Baggage Question
 

Currently sitting at the EWR bar with a quick baggage question. If tickets were purchased before Sept 1, old baggage fees apply? The agent here at EWR refused to listen to me even though that's what i gather from this webpage. http://www.midwestairlines.com/TravelTools/Baggage.aspx

Anyone else have experience with this? This is the third or fourth baggage issue I've had with Midwest in the past 3 months, and I'm ready to switch to Airtran.

AirTran could be an option for you, depending on which airports you tend to use and your travel patterns. If you become elite on AirTran, your first and second bag fees are waived. Midwest does not appear to waive bag fees for Executive or Aspire members of the Midwest Miles program.

I dont see any documentation on the midwest website after my quick check, but as I understand it, I do not have to pay for check baggage as a midwest executive member...cant confirm for aspire.

My wife is an Executive Member and she never pays for bags on Midwest.

Same on the Frontier side of things. Elite members get 2 free bags. I think you'll have a tough argument on any airline arguing a $5 difference. I realize the website says one thing but it also says travel after November 3. I'm sure all the agents are told after November 3 to expect $20 instead of $15.

First and second bag fees are indeed waived for both Midwest Executive and Midwest Aspire members. And with the new Aspire tier, elite status (with free checked bags) can be reached with with fewer annual flight segements on Midwest than on AirTran...18 segments on Midwest versus 25 on AirTran.

There are other differences (for example AirTran's year is a rolling 365 days rather than a calendar year on Midwest) but if one is talking about trying to earn elite status for free bags, it's only nine round trips on Midwest versus twelve round trips plus another segmenet on AirTran.

If you didn't get the fee for the date that you purchased the ticket, either call or write in and Midwest will refund your bag. I had this issue a couple years ago when they first introduced the bag fees and they refunded me. I wasn't going to waste my time arguing with the ticket agent.

They should really tout this on their website, because I saw nothing that said bag fees are waived for those with status.

And good point on the Aspire program. You're right...it is easier to achieve than FL's.

It is posted - on the Midwest Miles Executive page:

https://www.midwestairlines.com/Midw...Executive.aspx

Unfortunately, though, it's not listed with the general baggage information.

Wasn't there when I checked yesterday. Apparently, this forum must have an impact!

According to your link, Executive does give free bags, while the Aspire page does not indicate free bags. Perhaps that page hasn't been updated yet. ;)

Your right...That's the page I checked out yesterday before posting and it was not listed there...Maybe we did have an impact.

Mostly Air strikes again.^^

Once again you are right, but the problem was that the Executive page was pointing to the Aspire content since yesterday afternoon. Thought you would have at least noticed that :p. We fixed it this morning when I read your posts and started looking at the pages and noticed the mistake.

Thanks for bringing the checked bags to light, otherwise we may have not noticed our mistake for awhile. I'll check on the Aspire checked bag fees for you and post a comment later.

Forum is seeming dead lately....must be everyone on vacation.

Go over to airliners.net

There is a fairly active thread going about some of the Frontier leadership team leaving: http://www.airliners.net/aviation-fo....main/4654945/

I am thinking about starting a prediction thread for 2010 about Midwest/Frontier/MKE. That may spur some discussion since there is a whole lot of things to cover that I think may happen in 2010. It will take me time to compile my list but I hope to get it posted before Jan. 1st. If someone wants to start one before I post, please do. :)