ExitRowAisle

This story appeared on yahoo today:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap_travel/20...rlines_bag_fee

I don't know whether it's due to sloppy reporting or AA's PR machine, but to say that one in four will be affected by the new baggage fee is quite a stretch unless you caveat it by saying "over the short-term."

If AA actually believes this is the long-term effect, wouldn't a $4 ($15/4) increase to base fares have been a better way to handle the situation?

Ajohn

If I'm reading correctly (and these days I seem to be batting around .158), I think what AA is saying is that 75% of this summer's travelers have already bought their tickets, so there will be little effect in the next three months. I agree with you that it would be disingenuous to predict that only a quarter of passengers will be affected over the long haul. While I would wager upwards of 95% of us on these boards will skate through, I think a solid majority of AA passengers are non-FF, domestic flyers. What I'm most interested in are these "measures" they're taking to prevent chaos at the boarding areas.

videomaker

They kind of tap danced around an answer on that one.

Maybe it's like those TSA layers of security--on a "need to know" basis.

Ajohn

Yeah, well as long as it works, I suppose the satisfaction of my insatiable curiosity is not the ultimate end. My only worry, of course, is whether all of American's GAs will be classed in the "need to know" category.

divine

Agreed. I don't have any status on AA, but do have status on another airline. I did have a flight booked on AA for the day after this new policy takes effect --- booked by the corporate travel agency. I've been watching this board to assess the impact. Since I'd probably board last there could be a good chance that my compliant carry on could be gate checked since there is a huge incentive for every passenger to carry on luggage. Even though it does not appear (from reading these boards) that the $15 fee would be collected at the gate, it does look like there will be much confusion, anger, frazzled flight attendants and gate agents from dealing with angry passengers --- at least at the beginning. So I changed my flight this time.

I remember the first time I flew on a small plane and the gate attendant asked me how much I weighed. I figured this would be the one time that it would be important to be accurate. Maybe lighter passengers should get a discount or "credit" towards their luggage allowance?? OK -- I'm kidding :-)

MrMan

Dallas Morning News' comments on how bad AA is handling the PR aspects of this (must be the same guys who handled Wright).

In addition I heard some comments to shorten the timing of the Wrights demise because of this.

http://aviationblog.dallasnews.com/

"That's the likely reason that American Airlines was calling media people around the country Thursday to try to convince them and the public that the fee wasn't so bad. Here's an Associated Press story on its position.

One can make a strong argument that American should not risk stirring up the masses again. But American apparently felt it needed to keep trying to persuade travelers that the bag fee was reasonable, wouldn't affect that many people, etc.

To summarize the basic points made in a conversation with Mark DuPont, American's vice president of airport services planning:

* After you subtract out the people who won't have to pay the fee -- the premium flyers, full-fare passengers, people on international itineraries and those flying with no check-in bags -- only about one in four passengers will face the $15 fee.

* It'll be less than than 25 percent to pay the $15 fee this summer because about three out of four people who'll fly on American Airlines this summer have already bought their tickets. The fee affects only those travelers who buy their tickets June 15 and after.

* For people who check bags at the curb, the increase will be less than $15 because the airline is stopping the $2 fee for curbside bag check-ins at the same time it begins charging the $15 fee for the first checked bag."

Then AA goes into patranizing the "masses" with a bunch of financial info comparing bread and eggs to airline costs

pixpixpix

Why? The fee would not have applied to your ticket.

bbison

I think I found the next pricing method AA can emulate. Way beyond the first bag charge: http://flyderrie-air.com/

oklAAhoma

divine

RIGHT. I misread the press on this and thought it applied to tix purchased after May 12. The corp travel agency does not issue the tix until a few days before the flight so I thought I would be caught up in the new rules. I could change back, but will stick with DL where I will have to pay for the on-demand in-flight entertainment in coach.

Thanks.

flyerbjorn

I found this on the Airfare Watchdog blog this morning:
http://www.airfarewatchdog.com/Airfa...7/Default.aspx

...
Passengers, obviously, will need to beware American's newest employees: The Luggage Police.

Anticipating resistance to the surcharge, American has wisely laid on extra bodies. These employees are, essentially, enforcers. Their task will be to monitor strategic locations (security lines, for instance) to see that passengers aren't toting more than their share of Louis Vuitton. Customers with too many items or bags too large to bring on board, says the airline, "will be assisted in checking their luggage."

So many questions.

Such as, how will they "assist" passengers, exactly? (We can see it now -- "Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to come with me....")

American spokesman Tim Smith is confident that that those required to pay the fee won't have a prayer of getting around it.

Unless, of course, you manage to sneak your contraband roller board past "curbside check-in, ticket counter check-in, self-serve kiosk check-in, our people stationed before security, the TSA checkpoint itself....without anyone noticing," he says.

In which case, you'll most certainly be told at the gate that you will need to gate check your bag. And -- oh yes -- there will be a fee for that, and, yes, there are credit card machines at the gates, Smith tells Airfarewatchdog (we were wondering about that, and now we know).
...

MiamiAirport Formerly NY George

Alright, and foremost, this subject has been beaten to death here at FT, highlighted by the previous 715 posts. The policy has been in effect now for less than two weeks and is probably not applicable to most paxs checking bags as the ticket must have been purchased on or after 6/15. Now, that does not mean that paxs aren't reading or hearing glimpses of headlines and thinking that the fee still applies to their travel (and anyone else that will travel this summer with a ticket purchased before 6/15.)

Now I do not know since the last time that I traveled was 6/14. For other posters that have traveled and have gone through high volume airports like MIA and LGA (where elites go into Security with all other fliers), have you seen any AA employees checking for oversized bags and/or too many pieces of luggage. IIRC, TSA is not going to play the role of baggage cop for those carriers instituting new baggage fees.

It will probably take till after Labor Day to find out if the "fallout" from the new fees (paxs trying to bring on excessively large bags or amounts of bags onboard to avoid paying the fee and thereby reeking havoc in the boarding process) is as severe as many suggest it will be.

I still believe that those paxs that try to avoid paying the fee and are able to get through Security are going to claim being broke when a GA attempts to charge them. And the GA has the choice of denying boarding (which they should do), turning the pax upside down to see what shakes out of his/her pocket (not likely but would be enjoyable to watch) or simply take the bag and let the pax go on the flight sans no baggage fee (my bet of what will probably happen).

videomaker

Details on capacity reductions here in AA news release. Cuts at ORD, LGA, and STL, plus pulling out of some cities not previously announced.