Well I would certainly rather this than increasing the fare. Particularly if i check bags it's usually only 1

I feel sorry for the employees who are going to have a lot of ireful customers to deal with on May 5.

Well I'm glad I just graduated from college a year ago. I used to fly United all the time (cheaper flights), but when you're changing your home for months at a time you pack two bags every time.

United will charge all customers $100 per bag for up to four additional bags.

I'm hoping this is a typo in the article, or is it a sliding scale fee?

1 bag - free
2 bags - $25
3 bags - $125
4 bags - $225
5 bags - $325
6 bags - $425

Sucks if you're a skier. Guess I'll be flying anyone other than United out west next year.

So, it's an extra fee for another bag. An extra fee for an overweight bag.
We're going to be seeing a LOT more of those obnoxiously oversized carryone bags soon won't we?

@MercuryPDX:
I'm pretty sure you're right on the money with your chart.

And I'll play devil's advocate with the good-old "if you're going to charge me $25 for a bag that weighs (max) 50 pounds, when do I get my discount for being skinny and/or when do you start charging fatties more" card.

Great, now people will keep bringing huge carry-on bags on the plane. There's already barely enough space in those bins.

It's been a very long time since I agreed with anything from the mouths of airlines, but this actually sounds reasonable.

What this will accomplish will be to absolutely jam their overhead bins with carry-on bags. And further slow down the TSA security checks with more bags on the belt. Thanks United.

@serreca:

Good point. Now there's a disincentive to checking bags. And when the flight attendant needs to tell someone that dragged some huge bag into the cabin that it needs to be checked, is she going to need to charge the passenger a fee?

Doesn't this encourage people to travel with carry-ons? Really, the airlines should be discouraging carry-on items as much as possible. It slows the boarding/unboarding process, it's a hazard to have baggage over your head, and it increases the likelihood that someone has smuggled a dangerous item onboard.

Each trip. One carry on and one checked bag (especially since I carry a tool bag). This way, if my checked bag doesn't get there when I do, at least I have a change of clothes. And, since I don't carry any liquids in my carry-ons (too much hassle refilling those 3 ounce containers all the time), and if my checked bags don't make it, most hotels offer a courtesy assortment of toiletries at the front desk.

@ClayS:
@serreca:

So no weight limit on carry on bags but a weight limit and 1 bag limit on checked bags? So basically people are going to carry the heaviest possibe non-liquid items through security and onto the plane which will now be sitting above everyone's heads? Brilliant.

I hate United. POS airline.

Do we know if this new policy applies to international travel as well? If that's the case, I won't be flying United again when I stock up on delicious, unpasteurized foods in Europe. I'm a strong believer in checking all but my purse, snacks and some easy-reading but if forced, I sure as hell will be stuffing the overhead bins like everyone else.

I do not this as being unreasonable. When I travel I bring my laptop bag as a carry on and check 1 small suite case. If you have to bring more than that then you should pay for it.

Will they also limit carry-on size/items?

So rather than check my roll aboard, I'll now take it in cabin 100% of the time. I think the other commenters are right when they say all this will do is clog security lines and overhead bins. They say 25% of people check a 2nd bag. With this, I would expect the roll aboards to nearly double. Its already hard enough to find overhead luggage space. :(

@Kos: Good idea. Hope my snowboard carrier fits in overhead.

I wonder how this affects the rule that a ski bag and associated ski boot bag counted as a single item as long as they only contained skis/poles and boots respectively. Now a ski trip will be out of the question because that'll be 3 bags! (clothes, skis, boots).

And while I'm on the subject of ski trips, since winter clothes are so much bulkier, I'm not even going to be able to pack a single day worth of clothes. Shame on me for being 6'2" and wearing large sizes.

@emilymarion333: Well, of course everything should use YOU and YOUR situation as a standard.

That was a completely self-absorbed and ignorant comment.

Not everyone is as small/large as you.
Not everyone is traveling for the same purpose as you.
Not everyone is staying as long as you.
Not everyone has the same needs as you.

Thats awesome. More bags for them to lose. Keep receipts for stuff you buy throughout the year, x-box, laptops, all kinds of stuff, so you can say that stuff was in the bags when they lose them and gets PAID!

I guess I'll have to avoid them for lucrative business travel. How do I justify that on my expense reports? Just increase the fares, and heck, increase them a little more so we can have snacks, meals, and legroom again.

@Islandkiwi: Airlines actually like customers using carry-ons versus checked bags. When you check a bag, it has to be handled by several of their employees. When you carry it on, you have to do all the work. Also, they are liable for your bag when it's checked. If anything is lost or damaged, they have to pay to replace it.

I just flew Continental yesterday and they actually printed messages on my boarding pass reminding me to bring a carry-on.

And also, my bag hasn't been searched since I was SSSS'ed "randomly" so I don't think it necessarily increases the lines at TSA. And TSA, that's a completely different issue... You can't blame their inefficiency on the airlines.

yeah cram it all in one bag, and when it pushes 50lbs, pay $25 for every 25lbs your luggage went over.

@unklegwar:

I am going to assume my situation is standard. I travel twice a month for business and most people in my field do the same thing - bring 1 bag as a carry on and check another. I knew I had a bunch of stuff to check I would assume it would cost me more and I would be willing to pay the fee without throwing a fit. If I was going anywhere for a long period of time it's common knowledge that it is cheaper to ship by fed-ex.

If I duct tape two suitcases together and tie the handles together will that count as 1?

They should be basing this on weight not size...

I understand we never like to pay more, but why shouldn't additional cargo/weight cost more? Isn't this a situation where people are being made to pay for their actual impact on the resources? Sure, $25 seems arbitrary but I remember years ago when a 3rd checked bag was $50. I'd prefer some kind of actual displacement/weight formula but $25 isn't that much considering what can be stuffed into a full-size case.

