Can’t fit it all in one suitcase? United is going to start charging passengers a fee for checking more than one piece of luggage, $25 per bag. Elite frequent flyers will skip the charge. The new policy begins May 5. It’s certainly one way to pass fuel costs on to passengers using more fuel, without raising up-front fare prices.
United to charge fliers checking 2 bags [AP]
(Photo: Peter Gene)
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Easy to avoid. Just bring your way-oversized luggage to the gate, perhaps make a token effort at bullying it into the too-small overhead compartment, and the crew will check it at that time — but they’ll probably have no mechanism to charge you for it, since that would be far too time-consuming.
Only risk is that with a handwritten tag, your bag will get lost. I wouldn’t do this except on a nonstop flight.
remember, you still have a large-piece carryon allowance. That plus a checked bag, and you still can bring 2 bags without charge.
We’ll see those Elite frequent flyers with a dolly full of silver cased luggage for a family of four to fly to their 4th home in Aspen, CO for a 7 day winter break…
That said- I did see a huge Spanish family push the limits one time. Every adult and child had several cardboard boxes to whatever the check bag limit was for that airline. They even knew to use rope on the boxes as handles so that the boxes wouldn’t be charged as cargo. The check in agent had to get sign offs on liability for all the boxes. From what I gathered they were moving someone from one place to another….
@Geekybiker: My thoughts exactly.
@biblio26:
Why don’t they weigh the luggage per person and charge over a specific weight, not amount of suitcases?
Very light bags cause a problem with “cubing out” where the available space fills up before the hold hits its weight limit. IANABH (baggage handler).
once again, glad i fly southwest, there are no b.s. fees for extra bags, just extra heavy bags.
i’m filming a show in my spare time where the basis is all about packing light. but it’s geared more towards outdoor survival. maybe i’ll adopt the same concept for vacation traveling. would not be as interesting though, a whole different demographic than the first show.
That added to the fuel surcharge should make United even more popular.
Way to go United! You know, I see a $25 charge to use the lavatory, and maybe a $10 charge for each carryon…maybe an “air tax” if you’re breathing United’s air.
Fly the greedy skies.
This actually doesn’t bother me at all- but I always carry-on.
@Geekybiker: If you can afford a cruise, I’m sure the extra $25 for a second bag isn’t going to be that much of a financial burden.
@snoop-blog: I’m pretty sure when I flew Southwest at the beginning of the year there was a surcharge for extra bags. And if you make a video about packing light for general travel I’d buy it.
@Craig: i think southwest, no joke, allowed 3 bags per person to be checked. we were traveling for weeks so we not only had 3 bags a piece, but we each had a carry on as well….that trip is what started the whole packing light attitude of mine.
@snoop-blog: I just verified that as of 1/29 Southwest has the same baggage surcharges as United.
@emilymarion333: “If I was going anywhere for a long period of time it’s common knowledge that it is cheaper to ship by fed-ex.”
Uh, you should check your “common knowledge.” Try sending a 50-pound suitcase cross-country via FedEx and see what it costs you.
More convenient and fewer hassles, sure. More peace of mind, absolutely. But cheaper? Not likely.
(And by the way, you and your colleagues are not typical. More people fly for leisure than for business.)
@snoop-blog: Oops, my mistake…they’ve lowered the limit to two and charge $25 for the third and a much higher amount for more than three.
@snoop-blog: From Southwest’s website: “Excess Baggage: Effective January 29, 2008, you may check a third bag for a charge of $25. Your 4th through 9th bag or item will incur a charge of $50 per piece, and any bag or item thereafter will be $110 per piece.”
Same as just about all the airlines.
Anyone know the name of a good baggage shipper? You know, those companies that will ship your bags for you? Or is it pretty much just UPS and FedEx for the states?
@jamesdenver:
They probably don’t give a crap about their customers. That’s why they suck.
I can only live with the satisfaction they won’t get a dime from me or an ounce of positive PR.
