![](https://slim-weight.info/images_blogs/autopia/2010/08/2619866851_68c273cb95_o-660x389.jpg ""Please report any unattended luggage."")
There's a battle raging at airports and on airliners, and it all comes down to baggage. When a JetBlue flight attendant reportedly lost it after being bonked on the head by a falling suitcase, it was the latest example of how increasing luggage restrictions are making flying more miserable.
More and more airlines are charging passengers for checked luggage, prompting people to carry more stuff aboard. Travelers face the challenge of cramming more into carryons or paying more to fly with an extra bag or two. And airlines, always trying to keep ticket prices low, are finding new ways of making up for lost revenue. That means minimizing the time planes spend on the ground and "unbundling" ticket prices to charge for services once included in the ticket price.
The trend will only continue, because consumers insist on cheap airfare.
Unless you fly regularly, keeping track of all the fees and regulations can be confusing. Most airlines charge $15 to $25 for the first checked bag and $25 to $35 for the second. JetBlue gives you a pass on the first bag, while Southwest lets you check two for free. And believe it or not, Spirit Airlines has started charging passengers for any luggage that won't fit under the seat.
Ben Baldanza, the airline's CEO, vigorously defends the policy. He told Congress last month that carrying more than one bag is "not neccesary" for travel. But the broader point he and others in the industry are making is that by unbundling services, passengers pay only for what they need.
David Castelveter, a spokesman for the Air Transport Association, says base fares are at the same level they were a decade ago and well below the rate of inflation. In order to maintain low ticket prices, he says, carriers must find ways to offset rising operating costs. One way of doing that is charging customers for those services they use.
"Customers now have a choice," Castelveter says. "You pay for the services you consume, you don't pay for the services others consume."
That is a clear attempt at putting a positive spin on the fees, and if you aren't hauling around 70 pounds of baggage, the airlines are saying they won't charge you for the fuel needed to haul that weight or the labor costs for the handlers tossing it around. Castelveter notes that "unbundling" is the norm in most other areas of the consumer world.
"I would be really offended if I bought a ticket to the football game and the price of my ticket for admission was significantly higher than I wanted to pay because all of the food and beverage was included," he says. "I'd much rather pay for what I decide to consume."
Henry Harteveldt, who follows the airline and travel industries for Forrester Research, says travelers can expect unbundled ticket pricing to stay. During the first three months of this year, airlines in the United States brought in more than $769 million in baggage fees. Harteveldt says as the cost of fuel, labor and aircraft have continued to rise over the past decade, airlines have decided the cost of your ticket pays for your seat and nothing else.
"People have said they prefer the cheapest possible price, and when you want the cheapest possible price, you get the cheapest possible product that can be delivered," Harteveldt says. "And what the airlines are saying is if you want to check your baggage, we're happy to check it, but there will be a fee for that."
Spirit Airlines insists its customers have no problem with the luggage fees, and a spokeswoman told USA Today, "Our customers get it. They understand that it's the total price that counts. Our average fares sold for August are only $63 each way, so even if you choose to take a carryon or a checked bag, your total price is still less."
There are some options out there for travelers who want to avoid the fees but aren't members of the elite frequent flyer programs that often waive the charges. Several airlines give you a pass on the first bag if you pay with a credit card, and some offer an annual pass for extra luggage.
Harteveldt thinks there will be further refinement of the baggage fee structure. He says airlines may start adjusting the price of the baggage fee based on the distance you're flying, or based upon how busy it is the day you're flying. Both ideas already are part of the ticket pricing system.
The new baggage fee structures benefit those who travel light. If everything you need for a trip will fit in a carry-on and you can pack a lunch, you get to enjoy ticket prices that haven't moved much in a decade. If a 22 x 14 x 9 inch suitcase just isn't enough, you're going to be paying more than you did back in the good old days of the late 1990s.
Photo: Flickr/ToastyKen
