Apparently there isn't much flexibility in the new baggage weight rules either. Dropped off my wife this morning for a flight from SEA to OAK and her checked bag was 2 lbs over the 50 lb limit. (Spare me any speak about rules are rules and 50 lbs is 50 lbs. I can read the sign.) But 2 lbs over the limit, considering she only had one bag and a baby in her arms, is hardly in the spirit of good customer service. Some people obviously take advantage and pack too much, and I agree they should have to pay, but lets get real for a second and think about what the real customer service implications of policies like this are about.

According to someone I spoke with at the airport (an AS employee) there are a few factors that went into why they enforcing the new rules so strictly (even the old rules were enforced with discresion). 1. There were a dramatic increase in workers comp claims last year, costing the company a significant amout of money. Insurance cost mandated tighter regulation of overweight baggage to reduce these claims. 2. Cost of fuel. This is a simple equasion, more weight = use more fuel.

So if you were in line behind us while i repacked the bag and took up space at the checkin counter today I appologize. Since I wasn't about to pay, we had to take out a pair of shoes and a pair of jeans and put them in a plasic bag and check it as a separate piece of luggage. ????? Come to think of it, how how was this more efficient for the company? Especially considering I left with quite a bad taste in my mouth RE: alaska's newfound level customer service I continue read about all over this board.