American to charge for all baggage: Good or bad idea?
American Airlines announced this morning that beginning June 15, they will charge a $15 fee for EVERY checked bag from their passengers. They cite the increasing fuel costs for transporting passenger’s luggage for the new charge.
Will airplane cabins become even more overloaded as more passengers bring their luggage as carry-ons instead? I can see more passengers bringing their allotment of carry-on baggage making TSA security checkpoint lines even longer as more packages and wheeled suitcases need to be screened.
On top of all this, American’s parent corporation, AMR, this morning also announced “significant reductions” to its 2008 domestic flight schedule. The say that capacity is expected to decline by 10 percent to 11 percent in the fourth quarter compared to fourth quarter 2007 levels.
Will American lose even more passengers over this new fee and schedule reductions? Given the new baggage fees, would you seek out other airlines when you need to travel?
I won’t fly American. There is enough trouble in the cabin with people trying to store their luggage I will stick with Southwest and will fly less.
megglez,
Relax, you getting a bit emotional. My comments about people paying for what they weigh only mirrors those made before me. Don’t think that in the inner circles of airline board rooms that topic isn’t brought up and studied. In general, Americans are obese and have little self-control. Those facts cannot be disputed and as a result, costs for all of us have increased.
With regard to my “casual traveler” comment. Americans believe they should be able to go where they want, when they want for next to nothing. Fine, I’m all for that and I do it myself sometimes. However, there should be some cost associated with that ability. My comment stated that the current cost was too low in my opinion, and in the opinion of the airlines, they agree. That’s the reason for the price increases and the nickel and dime fees. Have you traveled on any airline recently? They are all the same. They have all tried to lower their prices to gain market share and as a result service suffered. Now they risk putting themselves out of business.
Ask yourself, why hasn’t the government rushed in to provide some relief if airline travel is so bad? They have not provided any relief the gas prices. Do you often wonder why? All they’ve done up to now is to question oil execs. The answer lies in how much tax revenue the government is taking in because of those high prices. How to you tell when a politician is lying? Their mouth is moving.
When I analyze the reasons people or businesses do certain things I do so not from a pessimistic or optimistic perspective, but from a realist perspective. That way emotion doesn’t cloud my thinking. Businesses are there to MAKE MONEY. That’s it. In doing so they provide a service or product that people want and they provide jobs people need. Once they are to the point where they are are no longer covering their costs, they exit the business. There is no emotion involved, that’s what they will do and they will do it every time. If you were in that position, that’s what you would do as well. You are lying if you say you wouldn’t.
As I am for the additional baggage fees, I am against a “Traveler’s Bill of Rights” Why? Because any fee the government places on a business, the business will just pass on the the consumer. People who are for a Bill of Rights must understand they are only increasing what they will pay to fly. As I mentioned, airlines are an oligopoly and the consumer will generally pay any price to fly if that’s what they want to do. The government and airlines know this. So to say “fine the airlines” or “institute windfall profits tax on the oil companies” you might as well say “make us pay more” It’s the same thing.
BTW, you didn’t answer my question. What is a fair price to pay for flying?
Here’s some advise for the future. Get all the eduction you can and don’t depend on the government to save you or provide anything beyond the minimums for you. As well, question everything and try to find out the reasons people do what they do.
Greed is god. greed is good?
What is these Airline problems? Ok I can see if you want to charge for the second baggage, but now charging for the first?
When you buy a ticket to a destination, it usually means you NEED to bring a luggage. Its not like you buy an airplane ticket and NOT use luggage.
Its ridiculous, and im so pissed I just bought my ticket from them (of course the cheapest at the time). But now add $30 to that price. How ironic, I picked the cheapest flight available at the time and now im spending just as much for a decent flight on the same day.