Luggage monetization
 

Hello,

I have an upcoming trip on United which comes with 2 checked in luggage allowance. I will not be using the privilege to check in 2 bags.

I am sure I am not the first one to think, if they charge me to bring luggage. they should refund me the same amount if I do not use up the quota allocated to me, since it is a real savings for the airline (both in terms of manpower spent and fuel savings.) It is perhaps too much to think the congress/regulator would act to get the airlines to do this, much less the airlines doing it themselves. So, are there any other ways to monetize this in the post-pandemic world? There used to be a few luggage consolidator sites per-pandemic, but anyone done this lately (and safely.)

Thanks

The airlines have done this over the past decade, in the form of unbundled (basic economy fares). See: ULCC model. There isn't market pressure to unbundle every cabin.

You go to a ball game and everyone on the Club level gets a free cap and everyone else has to pay for one if they want one. You’re sitting in the Club Level but don’t want a free cap - do you thing the ball club ought to be required to pay you the cost of a cap by an act of Congress?

That’s pretty inane.

You get on a plane and decide to skip the meal provided - should Congress pass an act requiring the airlines to pay you for your choice to skip a meal?

I can go on and on w/ examples

It’s your choice not to take the cap and it is your choice not to check bags. No compensation is due.

And here I thought the thread was about turning ones bags into champagne.

As for “luggage consolidator,” I’m not entirely sure what that is. But if it is what I think it is, it would probably go against federal law.

The difference here is that Mr. Club Level can take his unused cap home and sell it on eBay or Facebook Marketplace.

You cannot “sell” the luggage space you aren’t using for legitimate security reasons.

I'm assuming it's basically a courier, and there's nothing illegal about those.

Yes, you can, though it's not nearly as common as it used to be.

If I can get money back for every time I don't check bags, I would be swimming in cash - 130+ flights a year x number of bags not checked.

Do I also get refunds for overhead not used? :p

And we are back to real world...

You are asking for a refund of a free benefit???
If there is no charge, what are you asking to be refunded?

And as an elite, I get 3 bagsx70s, what do I get refunded? overweight bags?

Where are you flying? If it's from, say, certain locations in South America I'm sure you'll be able to find someone that will pay you good money to carry an extra suitcase or two for them using your complimentary allowance...

Some of us.

And if your weight is less than airline assumption for passengers, the OP will work for you to get a $ per lb refund. Or you pay extra if over. ;)
With an airline weight is money. :)

Meet the man who wants to weigh every passenger before a flight
EASA review of standard passenger weights in 2022 shows no significant change

I hear CBP are big fans of this. Don't forget to offer to share your good fortune with the officer as you clear customs.

Delta and Alaska do have their forms of luggage monetization with their compensation for failure to get a checked bag onto the carousel on a timely manner. - there are people who will check an empty cardboard box as a free bag on routes where the odds are high for a successful ‘bags on time’ claim.

I don’t do the cardboard box thing, but my household still picked up 30K free miles from DL’s Bags on time policy in 2023, largely due to a ramp worker staffing issue at my home airport.

This turned into a philosophical and political discussion without offering any concrete help.

Its not a free benefit if the airline charges for it in some other class or some other fare. The cost for you is just bundled into the ticket price, or price of status etc. If the airline can actually put a hard figure on what they will charge you to check in a bag then they already have an idea what they value that benefit at. Usually this would not need any legislation if we had a lot of competition but with an effective oligopoly and a captured congress/regulator that rubber stamps consolidation in many industries in return for bribes (that they call lobbying) I think people should not dismiss offhand ideas that transfer more power back to passengers. Well that was a lot of politics in my reply, but my initial question was just simple and straightforward.

As well United asks people to pay extra if they want to support ESG/sustainable fuel. Incentivizing people by paying them something to pack light should help them and the country meet ESG goals. If the airline doesn't want to pay they should note the value in terms of carbon credits for a bag not checked(and fuel saved) and these values people should be allowed to deduct from their income taxes. JAL I think is already giving incentives for people to not check bags.

Thank you in advance if you find something. My trip is in one month, and it may not be useful for that trip, but it also won't be my last trip.

If you don't want the bags, just book the BE fare. No bags included, so problem solved.