Starting June 15, American Airlines will charge $15 to check a bag on domestic flights. Prior to today’s announcement, a first checked bag was free on American but a second one was $25. Whether it will now cost $40 to check two bags was not clear from the information available. Undoubtedly these baggage charges will soon be adopted by other airlines and on international flights.
A leading online air travel watchdog, Joe Brancatelli of www.JoeSentMe.com, predicts “absolute chaos at ticket counters around the nation. Unlike the second-bag fee, which affected a small number of travelers, a huge percentage of travelers check one bag. Moreover, a large number of fliers will try to slim down to carry-on weight. And that means two things: 1) Much longer waits at security checkpoints as more travelers have things like lotions-and-potions packets that will need to be checked by the TSA; and 2) chaos at the gate as travelers find there is no room in overhead bins and are forced to gate check a bag.”
I would add a further thought: the new rule will cause additional on-board chaos—resulting in departure delays—as passengers attempt to stuff ever larger, crammed-to-the-bursting point, carry-on items—musical instruments, fold-up scooters, live chickens—under seats and into overhead bins.
When I was in the Navy I learned the maxim “10 percent never get the word.” With that in mind, consider for a moment the anger at ticket counters as families on vacation with multiple bags to check—who didn't get “the word”—discover the additional cost to board their flights.
Thus, one day after a University of Michigan study revealed that consumers have a lower opinion of U.S. airlines than at any time since 2001, the industry announces yet another customer-infuriating policy.
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