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  • Baggage Fee Hikes

    Anyone notice the baggage fees being bumped up again? It's $25 for 1st bag and $35 for 2nd bag at Continental and Delta. $20/$30 for Hawaiian, United, and AA. Still $15/$25 for Alaska. Of course, some of these airlines have a discount if you prepaid before getting to the airport. But this is starting to get absurd. It can easily tack on $60 to one's ticket. I'm cheering on for Southwest.

  • #2
    Re: Baggage Fee Hikes

    The airlines are in financial trouble because of absurdly low airfares. I think excess baggage fees are a good and reasonable way to increase revenue.
    Peace, Love, and Local Grindz

    People who form FIRM opinions with so little knowledge only pretend to be open-minded. They select their facts like food from a buffet. David R. Dow

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    • #3
      Re: Baggage Fee Hikes

      its also a way for the airlines to dodge taxes as the tax on bags is quite different than the fed tax on ticket sales.
      the bigger the government the smaller the citizen.

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      • #4
        Re: Baggage Fee Hikes

        Originally posted by matapule View Post
        The airlines are in financial trouble because of absurdly low airfares. I think excess baggage fees are a good and reasonable way to increase revenue.
        I understand fees on excess baggage but we're talking about the first two. It's far easier to say I don't need to check in baggage going from LAX to LAS but any trip to/from Hawaii to anywhere outside is not as easy. At what point would you consider baggage fees as too much? $50 per bag?

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        • #5
          Re: Baggage Fee Hikes

          Family just went to the mainland and were thrilled with the advertised cheap fare. Until they had to pay additional interisland fares, plus "per bag" luggage fees both coming and going. Their cheap tickets ended up costing the same amount as the "old fashioned" tickets that put all those cost inclusive. Nowaday, the "cheap fares" are often not any cheaper than what the old fares were that included all the added costs up front. And, now it is way easier to be mislead into thinking things are cheaper than what they actually are going to be in the end.
          Now run along and play, but don’t get into trouble.

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          • #6
            Re: Baggage Fee Hikes

            Originally posted by escondido100 View Post
            its also a way for the airlines to dodge taxes as the tax on bags is quite different than the fed tax on ticket sales.
            Source please.

            Originally posted by joshuatree View Post
            At what point would you consider baggage fees as too much? $50 per bag?
            I work out at the gym with the retired chief controller of a major airline that services the Pacific Rim including Hawai'i. He says that a lowest fare, round trip ticket from HNL to LAX should be over $1,000 in today's dollars to account for inflation in the airline business from just 20 years ago. I don't know, but thats what he says.

            Originally posted by Amati View Post
            Nowaday, the "cheap fares" are often not any cheaper than what the old fares were that included all the added costs up front.
            And why should that not be? I don't know of any business that can make a profit with the business model of: as costs go up, lower the prices. All that extra baggage requires extra fuel. If a passenger travels light, they can save money.
            Peace, Love, and Local Grindz

            People who form FIRM opinions with so little knowledge only pretend to be open-minded. They select their facts like food from a buffet. David R. Dow

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            • #7
              Re: Baggage Fee Hikes

              Originally posted by matapule View Post
              I work out at the gym with the retired chief controller of a major airline that services the Pacific Rim including Hawai'i. He says that a lowest fare, round trip ticket from HNL to LAX should be over $1,000 in today's dollars to account for inflation in the airline business from just 20 years ago. I don't know, but thats what he says.
              I can see his logic in regards to inflation. But at the same time, other advances can counter that. Advances in fuel efficiency of the plane, worker efficiency, etc can counter inflation. Otherwise, PCs should not be costing as low as $200. I remember paying close to $3,000 for a 386 back in the day. Long distance calls should not be free on weekends, etc. I'm all for airlines making a profit but there's a threshold with a baggage fees. For me, it's hit that point. I think it's been the same for many others because nowadays, the amount of carry-ons is crazy.

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              • #8
                Re: Baggage Fee Hikes

                Originally posted by joshuatree View Post
                I can see his logic in regards to inflation. But at the same time, other advances can counter that. Advances in fuel efficiency of the plane, worker efficiency, etc can counter inflation..
                Dream on JT! Yes, there has been some efficiencies in jet engine technology but these have been offset by the higher cost of fuel. Worker efficiency has been going down in the US, while worker efficiency has been going up in socialized nations like Germany, where starting vacation is 4 weeks a year. When you figure everything in - efficiencies and inflation - the cost of a r/t ticket to LAX should be over $1,000 compared to 20 years ago. An airline company is not like a laptop computer, bad analogy.
                Last edited by matapule; January 18, 2010, 10:11 AM.
                Peace, Love, and Local Grindz

