"Airlines targeting big bags"

Monday, June 30, 2008

Airlines targeting big bags 
By Chris Kahn
The Associated Press 


PHOENIX - Admit it. That chunky carry-on bag of yours would never fit into
the sample box displayed outside the airport gate.
Don't expect that bag to get a free ride for long.

Checked bags are now a moneymaker for US Airways, American Airlines and
United Airlines, and officials say they're going to keep a closer watch on
how much you take on board as they begin their new baggage fees.

"We're planning on having extra staff where possible, especially at peak
times at busy airports," US Airways spokesman Morgan Durrant said.

The airlines point out that the carry-on policy came from the Federal
Aviation Administration, not the industry, and they have an obligation to
keep people from sneaking bulky bags onto planes to avoid fees. Not only is
it unfair to the honest, fee-paying traveler, they say, but it would also
overload the overhead bins and force gate crews to delay takeoffs while they
checked excess bags.

But the added scrutiny means something else as well. Every passenger - even
those not used to checking bags - is going to have to start following the
rules.

People who are accustomed to boarding with a large roller case might find
themselves handing $15 to an airline employee before they get through
security.

"It's up to us to get to them before they get too far in line and say,
'Ma'am or sir, you need to check that bag,"' said Mark Dupont, American's
senior vice president of airport services planning.

AMR Corp.'s American Airlines, the nation's largest carrier, was the first
to announce fees for a single checked bag. It started charging $15 each way
for the first bag on tickets purchased June 15 or later.

US Airways Group Inc. will match that fee for tickets booked on or after
July 9. UAL Corp.'s United Airlines will follow with the same bag fee for
domestic flights as of Aug. 18.

The three airlines say they are responding to tremendous pressure to cover
sky-high fuel prices that have erased profits and sunk stock values. The Air
Transport Association says fuel costs will hammer the industry this year,
contributing to about $13 billion in losses.

Most airlines plan to cut back on available seats and routes in hopes of
eventually boosting demand and keeping fares high. American, US Airways and
United also will shed thousands of jobs to cut costs.

US Airways, which does not have an extensive network of lucrative
international flights, says it will look for additional ways to raise cash.
It is already planning to increase service fees on tickets, charge for items
like soda and for popular seats in coach. Along with the bag charges, the
fees are expected to bring US Airways an additional $300 million to $400
million annually.

"They're in such trouble," said Honor Guthrie, 45, an American Airlines
passenger on her way back to Chicago from Phoenix. Guthrie said she
understood that fuel costs are killing the industry.

Next time she travels, Guthrie said she will likely take something smaller
than the large black roller case that she brought on the Phoenix trip.
"I'll wear the same pants a couple of days, same shirt, same skirt. I'll
probably do some laundry wherever I go," she said.

Dan Weisberg, 51, also sympathized with the airlines. Weisberg, a
businessman who travels a few times a month, added that he is happy the
airlines are devoting extra employees to policing carry-ons.

"This is going to create bedlam in the overhead compartments," Weisberg
said.

American, United and US Airways passengers can pay the new bag fees curbside
or at airport ticket counters and kiosks. US Airways and United are working
on ways to allow passengers to pay the fees online as well.

Each airline will charge passengers in slightly different ways. United and
US Airways will allow passengers to use cash at curbside, credit cards at
the kiosk and cash, credit cards and checks at the ticket counter. United
will not allow passengers to pay bag fees curbside at some airports.

American passengers can use credit cards to pay their bag fees curbside and
at airport kiosks, and they can use credit cards, cash or check to pay at
the ticket counter.

If a passenger is stopped from boarding with an oversize carry-on, American
will charge that passenger the $15 fee to check it at the gate. United has
not decided how it will handle passengers with oversize carry-ons, and US
Airways says its passengers can check those bags at the gate for free.
Meanwhile, other carriers are watching how passengers react to the new bag
fees.

Continental Airlines Inc. chairman and chief executive Lawrence Kellner, for
example, hinted that he might add a bag charge if he sees that customers are
not scared off. 

US Airways flight attendant and union leader Mike Flores said the new bag
fees are going to frustrate a lot of people, and he is not excited about
being the one to sort out the confusion.

Passengers are not going to be happy when they see people checking their
bags at the gate for free, he said.

"They really haven't thought this thing out," Flores said. Passengers who
paid the fee are going to say "Wait a minute, I paid $15 to have my bag
checked, and this guy is getting them checked for free?"

The new fees may finally force a lot of people to start following the
federal carry-on guidelines, said Laura Glading, president of the
Association of Professional Flight Attendants.

Glading said passengers have gotten used to bringing in large bags in part
because airlines rarely have enough staff to watch them. In her 30 years at
American Airlines, Glading said she has seen passengers bring on tubas,
paintings and wedding gowns.

"We're very reluctant to be separated from our bags," Glading said. "I
imagine that that reluctance for passengers will grow into sheer horror now
that they not only have their bag taken away, but they now have to pay for
that."

"It's up to us to get to them before they get too far in line and say,
'Ma'am or sir, you need to check that bag."'

 Do you have an opinion about this story?
Share it with other readers in our CAA Discussion Forums

http://www.californiaaviation.org/dcfp/dcboard.php


*****************************************