With so many people lining up at the airport today and tomorrow to fly home to stuff their stomachs with, well… stuffing, one U.S. Senator has introduced two pieces of legislation aimed at reining in the checked bag fees charged by airlines.

Senator Mary Landrieu of Louisiana has come up with what she’s called the Airline Passenger Basic Airline Standards to Improve Customer Satisfaction (BASICS) Act, which would require airlines to allow passengers one checked and one carry-on bag for free. The second piece of legislation that Landrieu intends to introduce is the Fair Airline Industry Revenue (FAIR) Act, which would impose additional fees on airlines that don’t comply.

Explains the Senator, who chairs the Senate Subcommittee on Homeland Security:

When an airline advertises a flight, that is how much it should cost, plain and simple. Passengers should not be charged additional fees for checked or carry-on baggage, drinkable water or other reasonable requests….

Many airlines consider checking a bag not to be a right, but a privilege – and one with a hefty fee attached. The Airline Passenger BASICS Act will guarantee passengers one checked bag without the financial burden of paying a fee, or the headache of trying to fit everything into a carry-on

It will be interesting to see if this legislation actually has some legs or if it will just go around and round, like some unclaimed luggage on the carousel.

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