There’s already a limit for carry-ons and now a charge for checked luggage? Sounds like my family of 4 would have to ship our stuff ahead if we planned to travel for any length of time. I wonder if UPS or Fedex is cheaper?

I remember the days when travelers actually enjoyed flying. Desk and gate personnl were friendly. Passengers would be welcomed aboard by sincere flight attendants. Food and drink was provided. A decent amount of leg room, pillows and blankets were standard. Travelers could check at least two large bags and not have to wait 45 minutes plus at the destination baggage claim area. Flights left and arrived on time unless there was bad weather. Airline personnel would apologize if the flights were delayed and they would always be polite. As a result, many people would fly rather than drive. Those also were the days when airlines were profitable and their employees didn’t have to worry about big holding companies making personnel reductions without consideration to “real” seniority. Today, Southwest Airlines is the best of the horribly bad lot of airlines. SWA still requires standing in line in hopes of getting a decent seat, very little leg room, no food (except peanuts) and a fairly good on-time record. Their cabin pesonnel are somewhat friendly to passengers. However, SWA is getting more and more like AA or USAirways — expensive and not particulary customer-friendly, especially desk and gate personnel. Today, it takes a great deal of time to check-in; wait at the gate; be extremely uncomfortable on a late-arriving old (and perhaps unsafe)plane; pick-up baggage at the destination (should it arrive there); secure a rental car. If you compare ticket cost (plus all the surcharges),the time required at the airports, plus the actual flying time — driving your own car is becoming more and more attractive, high gas prices not withstanding. Before long, many travelers will probably decide to either stay home or take alternative transportation. High fuel prices are a lame excuse for the costs and inconviences airlines are placing on their customers. Unless I’m traveling coast to coast or overseas, I intend to drive my own car; make my own decisions; eat what, when and where I want; save money and (most importantly) avoid a great deal of aggravation. And do you know what? The customer service is terrific in my car because I really care about my passengers’ safety and comfort.

So let’s see:

1. This will encourage even more overcrowding of the luggage bins in the cabin. More carryon items means longer security lines, longer boarding time, longer deboarding time.

2. It’s going to take longer to check bags, too, since they’ll have to collect the fee. And skycaps will lose tip money.

3. When baggage carrying was free, people were unhappy, but tolerated it if their bag was mishandled, damaged, or sent to the wrong city. But God help them if they think people are going to give up their $15 without a fight when they’re in New York and their luggage is in Atlanta.

In summary… a brilliant move.

I do my best not to fly American Airlines. My last experience with them ended when I saw a worker climb on to the wing of the plane I was sitting on with a roll of duct tape so that he could secure a loose part. American is a poorly run business and my expectation of them is pretty low.
Still, I don’t think I have a choice about paying an extra fee now that American has adopted this policy. Airlines are like sheep. It’s only a matter of time until the others follow. I hate to say this, but even Southwest is slipping. Last week I took 3 flights on Southwest. Every one of them was late.

I sure don’t fly American anymore. They said they wouldn’t gut TWA. They said they wouldn’t cut service. They did both, including firing longstanding TWA flight crews with lots of experience and keeping greenhorn AA pilots. In the air, experience saves lives. And more than one AA employee blamed me and other St. Louisans for being angry when we found we were lied to! Classy.

I fly Southwest, which treats me fairly, doesn’t charge for breathing (and in fact doesn’t charge any fees, really), has one of the youngest fleets in the industry, has fair prices, and still manages to make a profit.

Hey, AA. Do what Southwest is doing. Then maybe you’ll win back some of those customers.

But not me. I’m already gone.

I can’t see this as a good business plan for AA.In my opinion they should have built the cost into the fare as we all are aware of inflation due to the over pricing of oil.In the end there is very little the flying public can do if AA is the only carrier to your destination.

I’ll pay my $15 per bag (which is ridiculous - who travels without ANY luggage), IF they enforce the carry on baggage rules for size of bag and number of carry-ons.

I can remember when I avoided Southwest at all costs, in favor of TWA. Then American purchased TWA. And we all know that American is no TWA!

Now I avoid American in favor of Southwest. Southwest is the best: on time, friendly, clean, and priced reasonably.

I’m scheduled to fly American on 5/30 because Southwest doesn’t service my destination city.

But with American’s baggage announcement, from this day forward, I’ll intentionally avoid using them, unless there are no viable alternatives available.

American is the most out of touch airline in the business. The reason I need to take a bag is for my clothes etc. because I am flying AWAY FROM HOME. They should take the lead from many foreign airlines who are cheaper, more efficient, friendly and enforce reasonable policies for their customers. Once my frequent flyer miles are gone, good bye American.

My wife and I already have AA tickets for vacation starting June 16th. If we had known about this, we would be on a different airline.