@siskamariesophie: Yeah, I don't see this as a problem for domestic travel.

The fee only applies to tickets within the US and Canada. "..if your itinerary includes a city outside the U.S., Canada or U.S. Territories as any part of either the origin or destination then you will not be assessed a service fee for the second bag."

There are more exceptions to this fee. It doesn't apply to customers in business or first class. Also, it doesn't apply for "customers traveling on connecting flights where the first flight is not operated by United".
[www.united.com],6722,52519,00.html

@ecwis: That link didn't "link" properly. Use this one instead.

[tinyurl.com]

United lost my respect and my business. Too bad. I just flew last week cross country to DC last week on united.

The money to offset rising fuel costs has to come from somewhere.

This is just going to make flying an even worse experience for both passengers and airline employees. I've asked my magic crystal ball what to expect and Zorba has predicted that within three weeks of the institution of this rule, there will be at least one instance of a passenger getting threatened with arrest and getting water dumped on their head because the airline doesn't like their bags. This is possibly wht worst PR move ever. lol...sigh...

@emilymarion333:

Sounds like a good assumption.

This isn't new to some of us. I've flown Allegiant a few times, and they charge for EACH bag. Even the first one.

@ironchef:

I'm sure they care...

This is actually going to be a real problem for people going on cruises. Alot of ships leave out of Puerto Rico. That is included on the 1 bag limit, and its really hard to pack adequately for a cruise with only one checked bag.

@emilymarion333: Because we all travel for business? Because no matter how you travel, business travelers set the baseline for how much we should all have to pack?

I agree that all this will do is clog up carry-on space onboard. The more carry-ons to deal with, the longer it takes to deplane. I wonder to what extent deplaning times affect on-time departures? Some flights seem to have a pretty small amount of time on the ground between trips.

I actually had a really good experience at a ticket counter last May in Chicago. I had two bags that totalled 100 lbs. But one was 62 and the other was 39. The ticket agent actually encourated me to rebalance my load.

Since I was returning from a candy convention, I gave her a "tip" of some extra chocolate bars I had ... she laughed, it turned out that she only worked part time for United. Her day-job was as a dental hygenist.

Still, I'd be SOL if I couldn't bring oodles of samples back from my trade shows.

What with the insanity coming from the TSA, the increasing restrictions on what you can and can't pack, and the per-bag fees... well, I think it is finally cheaper and easier to just ship your bags there with FedEx. Probably less likely to get lost, as well.

@typetive: It's actually not that uncommon to run into a helpful airline rep but people have to realize that they are limited in their powers. They do have to follow certain rules which they don't make. I'm sure their job would be a lot easier if they didn't have to enforce rules because it only results in excessive complaining by their customers. So if you're nice to them, as it seems you were, they are willing to work with you. :-)

@typetive: Actually, I have never had to pay the excess weight fee. On occasion, my bag exceeds 50 pounds. They tell me that it is overweight and ask if I could add more to my carry on. I simply pull out my American Express card and tell them to just charge me the fee. They decline (additional work, long line behind me) and just stick the "heavy" sticker on it and let it pass.

I wouldn't mind paying it if they let me. I'd get reimbursed at work for it anyway.

I don't like this policy. I always check two small bags - one for toiletries (makeup case, hair products etc) that I can leave in the hotel bathroom, and a small suitcase for clothes. I can shove it all into a larger suitcase thats under 50 lbs, but it's the same weight total! It won't save the airline anyway. Why not just lower the total weight requirement or something?

And no, carryon isn't an option - I have waist length hair and use lots of conditioner :)

And people wonder why I'm shipping my camping gear ahead for our summer camping trip to Yellowstone.

You can ship to a FedEx/Kinkos or even the USPS (Kinkos often has better hours but is more money) to Yourself @ the address of the PO or Kinkos (If PO, use c/o Postmaster) and write "Hold for pickup". FedEx/Kinkos will charge you $2/box per day and the PO is free.

@catskyfire:
i would assume that allegiant is one of the budget carriers that charge per amenity (ie snack, headphones, etc). United isn't one of those...

on carry-on bags - there are already limits on carry-on bags - most airlines (unless united is unusual - I haven't flown them in a while) allow 1 carry on and 1 "personal item" (purse/briefcase/laptop case/knapsack); both have to fit the dimensions of the plane's storage space - so, I don't see how this will have a significant effect (although, I'm assuming most people bring the carry on and personal item, and most people use the largest carry on they can - not because I do, but because it sure as hell looks like 90% of people do)

I do wonder about the gate-checking, though - I had to go to a formal event several months ago, and I checked my regular suitcase, but had a small rolling bag as a carry on (I had a lot of crap I needed for the formal event). It normally fits on planes, but I didn't realize I'd be on a tiny commuter plane for part of my trip, and had to check the bag from there. Would that have gotten an extra charge from United? I don't see how... United's policy could inspire abuse of gate-checking, I suppose.

This is another way of increasing your fare. No food, decreased baggage allowance, pay extra to reserve a seat, etc, etc, etc. its all a matter finding ways to charge for things that were formerly included.

This is another type of race to the bottom.

@starbreiz: I have the same problem. I usually check my toiletries since they are not permitted in the cabin any longer. Now, I'll have to try to shove them in my husband's suitcase. It's not like $25 is going to bankrupt me, but the extra charge just annoys me. Why don't they weigh the luggage per person and charge over a specific weight, not amount of suitcases?

Just more fees on the average person. Unless your some sort of high wealth whale or a high profit (constant use) customer everything seems to cost more in extra fees dumped on the little guy.

BASTARDS!!!