Originally Posted by
gj83
If you are charging for checked bags, expect people to carry on whatever they can.
Of course. People are behaving rationally. Nobody would voluntarily pay those outrageous fees. Even I, being exempt from the usual fees as an elite traveler, almost never check a bag for several perfectly legitimate reasons: (1) delays in getting bags on arrival can add 30-60 minutes to my travel time, and I often arrive late at night when time is precious, (2) damage to my property is far too likely, and it has happened before, and (3) theft of my property is perhaps even more likely, compounded by the fact that TSA (who are sometimes the thieves!) don't allow me to lock my bags and secure my property. Non-elite travelers have all of those reasons not to check bags, plus (4) outrageous baggage fees. And we wonder why carry-on bags have become such a problem? Really?
Bruce