@quail: Yeah you’d be better off using FedEx directly. The baggage handlers are basically just a middleman. I’m pretty sure that they just use UPS/FedEx/DHL to ship your luggage. Some might offer additional services.
Most people don’t know this but you can actually just ship your suitcase with FedEx. You don’t have to put it in a box or anything.
If I don’t check any luggage will United give me $25?
The irony here is that frequent travelers with elite status (I am one, on Delta) are the ones LEAST likely to check any bags at all.
I kind of understand where this policy comes from, but what I really would like to see is a reduction in the size of the maximum-size carryon. I’m just sick to death of being asked to stow my very small laptop case (my typical carryon on up-and-back day trips) under the seat in front of me (taking away footroom and making my flight more uncomfortable) so that some self-important glutton can have a place to put their carryon in an overhead bin. Even better, how about starting to actually enforce the size rule at checkin rather than leave that job to the flight crew? I was on a flight last month where some nitwit stood there holding up aisle traffic for 5 minutes trying to shoehorn his enormous garment bag into the overhead bin, then had a grade-A conniption when the flight attendant, to her eternal credit, insisted that he gate-check his bag.
Most airplanes have enough space for all the luggage; this is a joke.
Also, a lot of people coming internationally with connections are now going to get screwed because your other flight allows you to check in two bags.
And for those of you traveling with just a laptop bag: maybe if you’re traveling for an overnight trip. If you take a week somewhere, you’ll need more than a bag.
Well, if we’re going to do it by weight, I think they should weigh the damn passengers and their luggage. I’m a bit of a clothes horse, but I’m a skinny chick. Put me on a scale with my suitcase, and I’ll still weigh in at a smaller number than a lot of people who “travel light” in terms of what they pack.
I’m just sick to death of being asked to stow my very small laptop case (my typical carryon on up-and-back day trips) under the seat in front of me (taking away footroom and making my flight more uncomfortable) so that some self-important glutton can have a place to put their carryon in an overhead bin.
I’m with you. I also bring a laptop and a purse on flights — both of which can be stuffed under my seat, along with my coat, cutting my leg room…but why shouldn’t I be able to put my small laptop bag in the overhead just because some asshat has chosen to sneak a rolling bag sizable enough for transporting a corpse onto the plane?
they should do this by weight. Give you Xlbs included in your ticket cost, anything over that is $1/lb (or whatever it costs them in gas+employee) I typically carry one carry on and a checked bag if i am traveling for vacation or something, but if its for business ill usually just have a carry on, so this wont affect me. But its still not fair.
oh, and for those who think that heavier people should pay more, I agree with that too. Im a big guy…it has to cost the airline more to move my 6’3″ 260lb+ body then it does to move my girlfriend…even with her billion bags of shoes.
@xtc46: @AaronZ: @xtc46:
Helpful Tip: If you need more luggage space, simply layer up and bring an empty plastic bag or two. Stuff your pockets with socks, shirts, underwear, and wear multiple pairs of pants. Then take all the extra off upon boarding. It is a free way to get to carry on an extra bag or more.
@uricmu: If they are on a connecting flight, and their first flight is not a United flight, this fee will not apply.
Keep it up United… I’m starting to think you really are trying to put yourselves out of business.
@Amy Alkon: Tell me about it. As a “skinny” I’d love the cheaper fares & more luggage capacity.
If I didn’t need another reason to not fly United…
$25 to bring in a costume in a separate piece of luggage the same size, and the combination is under 50 lbs?
@jamesdenver: Yes, you can tape your bags together (securely). I do it with guitars routinely.
You can fit three electric guitars in a golf club bag. When you find the oversized luggage “pile”, all the golf bags are lined up neatly by the wall. Golf clubs are the mark of the litigious class.
There is a weight limit for cabin luggage in Canada. The trick is not letting the flight crew touch your bag, and not groaning when you lift it into the bin.
What about car seats? Those of us who travel with well-behaved kids need to check a car seat.
Damn!!! That’s cold. Although it stinks cuz now you HAVE to check your bags if you want to bring any liquids aboard. After Christmas, I have to check two bags: one for my clothes and a box for my GIFTS!!
