jbatl

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OP, I feel your pain. I once dared to complain in this forum about DL's arbitrary (and firm) limit of max 6 pieces of checked luggage on connection carriers. By the replies, you would have thought I had three heads. Just doesn't impact most high FFs and that's why few will share your outrage. But, I can conjure up a little outrage for you, hfly

hfly

SDF thank you for the post as it explains a lot to the clueless among us, however I am the OP, and I have no need currently for this, the point of my thread was to point out what I learned when looking this up for someone else and the INCREDIBLE RISE in this cost that has so far gone unnoticed.

pbarnette

I'll say it. The pricing is competitive with air freight. FedEx-ing a comparable weight overseas is very expensive.

The reason they are doing this is because they woke up and realized that they shouldn't be giving away freight service for lower-than-market prices. Prices are not set by some cost-plus model, they are set by the market. Discussions about costs are kind of besides the point.

hfly

And generally FEDEX is a different proposition than straight airfreight you know that don't you? So which do you mean? I mean seriously, you are the second person to throw out FedEx and quite frankly have little clue as to what you are speaking about. Seriously, I am not going to get into this debate in this way as quite frankly it just generates silly arguments for heck of it, with no end in sight. I find a quote of $12 a pound and then you'll say "See Delta is still cheaper", I find one of $5-7 a pound and you'll say its justified because its the same, I fidn one that is $3 a pound and you'll say that Delta shouldn't offer cheap shipping if you want "a moving company".

pbarnette

Yes, FedEx isn't straight air freight, but FedEx is probably closer to checking extra bags than air freight is. It takes longer, usually 7-10 days door-to-door. It usually involves a middle-man. It simply isn't a consumer product in the way that FedEx or extra bags are.

We will have to agree to disagree as to what is silly. Personally, I think it is pretty silly to complain about pricing for a product. Either you want to pay for the product or you don't. If you aren't willing to pay the going rate for the product, it means you don't value the service as highly as the provider does.

To me, there isn't a debate. There is nothing to argue about. DL is charging what they charge. You don't want to pay it. DL doesn't need to justify their prices any more than you need to justify why you don't want to pay them.

At the end of the day, either you can find a cheaper alternative elsewhere or you can't. I wish you the best of luck in finding a product that meets your needs at a price you are willing to pay.

hfly

1) Reading comprehension. i have no need of this service at this time.

2) Perhaps your experiences are only US-Suisse based, i do not know. Do you know what happens when you use Fed Ex to many countries for something like this? It gets stuck at the airport in the exact same manner as whatever other airfreight that you use. Fed Ex ceases to be the "consumer product" which you refer to once it hits the ground in most countries.

3) The importation rules as pointed out by SDF simply DO NOT ALLOW for the shipment of personal items in this way unless accompanied by the passenger. Anyone who has been around the block a few times knows this.

4) These prices are uncompetitive with those offered by many other carriers.

Erasmus

As someone who has been through this personally (having checked seven bags TATL just last year), I agree with the OP that the new pricing is highway robbery. And the poster who points out the issue with connection carriers is spot on---ended up needing to add two additional segments to stay on mainline to make sure the bags would be accepted.

As previous posters have pointed out, it certainly is nowhere near as simple as "just FedEx it" as customs are a nightmare---there's nothing as simple as accompanying the goods yourself. Surely some of you remember the days of flying around the world for free as an air courier? Yes, professional relocation firms and airfreight are more economical, but far less convenient than just checking the bags with you. Sadly, Delta has clearly swung the balance in favor of the former.

pbarnette

I accept this is a complicated process and let somebody else do it for me. I have no interest in trying to do it myself. And FedEx does not cease to be a consumer product. They still act as the forwarder. They still pick up your packages and deliver it on the other end. And they are in the business of moving small volumes, like 10 bags. They are far more of a consumer product than air freight companies.

And this means that DL should charge less? To my mind, it seems that this means they should charge more, since other options are less competitive. DL is not a charity, so why would you be surprised that they don't act like one? DL should charge whatever they feel is the appropriate amount to charge. Any buyer should then decide whether they are willing to pay that price.

