Posted on 07/01/2008 12:25:21 PM PDT by Eepsy
MIAMI (CBS) ― Savvy travelers who think they can get around an airline's new fees for checked bags by just bringing a big carry on may have to come up with a 'plan B'
American Airlines has started cracking down on the size of the bags passengers stuff into the overhead bins.
"I'm very frustrated because I travel a lot," said Corrine Celestine.
Air passengers like Celestine say they're upset that American is now scrutinizing the size of carry on bags and charging an extra fee if the bags are over the stated limit.
"It's really frustrating, the airlines are complaining about losing money, but if they keep doing this, I will try to get where I'm going without flying, I will," said Celestine.
Fellow frustrated traveler Chelsea Link agrees that something must be done.
"This morning I was on Delta, I didn't get charged for checking in two bags but when I switched over to American I was charged fifteen dollars and now if the carry on is to big they want to charge another fifteen, it's too much, too much," said Link.
American Airlines and US Airways, along with United Airlines, were the first to announce fees for a single checked bag; $15 each way. Most airlines specify that a carry on bag must be under a certain weight, generally about 40 pounds, and must meet certain size requirements. If the bag is too heavy or too large, American charges the passenger $15 to check it.
The airlines point out that the policy concerning carry on bags came from the Federal Aviation Administration, not the airline industry. American and US Airways say they add extra staff during peak flying times to make sure bulky carry on bags are checked before they are deemed a problem, thus reducing delays for all passengers.
United Airlines says they have not decided how it will handle passengers with oversized carry on bags and US Airways says they will allow passengers to check overweight, or oversized, carry bags at the gate for free.
Not everyone is against the new fees.
Traveler Catherine Coleman believes the new fees are fair.
"We all want to take more with us than we can but we need to do what's right, what's fair is fair, we have to change our habits," said Coleman.
(© MMVIII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
I agree with this charge. I have been hit in the head more than once by someone rudely trying to stuff an oversized carryon into an overhead compartment.
Nickel and dime you where you are coming and going !
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World to you: If you’re not rich go to hell.
I will I will I think I think.
it seems these gals are awefully repetitive it seems. :P
It makes their job a lot easier if your right to personal baggage is severely restricted.
And now they get to cut out meal service and drink carts too.
This week the foreign exchange group that I am with flew our students home from their year in the U.S.. Most of our students were forced to pay up to $150 overage fees for their luggage. This is really a problem for many travelers.
great view indeed
Amtrak is great. The only problem is that unless you live in the Northeast BosWash corridor the schedules are very unfavorable. When I lived in Charlotte the only train I could take to NY to see my family departed at about 2 in the morning. So if I wanted to spend a weekend seeing my family I would have to leave Saturday at 2AM and arrive in NY sometime after 12PM. It was just as unfavorable when looking for a train to get back to work on time for Monday morning. In the end, because they have so few trains running, I would only have a few hours to actually see my family before I had to get back on the train again - and spend over $200 for the tickets.
Personally, I would love to see a major increase in intercity passenger rail service in this country. I believe that if it was made more convenient for people in other places outside of the Northeast that travelling by rail would become very popular.
I’m all for limiting carry on baggage.
But when airlines do dumbass things like charge $15 bucks a bag, then what do they expect to happen?
All they are doing is pushing the problem (of transporting bags) somewhere else.
As a heavy business traveler (and paying usually the highest fares), I avoid American Airlines now. I’m tired of getting dealing with the overheads fillup and the longer TSA lines(in terminals exclusively American) as a result
So where is it written that you have “rights” to where your personal baggage goes in an aircraft? personally I hate fat people and carry on luggage idiots jamming everything up. This ought to p-o a few people
I second that 100%!
I for one refuse to help people who cannot put their oversized bag into the overhead bin. If they cannot lift it up there, then they should check the bag, or put it under the seat in front of them.
Another pet peeve are passengers who put their bags in the bins above rows 1-5 and then sit in row 7 or further back (exception is allowed if you are boarding at the last minute and space is readily available).
Yep. Check all the bags. More opportunity to lose them. I don’t think it occurs to the airlines that folks want to maintain control of their luggage by taking it onboard because they do such a crappy job of getting it to your destination.
I’ve grabbed the metroliner at Trenton station, about 15 minutes from where I live, to go down to DC a few times on business. No complaints, and I appreciated the space.
Looked into going to New York by train once. The schedule made it take twice as long as driving, yet cost just as much as flying, and I would have had to board or arrive at around 3 am.
I used the trains in England a ton, though, and on the whole, they were great. I guess that’s what population density will do for you :)
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