Why you gotta be like that United? I guess there’s always Amtrak….NO NO NO! A thousand times no!
Fair disclosure: I work for UA, but not in a customer contact role.
What I find interesting is the comments on this story and those of another story in the last week of a company restricting your ability to carry your items, Whole Foods and their discontinuation of free plastic bags:
[consumerist.com]
Whole Foods is lauded, while UA is reviled. Is it because WF did it as a green measure? I’m sure WF is also pleased that they no longer have that cost, but will there be a corresponding drop in food prices?
This will stick. First, unbundling services is common in every other industry (Cell Phones, Cable, Tax Prep, you name it). Why should the person flying to a 2-day meeting and only using one bag subsidize the “Diana Ross” passengers out there that travel with three 50-lb bags for a 1 week cruise? Second, if you *do* check a bag, it should arrive quicker and more reliably due to less checked bags in the system once at your destination.
Finally, it is common among carriers in Europe (Ryanair) and some in the US (Spirit) to charge for *every* piece of baggage. It’s already happened with inflight meals. Soon, the fare you pay will be for basic transportation, with a menu of add-ons to that fare. More legroom? $50. Checking bags? $25/ea each way. Food? $5. Again, just like EVERY OTHER INDUSTRY out there.
Raising fares is just not an option due to commodity pricing and the “Sort by lowest price” in use at travel websites. The key is that all of these fees are completely OPTIONAL.
Oh what fun!…
Now they’ll actually be able to charge you in advance to lose that bag.
If that bag doesn’t show up at the baggage pick-up they’d better be ready to return that extra fee on the spot. Also, don’t hold your breath thinking that United will be the only airline that will be charging this extra bag fee.
And what do you think the future holds for the chance of having pay toilets aboard those planes?
@uricmu: said…”Also, a lot of people coming internationally with connections are now going to get screwed because your other flight allows you to check in two bags.”
The article actually said: “New fees apply to trips within the U.S. and or those that include Canada, San Juan, Puerto Rico and St. Thomas. Customers whose itineraries include other international flights will still be able to check the second bag for free.”
Ugh. The one thing I don’t like about living in the Chicagoland area is that in order to get to a warm-weather climate area in the winter my options are to fly and pay up the rear, or drive 18-26 hours. Not much of an option with a 10 month old.
Why not take the paint off the planes like they did when there was a gas shortage? Then they can pack on more luggage without charging more. Oh yea, that means work.
@ord2fra: The point is that United is supposed to be superior to the pathetic airlines called Spirit and RyanAir.
Customers flying legacy airlines don’t like to be nickel and dimed. It’s expected if they’re on Spirit but United better not succumb to their level or they’ll lose their elite flyers.
@Amy Alkon: That’s hardly fair (weighing passengers). I’m 6-foot-6 and weigh 225 pounds — hardly overweight. Yet my extra 100 pounds should count against me vs. a 125-pound woman?
@rjhiggins: Absolutely… It costs more (laws of physics) to haul your extra 100 lbs around. Why should someone who’s 125 lbs pay for your girth and excess?
If it’s between paying a higher fare for all passengers and packing smart to save some bucks, I’ll pack smart, thanks.
As for everyone saying that “now there’s a disincentive for checking bags” – there always has been a disincentive – waiting for a half an hour or more at the baggage carousel! For that reason alone I haven’t checked a bag in years.
It’s getting close to the edge here, where a weight-based decision will have to be made, at the airlines’ check-in counters, as to whether or not any particular customer will actually have to be put in the cargo hold during their flight.
Of course, there’ll be that extra charge for a seat and portable heater in that space.
Fine – do I get a credit if I don’t check a bag? Seems only fair.
Save me another $5 and keep the stale snacks too!
At the rate fares are going up, pretty soon you can charter a private flight. Sheesh.
So instead of two smaller suitcases, United want me to pack one huge suitcase that’s the size of the small ones combined? How does that help anyone?