Delta Raises Main Cabin Domestic Checked Bag Fee to $30

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Sep 19, 2018, 11:19 pm

#31

Explorer789

Join Date: Nov 2016

Location: SFO

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Posts: 756

Not only are airlines raising the checked bag fee, but they are getting increasingly persistent in pushing their credit cards onto flyers hoping people with benefit of free checked bag benefit. It's a win-win for airlines.

Sep 19, 2018, 11:25 pm

#32

The Situation

Join Date: Apr 2016

Posts: 1,885

Quote:

Originally Posted by ethernal

Because the reason for charging for checked bags is to help ensure that the overhead bins are full by stopping people from checking smaller bags they could carry on. Full overhead bins mean consistently fewer bags in the cargo hold which means more lucrative air freight. Delta wants the cargo hold full as much as possible: either with paid for bags or, even better, paid for cargo.

Very good point. Its a shame that someone very shortsighted laughed at this. Baggage is a complex issue for airlines in that it can be a source of revenue, but it can also reduce an airline's revenue by taking up space for more valuable cargo, and also lets not forget that baggage is also very expensive to manage in terms of operations and jet fuel. An airline being able to eliminate a pound or two here or there can save astounding amounts of money. People always focus on a revenue number believing it equates to profit. It does not. I am sure DL has some internal analysis on what the net income, maybe even their cost, of hauling peoples' sh.. around. Even with $1B in revenue coming in, it can't be a very good margin.

Sep 20, 2018, 12:08 am

#33

flyer4512

Join Date: Feb 2009

Posts: 6,606

Quote:

Originally Posted by ethernal

In fairness, $25 in 2008 (when bag fees were introduced) is $29.86 today 2018. But.. I still hate bag fees. They've made flying so much more miserable with the fight for overhead bin space.

In 2007 I was paying $4 a gallon for gas today under $3. While I don't know the cost of jet fuel I'm assuming that is lower also so the cost of operating a flight is less.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Explorer789

Keep up the good work Citi/AA. We will pass 2 million AA miles next month, not one mile via a paid flight.

Sep 20, 2018, 5:18 am

#34

troyintn

Join Date: Nov 2004

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Quote:

Originally Posted by kop84

I doubt many people (at least that the airlines care about) are picking deciding between AA, DL, and UA over $5 on the bag fee. The people they want, either A: Don't pay bag fees anyhow with status, or B: Don't pay bag fees out of pocket because they expense it to the company.

A few people might make that choice at least in the first few days after it's been announced, but I doubt it makes a long term impact even if AA stays at $25.

I tend to agree, but wonder when the fees will start being taxed as all of this helps Southwest.

Sep 20, 2018, 6:53 am

#35

apodo77

Join Date: Apr 2011

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Quote:

Originally Posted by ethernal

In fairness, $25 in 2008 (when bag fees were introduced) is $29.86 today 2018. But.. I still hate bag fees. They've made flying so much more miserable with the fight for overhead bin space.

Should have never been introduced if anyone was asking me at the time.

Last edited by apodo77; Sep 20, 2018 at 6:59 am

Sep 20, 2018, 6:59 am

#36

apodo77

Join Date: Apr 2011

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Quote:

Originally Posted by vincentharris

On the few times I have flown WN where 2 bags are still free i see people fight for overhead space and run out of space in the same time as DL. Even with free bags people seem to think they need to drag everything on the plane with them.

The last time I flew WN (3x in 2017) there was actually empty bin space and a breeze to carry on. Same for Frontier in 2016 (flew twice). All just anecdotal evidence of course.

One thing is certain in my 275+ segments the past 2.75 years on DL is that OHB runs out on almost every flight I have been on including me having to check my bag when connections are running late (even in F twice).

Sep 20, 2018, 7:29 am

#37

ethernal

Join Date: Feb 2017

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Quote:

Originally Posted by troyintn

I tend to agree, but wonder when the fees will start being taxed as all of this helps Southwest.

You mean hurts, right? Southwest is bundling a fee that doesn't get taxed for other airlines into a fee that does.

Sep 20, 2018, 7:33 am

#38

ethernal

Join Date: Feb 2017

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Quote:

Originally Posted by apodo77

Business heavy routes on Southwest will also fill up, but in general the OHB do fill up less quickly (in my experience). All anecdotal, but one of the big benefits to Southwest of free checked bags is that it speeds up their turn time for the very reason that people are (on average) less likely to fight over OHB space meaning boarding is faster.

Delta flights (and quite frankly legacy carrier flights in general) are slowed down by the fight for OHB space. There's a reason Delta earmarks a ridiculous 40 minutes for boarding - once you take into account Delta's inefficient boarding order (which in fairness is mostly matched by other legacy's bad boarding process) and the inevitable "out of OHB space" shuffle at the end it often does take 35-40 minutes on a 739 or 752/3 whereas Southwest can reliably get people on board and seated in 15 minutes.

Sep 20, 2018, 8:37 am

#39

spartacus

Join Date: May 2000

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Five more reasons to have the DL Amex card. As long as they don't raise the annual fee five bucks now.

Sep 20, 2018, 8:47 am

#40

daloosh

Join Date: Jul 2009

Programs: DL PM, HH Diamond, Marriott Plat, AA, WP

Posts: 840

This is expected, just more death by a thousand cuts. What threw me for a loop was when DL started bringing back free food on TCON. What?

Sep 20, 2018, 9:17 am

#41

GregInMN

Join Date: Jul 2011

Location: MSP Mainly

Programs: Delta PM & 2.4M+ Miles - Bonvoy - Lifetime Titanium - DL AMEX Reserve

Posts: 267

Maybe someday it will all be some type of "fee" based fares:
Basic Coach = $225 + $50/ea ck bag + $25/ea carry on + $75 seat
Y Coach = $300 + $50/ea ck bag + $25/ea carry on + $75 seat
Discounted F = $400 + $50/ea ck bag + $25/ea carry on + $75 seat
F Class = $650 + $50/ea ck bag + $25/ea carry on + $75 seat
No status - no cc free bags...of course you still get Sky Miles :>)

Sep 20, 2018, 9:49 am

#42

Often1

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Quote:

Originally Posted by Exiled in Express

Any wild guesses as to what percentage of bags actual incur the fee? Between status, Amex, and non-BE international fares I image the majority are flying without additional charge. Bag fees really seem more of an abstract carrot than an actual stick.

A very small percentage of passengers qualify for free bags. But, those people are the more valuable customers and DL protects them from the bag fee altogether.

It ought to be easy to take a 5-6 night business trip with the generous carry-on allowance and if you choose to check bags, no reason I ought to subsidize your travel. Same for people who have business needs which require bag checking. Let the business pay and pass that cost on to its customers, not me.

lixiaojuventus likes this.

Sep 20, 2018, 9:51 am

#43

ElmhurstNick

FlyerTalk Evangelist

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I check my bags much more frequently on DL because their information technology is better. Especially coming home, when I really don't feel like lugging a bag around a hub for a connecting flight, and where DL is fantastic about getting the bags on the belt before I can walk from ORD E7-E17 to baggage claim. Most of the time, my phone gets notified before the doors close when the bag is loaded onto a DL flight. When that doesn't happen, I have Gogo and can check the DL app once I'm connected.

Conversely, AA is a horror show with baggage, especially coming back to ORD. So I find myself carrying on with them a bit more.