Then perhaps you should look at those other carriers if the need arises to check significant amounts of excess luggage? It sure beats complaining about pricing.

hfly

1) No, Actually if one were shipping personal luggage rather than commercial cargo for example I know of many countries wherte they will NOT deliver it to you, where you would have to get a customs broker and possibly spend days at the airport to get your stuff. You are proving that old adage about "A little knowledge being a dangerous thing." Furthermore, if one were being posted to another country, but not all the paperwork yet sorted out.......there are many countries where it CANNOT be sorted out until you are actually in country.....most actually, you may not even be ALLOWED to import anything that is not accompanying you.

2) No, Its not a case of more or less, actually, its a matter of convenience, and for that matter, good business, the expat, especially the big one on an allowance which you cited before, generates lots of money for the airline, you would think that they wouldn;t want to bleed them too much. In any case thank you for proving the intellectually dishonest bit that I posted above, if its cheaper, you'll find fault, if its the same you'll find reason and if its more expensive you'll find fault in the other direction.

3) I can complain, or as you put it a few posts above "whine" as much as I want. This is a FREQUENT FLIER INFORMATION BOARD, this bit of information, a more than 300% rise in prices was not covered here anywhere else on this board. Therefore it is new and important information. You have now said your peace repeatedly, flawed reasoning, but your opinion, examples and all, REPEATEDLY, and are obviously trying to start and contiinue a brawl (especially as it seems that from your responses that you have never ever had a dog in this fight) therefore be a responsible individual and abandon this thread, as you seemingly have nothing new of value to offer to it.

bocastephen

Quite the contrary. I've shipped personal items via UPS before and filled in a simple declaration form that I was sending items of a personal nature previously acquired or used in the US and included a copy of my proof of citizenship/residency.

Items cleared customs with nary a peep and were delivered on time.

UPS was the problem - in true form they broke one of my fragile items after I paid the UPS Store to pack it for me. They paid a $500 insurance claim, I paid $200 to repair the item and kept the balance for pain and suffering. If the OP goes the shipping route, I'd suggest using Fedex and not UPS for anything remotely fragile. The shipping costs won't be cheap, but likely half or less than what Delta wants for baggage.

GUWonder

Is this yet another example of Delta trying to maximize the fleecing of the customers by going deeper into the pockets of customers at a point in time where it's too late for the customers to easily escape DL's higher fees-collecting machine without incurring even higher costs than largely submitting themselves to the fleecing machine?

I am thankful that this issue is being highlighted here -- an informed consumer is a customer who is less likely to be hostage to a fleecing situation.

mooper

Good for Delta. The cost of providing service is directly tied to the total weight transported, so by charging more for each bag, they are making those who increase the costs of the flight the most pay the most. Though I wish they would do it purely by weight (including the weight of the passenger, if there was a feasible way to do this - probably not), it is a step in the right direction that ultimately decreases prices for passengers who fly light by reducing their subsidization of the "fatties".

GUWonder

Sounds like a lot of wishful thinking in that last sentence. Talk of reducing "subsidization of the 'fatties'" is a joke -- this is all about DL maximizing how much money it can shake out of a customer.

hfly

Mooper, how incredibly NAIVE to believe that any increase in revenue from ANYTHING would have any effect on anyone else's fare, this has never happened and is not going to. Yes a few airline executives have said these things a s possibility, however that is called "spin".

fti

When I moved to Europe years ago I brought 10 pieces of checked luggage and paid under $100/piece for the extras. When I returned to the US I shared a 20 foot container with a friend. My, how my belongings grew!

Huh? Assuming each pound of weight requires x number of gallons of fuel per mile, your argument is in direct contrast to what DL is doing. It doesn't cost DL multiple times more to transport your first piece of luggage than it does your 20th piece.

hfly, sorry you might be feeling attacked for posting what you do. Look at the programs some of the posters are in - DL Platinum often means "apologist."