AA to charge for FIRST checked bag
 

well, it's bad enough that more bags are being checked because of our friends at TSA, but the airlines apparently see this is another revenue stream so.....

American Airlines to begin charging for first checked bag

11 comments May. 21, 2008 07:29 AM
Associated Press

FORT WORTH, Texas - American Airlines said Wednesday it will start charging $15 for the first checked bag, cut domestic flights and lay off workers as it grapples with record-high fuel prices.

The nation's largest carrier said the fee for the first checked bag starts June 15 and that it would raise other fees for services ranging from reservation help to oversized bags.

American plans to cut domestic flight capacity by 11 percent to 12 percent in the fourth quarter. American had previously expected fourth-quarter capacity to fall 4.6 percent from the same period in 2007.

Parent AMR Corp. said reduced flying will lead to an undisclosed number of job cuts at both American and its American Eagle subsidiary.

AMR expects to retire 45 to 50 planes from its fleet, most of them gas-guzzling MD-80 aircraft. Those were the plane grounded for faulty wiring last month.

American said rising oil prices have increased its expected annual fuel costs by nearly $3 billion since the start of the year.

AMR shares tumbled $1, or 12.3 percent, to $7.20 after the announcement.

Look for security line wait times to triple. It will be interesting to see the type of stuff people try to bring on board.

And I don't get this "cost of fuel" nonsense. RAISE PRICES TO COVER FUEL COSTS. How tough is that? What does a checked bag have to do with anything? Does a bag weigh less if it is in the cabin instead of the cargo hold? Why the nickel-and-dime stuff?

Booking engines. Now that the compare engines are able to rank by all-in cost, airlines are desperate to add fees that won't show in the all-in calculation.

I agree - this will have a disproportionate impact on the TSA screening process as folks carry more on-board. On the other hand, as AA (and others) reduce capacity and raise fares, fewer folks will fly, reducing the check-point impact (unless TSA cuts staff again).

My first reaction to this: "Is this a joke?"

Even worse - everyone will try to carry luggage on to avoid fees. Overhead storage will fill, and then half the passangers will have to check bags. But imagine the anger as the airline tries to collect the $15 from the "forced" checked bags - and the delay as they try to collect the money. Plus they will need to know, is it the first checked bag, or the second (to know what to charge) - what a mess! There is going to be even more than the usual stampede to rush to get on the plane first. I am only chuckling for a few hours (since I don't fly AA), as I am sure NW will be the first to match the policy!

The effect of this policy on the TSA check point will be huge. It could easily cause a rise of 25% or more of the amount of bags people try to carry on. Just talking to my In-laws this weekend about the new policy for charging for the 2nd bag and how they would now have to start carrying on. They travel a couple of times a year and would always check all their bags so they could carryon nothing, thus not have to fight for bin space, and thus sit comfortably during boarding and board last.

We are going to see longer lines at the TSA checkpoint, more confusion on what can be carried on, more pressure on the TSO's to judge is someone is trying to carryon too large a bag...

It's getting rough out there.
__________________________________________________ ___
"America's greatest homeland security rests in liberty."

Mark Sanford, Governor of South Carolina in a letter to Michael Chertoff protesting REAL ID

http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/fil...letterdhs1.pdf

No joke. See: http://blogs.usatoday.com/sky/
and http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24756513

Grandfather Clause??
 

Does this affect those who purchased tickets BEFORE the announcement made today regarding the $15 first checked bag?? This blows...i have a flight coming up June 25th too which I bought the ticket 2 months ago.

If AA manages to get away with this, soon the rest will follow suit ... :mad:

Is a gate checked bag, like on a RJ, a carry on, a checked bag, or a semi checked bag for the bargain rate of $7.50?

Everyone will toss their liquids from their checked bag and max out their carry ons.

In case you missed it, here is a picture of a CRJ maxed out with carry ons: click the third picture from the left:
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/20...re-photography

Happy screenings, TSA :D

It's a device to raise prices without advertising it "at the pump."

Like you, most people decouple the act of purchasing airfare from checking a bag. But for airlines looking to increase revenue without sending an obvious market signal, nickel and diming pax at check-in is the perfect solution for the near-term.

Sneaky? You bet. Does the market allow it? Absolutely. Will pax be able to effectively revolt (against an ersatz fare hike)? We'll see.

AA baggage policy makes business travel a hassle
 

This new AA policy will cause more delays through security, longer boarding times and more disruption to my business travel schedule. Flyers trying to save $15 will be filling up the overhead bins, meaning that I face the real risk of having to check a bag on many flights (even though I paid double or triple the cost of their tickets). I can't afford the risk of that delay if I'm running a tight schedule, so as a business traveller I'll avoid AA.

And hope the rest don't follow suit :( , although I suspect the charge will not apply to Y, J etc. fares.

This will be interesting; WN won't do it, the other LCCs probably will (or already have). Legacies ? UA and US will go along, but the new DL/NW I'm not so sure. It will only take one hold-out and it'll fall apart.

AC have already done this in a kind of reverse fashion, if you don't check bags they reduce the fare ($5 IIRC).

The AP just reported that DL is balking here is part of the quote.
"The planned fee on the first checked bag immediately ran into resistance. Delta Air Lines Inc. spokeswoman Betsy Talton said the Atlanta-based airline is considering all of its options in light of $130-a-barrel oil, but doesn't plan to match the $15 fee American announced."

So maybe it will fall apart ^

Sam

This is OK
 

There's nothing wrong with charging for baggage.

They should also think about charging for carry-on items.

Another concept would be to add a weight fee, so that the combined weight of the passenger and all items checked or carried on board is captured.