../../../..//2008/09/05/continental-has-added-a-15/
Continental has added a $15 charge on the first checked bag for some economy-class passengers, effective on tickets bought for travel on or after October 7. [Reuters] (Thanks, CMU_Bueller!)
baggage
Northwest Airlines Begins Charging $15 For First Checked Bag Today
By 8.28.08
Reader Colin says he just got charged for his first checked bag on Northwest Airlines:
AirTran Agent Screams, Curses At Travelers While Supervisor Looks On
By 8.25.08
Forget about those dowdy old-school Olympics. What we need is an international competition to see which airline can suck the most, since everyone is getting so good at it. In the category of Random Rudeness, this AirTran agent and her equally hostile supervisor would have a good shot at the gold—especially since they aimed their hostility at a honeymooning couple.
Virgin America Anniversary Flight From Hell
By 8.18.08 — Updated: 3.18.13
Adam is writing in to say that in the year that Virgin America has been operating, he feels that they’ve forgotten how to run their airline. The first time he flew with them, his flight was delayed and his laptop adapter melted. He got a free flight. The second time he flew, about a year later, his flight was delayed, the airline ran out of food, his luggage was ripped open and his valuables disappeared, and the baggage claim rep laughed at his misfortune.
4 New Airline Fees And How To Get Around Them
By 8.6.08
Travel expert to the stars Christopher Elliott has a new column that explains 4 new or grotesquely inflated airline fees and some ways to get around them…
American Airlines Thinks It's "Generous" To Charge A $100 Excess Baggage Fee To Soldiers
By 7.30.08
Let’s say you are in the military and have to undergo some training before you are deployed to Iraq to fight in a war. Let’s also say that this training requires to you bring 3 bags of equipment. If the airline you’re flying charges a $100 “excess baggage” fee, but waives the $15 first checked bag fee, and the $25 second checked bag fee… is that “generous?”
Delta To Charge $50 For The Second Checked Bag, $125 For A Third
By 7.30.08
Delta Airlines announced yesterday that they will be doubling the fee for a second checked bag, blaming high fuel costs and asserting that it’s “still a good value when compared with shipping or luggage services.”
Scammed By Curb-Side Check In At JFK
By 7.18.08
Reader Andy decided to check his bag curb-side at JFK, that wretched hive of scum and villainy, and the curb-side check-in attendant scammed him out of $15 by promising to sneak his “overweight” bag onto the flight for a “big tip.” Naturally, after the deal was done, Andy realized that his bag probably wasn’t overweight and he’d just been scammed. Now he’s writing in to tell his story so that other consumers can avoid a similar fate.
American Refunds Canceled Plane Ticket, Keeps $15 Checked Baggage Fee
By 7.6.08
American refunded Josh’s airfare after canceling his flight to New York, but not his $15 checked baggage fee. Though the fee is listed in their system, American won’t issue a refund unless Josh sends a formal request letter along with his baggage claim receipt to Tulsa, Oklahoma.
United To Require Minimum Stays Starting In October
By 6.21.08
Sorry travelers, as expected, United Airlines will require minimum stays on all flights starting in October. Gone are the halcyon days of jetting away for a business meeting after breakfast with time to spare before returning for dinner. Most United fares will now require a three-night or weekend stay, but it “will depend on the destinations involved, the price of the ticket and the length of the flight.” And, yes, you will still be charged $15 to check your first bag.
Spirit Airlines Increases Fees For First Checked Bag
By 6.16.08
Spirit Air will raise its fees for checking one bag, according to an email from the airline. On June 20th, Spirit will increase the fee for checking one bag from $10 to $15 if the checked bag is declared online, and from $20 to $25 if it is declared at check in. And Spirit’s belief that any publicity is good publicity continues.
United Airlines Will Not Let You Report Your Damaged Baggage For "Security Reasons"
By 5.5.08
Reader Sid is having a hell of a time reporting some damaged luggage to United Airlines.
JetBlue To Charge $20 For Second Checked Bag
By 4.22.08
JetBlue announced its first quarter results today and while things aren’t as bleak as they are over at United Airlines, the discount carrier said that it was struggling under the weight of its fuel bill and was going to modify its baggage check policy in order to remain competitive with other airlines.
British Airways' New Hi-Tech Baggage System Routes All Luggage To A Big Pile
By 4.1.08
British Airways is having trouble with its new baggage system—namely, that it doesn’t actually sort and route the baggage to the correct flight. On Sunday they claimed that 15,000 bags had missed their flights and were now being stored at Heathrow. However, the UK’s Aviation Minister said yesterday that the number was closer to 28,000.
5 Airlines You Shouldn't Trust With Your Luggage
By 2.6.08
The Department of Transportation’s 2007 Air Travel Consumer Report is out. Here are the 5 airlines with the most baggage handling complaints per customer in 2007. Better luck next year!
JFK Airport Is Notoriously Corrupt: Baggage Handlers Caught Stealing $250,000 In Diamonds
By 1.17.08
Queens prosecutors said Monday that a 51-year-old worker and his 39-year-old supervisor are charged with grand larceny and possession of stolen property. They say the jewelry was stolen last week from a container marked “high value” that was being shipped from Switzerland to Brazil.
We won’t lie, corrupt baggage handlers piss us off. These two specimens broke open the container and stole the jewelry, hiding it in a locker at the American Airlines terminal.
U.S. Airways Offers Employees $100 Bonus For Meeting Baggage Goals
By 12.11.07
U.S. Airways has something of a problem when it comes to transporting their customers’ belongings. They’re just not very good at it, particularly in Philadelphia.
American Airlines Baggage Chief: "There's A Lot Of Opportunity For Failure"
By 11.21.07
The New York Times is taking a look at American Airlines’ recent effort to improve their checked baggage operation. Who would have thought that dirty printers were causing lost baggage?
Workers at American found that printers that produce adhesive tags for bags were often dirty. That made bar codes hard to read, leading to misdirected bags. Regular wiping of the printer heads helped, but even with a clean printer, the bar code readers are only about 90 to 92 percent accurate, said Denise P. Wilewski, manager of airport services for American here.