                People who form FIRM opinions with so little knowledge only pretend to be open-minded. They select their facts like food from a buffet. David R. Dow

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                • #9
                  Re: Baggage Fee Hikes

                  Originally posted by matapule View Post
                  Dream on JT! Yes, there has been some efficiencies in jet engine technology but these have been offset by the higher cost of fuel. Worker efficiency has been going down in the US, while worker efficiency has been going up in socialized nations like Germany, where starting vacation is 4 weeks a year. When you figure everything in - efficiencies and inflation - the cost of a r/t ticket to LAX should be over $1,000 compared to 20 years ago. An airline company is not like a laptop computer, bad analogy.
                  If I'm dreaming, how did Hawaiian Air succeed in pulling off profitability recently even though they are not selling RT tickets for $1,000? I'm going to presume your statement refers to all tickets on a plane as being $1,000, not just first class. If Boeing pulls off the 787 and it sticks pretty close to their performance claims, it will be about 20% more efficient than the current 767. The 767 in turn, would no doubt be more efficient than the older 747s, L1011s, and DC10s that plied the LAX-HNL route 20 years ago. Ultimately, an airline can raise their tickets to $1000 if they want. But I'm pretty sure you will see the number of travelers drop. That could induce a downward spiral, cut capacity which in turn requires an even higher price point per ticket. Just like with the latest baggage fee hikes, it's just going to make me figure how how to put more in the carry-on and to book on airlines with the lesser baggage fee.

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                  • #10
                    Re: Baggage Fee Hikes

                    http://travel.yahoo.com/p-interests-33623430

                    A $45 carry-on baggage fee might be coming to Hawaiian Air or Go sooner or later.

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                    • #11
                      Re: Baggage Fee Hikes

                      I am all for fees for those wheeled carry-on bags. Pay up or check it. Don't like it, leave it home or don't fly. I see people with a wheeled carry-on and a "personal item" which is nothing more than a medium sized suitcase. You want room in the overhead compartment? Pay for it.

                      Then I hear politicians barking about how they are going to make a law to make carry-on bags free. That's called pandering. This comes under the category; if you ask people if they should get something free, they will say, "YES!". The same thing applies for people that complain about those ATM fees.
                      You can apply any terms to any situation to suit your perspective.

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                      • #12
                        Re: Baggage Fee Hikes

                        Somewhere within the past few years there were less flights. More and more bigger planes are overbooked, whereas in the past, airlines had several of the same flights that were half-full. Without analyzing the airline company's cash flow, I haven't seen how an airline who made profit in the past with free luggage, free food, free drinks and 2 or more carryons, can suddenly reduce the number of flights, pay for food, pay for luggage and pay for almost everything else and still end up red. (Someone plug in an Excel spreadsheet and calculate some fuel, engine power, weight, flights, passenger capacity.......... etc.... you can't.)

                        Some fees are silly. I don't see why I have to pay $50 to check in a 10lb duffel bag when some people individually have 3 or more oversized, overweight suitcases.

                        There's still some flexing going around. With the business competitions going on, the baseline is the fees. The deals are where the fees get knocked down. Some of these same big-name airlines may charge $20 for the 1st bag, but in a completely different airport, have the first two be free. At some point, the passenger's demands are going to finally outweigh their tolerance for being nickeled and dimed, and the airline with the better deals will prevail.

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                        • #13
                          Re: Baggage Fee Hikes

                          Originally posted by bjd392 View Post
                          At some point, the passenger's demands are going to finally outweigh their tolerance for being nickeled and dimed, and the airline with the better deals will prevail.
                          I hope so. Even if they let you have 1 free bag and charged for any extras, it would be better. But I am also sick of those wheel-totes that are carried on. They don't fit anywhere and delay the take-off because flight attendants have to spend 20 minutes rearranging all of them.

                          Can't think of anything creative this time

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                          • #14
                            Re: Baggage Fee Hikes

                            Originally posted by matapule View Post
                            The airlines are in financial trouble because of absurdly low airfares. I think excess baggage fees are a good and reasonable way to increase revenue.
                            I agree. You'd also agree with me that we should tack on passenger weight surcharge (about $1 per pound).

                            Beijing 8-08-08 to 8-24-08

                            Tiananmen Square 4-15-89 to 6-04-89

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                            • #15
                              Re: Baggage Fee Hikes

                              hi,this afternoon,myself and my mom returned from sin city and we both enjoyed with my eldest sis and her hub and it was mostly warm only a day or two,it was cool,only not cool like winter time.

                              also for this subject, if anyone bring's a suitcase that's over50 pound's,vacation's hawaii and omni air will charge $50 so only one passenger went through this. sin city was fun only i was homesick and am home now and am happy.

                              Well thank's for your time

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