FlyerTalk Forums - 1st bag fee

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- - 1st bag fee - how to protest? (https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/travelbuzz/889482-1st-bag-fee-how-protest.html)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Athena53 (Post 10871255)

I flew out of MCI last month and brought an empty water bottle. There were no drinking fountains inside the gate area. (This was Midwest.) Sneaky. I know I could have used the taps in the bathroom but somehow that seemed less sanitary.

MCI is somewhat of an anathema since they have individual security screening for basically each gate area rather than a "main" checkpoint and then lots of gates behind it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DFW_Airwolf (Post 10805681)

I know many years ago, I actually did pay a vendor all in pennies (I did have them rolled from the bank) as a sign of protest. It did cause them to come back & settle a few things with me. Now to my question. A penny is LEGAL TENDER the same as a TWENTY DOLLAR bill. If a person refuse to accept a penny, is this not the same as refusing to accept any other form of LEGAL TENDER. It seems that the use of PAPER money is a form of convience as well as payment. So refusing to accept 1 form is the same as accepting any form.

So maybe if we had a national penny pay day. Maybe the airlines would take notice.

That's a good way to make a lot of people's days miserable. People who had nothing to do with setting the policy.

Quote:

Originally Posted by 8bit (Post 10845811)

The fee seems fair. You're traveling with more stuff, which requires handling through the baggage system - as a result you pay more. If I'm going on a business trip that requires hauling a bunch of junk along that will need to be checked, it's a reasonable expense to assume. The baggage fees are still cheaper than shipping. I'd much rather they not raise all ticket prices across the board to try to keep profitable - baggage fees charge travelers for the services they use.

Kids, as long as they have their own ticket, get their own carry-on allowance. Most of the time I traveled with my mother as a kid (which we did a lot of), we rarely checked baggage and it never seemed like it was difficult to avoid doing so. Besides, most gate agents look the other way when people haul on loads of kindercrap, and they can choose to board first as well and take lots of overhead space.

That's the argument they use on checked baggage fees. A transcon SJC-JFK routing on UAL was $338 last summer with zero bag fees (I flew jetBlue for the nonstop, btw). This year, I paid $550 for travel on similar dates with a $15 baggage fee. Booking 4 months ahead I paid $350 on that same routing. So tell me, how have airfares gone down with the luggage fees? Looks like from my numbers airfares went up ~66%, about 22 times the rate of inflation.

Quote:

Originally Posted by alanR (Post 10847815)

Need or want - I may want to travel with large bottles of suncream or contact lens solution but I don't need to travel with them

I suppose all we "need" to survive during air travel is oxygen, a temperature controlled environment, and a ration of a few liters of water per day. No baggage, no reading material, no seats, no clothes, no food, let alone liquids/gels. Just strap the passengers to a plank and be done with it. :(

Just because something is not needed for survival doesn't mean the government should be denying it to us in order to travel in our own country.

Fly a carrier like WN and then let your formerly preferred carrier that they lost this amoun of revenue.

Quote:

Originally Posted by studentff (Post 10881582)

Just because something is not needed for survival doesn't mean the government should be denying it to us in order to travel in our own country.

And what is the government denying you?

Quote:

Originally Posted by ludocdoc (Post 10845854)

So you've bought into the BS that your fare is lower because you don't pay for a checked bag?

Take a look at this Air Canada a la carte booking menu:

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/147/3...a5f46201c0.jpg

If you don't check a bag your fare goes down a little bit.

I thought the baggage fees were a result of record high fuel prices. With fuel prices at a fraction of what they were last summer (and still falling), shouldn't the airlines rescind (even if temporarily) the baggage fees?

Quote:

Originally Posted by mat123 (Post 10896073)

No, the baggage fee was never the result of higher fuel cost.
Airlines just used the higher fuel cost as excuse.
Now that those fee are in place, it is very unlikely that they will eliminate the extra revenue generating "fee".

I flew from MCI to Fort Wayne, IN (via ORD, of course) last week. On the ORD-MCI leg when I came home, I think the line of people waiting in the jetway for gate-checked bags was about the longest I've ever seen. This was and ERJ flight with limited overhead space, but I've gotten stuck on plenty of ERJs and this was still the longest line I've ever seen. MCI is pretty good about getting bags onto the carousel quickly. My guess is that more people are trying to avoid the fee for checking bags.

This, would by far be the most funniest (and smelliest) ways to piss off some Airline Baggage Handlers :P :D^

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spiff (Post 10846702)

Check some frozen fish. Don't collect your bag.