer.

Not that I'm making excuses for the greedy bastards.

 

[JAG]

That is probably true, but it still sucks.