Nearly a decade has passed since travelers sued Delta Air Lines and AirTran, alleging that the carriers colluded in creating their fees for checked bags. In that time, the AirTran has vanished and Delta had to pay millions of dollars in sanctions for being a stubborn defendant. Now, less than a year after the court finally granted class-action status in the case, it has been dismissed. [More]
checked bag fees
Southwest Airlines Giving “No Thought Whatsoever” To Checked Bag Fees
By 10.31.16
Southwest Airlines is the only one of the largest U.S. commercial airlines that does not charge for customers to check bags, meaning the company is missing out on this multibillion-dollar revenue stream. While Southwest CEO Gary Kelly acknowledges the need to bring in more money for his business, he says his company has no plans to lose its “bags fly free” identity. [More]
Judge Grants Class-Action Status In Case Over Delta, AirTran Original Checked Bag Fees
By 7.14.16
A lawsuit that stretches back to all the way to 2009 and the early days of baggage fees accusing Delta Air Lines and AirTran of colluding to implement their original fees for passengers’ first checked bags has finally achieved class-action certification. [More]
New Legislation Would Cap Checked-Baggage Fees At $4.50
By 7.23.15
If you go to the airport today and check any bags, there’s a good chance you’re going to pay around $25 per checked bag for the luxury of not having to lug your stuff around and cram it under the seat in front of you. A recently introduced bill in the House of Representatives would not only put a cap on checked-baggage charges, but would slash the current level to $4.50/bag. [More]
Today’s The Day: JetBlue’s Checked Bag Fees Are Now In Effect
By 6.30.15
Say goodbye to that free checked bag when flying on JetBlue: The company announced last November that it was going to start charging passengers who fly with checked bags at some point, and that point is today. [More]
Delta Makes 20-Minute Bag Guarantee Permanent, But Still Severely Limited
By 4.6.15
Back in February we told you that Delta was testing a limited-time guarantee for its SkyMiles frequent fliers — Your checked bags will be at the carousel within 20 minutes or you get 2,500 miles. The airline has decided that the program is worth continuing, but it’s still incredibly restrictive. [More]
Frontier Increasing Checked Baggage Fees By $5 To $10 Starting May 1
By 3.19.15
A year after Frontier Airlines unveiled an “ultra-low-cost” fare structure including new fees for bags, the airline is once again revising those costs. [More]
JetBlue’s Justification For Baggage Fees Demonstrates The Sad State Of Airline Industry
By 2.24.15
Late last year, JetBlue announced that it too would be kowtowing to investors’ demands and start charging fees for checked bags. This news did not go over well with many of the airlines’ customers, but JetBlue believes people will get over it… because they really have no other choice. [More]
Report Claims That You Secretly Love Airline Fees
By 2.20.15
If we were to head over to any airport in the country today and ask travelers whether they liked being charged add-on fees for checking bags, sitting in an exit row, food, entertainment, headphones, WiFi, or priority boarding, the consensus would undoubtedly be that these costs are a nickel-and-diming nuisance. But one airline industry analyst claims that travelers are secretly in love with these charges. [More]
Delta Testing 20-Minute Guarantee On Checked Bags For Frequent Fliers. What’s The Catch?
By 2.20.15
If you’ve been stuck waiting for your bags at an airport luggage carousel in recent years, you’ve probably overheard someone grouse — or maybe done a bit of grousing yourself — that “I paid these guys extra to check my bags; the least they could do is not make me stand around like a fool for an hour.” In an effort to cut down on said grousing, Delta has quietly launched a limited-time test of a 20-minute guarantee for baggage delivery for its SkyMiles members, though there are so many conditions that it may be an empty promise. [More]
JetBlue Adding Checked Bag Fees, Cutting Down On Legroom
By 11.19.14
One of the last remaining airlines holding out against fees for checked bags has fallen prey to the siren song of money: JetBlue, which had persisted in offering a complimentary checked bag even as other airlines tacked fees on, announced three new “bundled” fare options for fliers, with the cheapest fare now requiring an extra fee to check a bag. That, and it’s stuffing more seats into plane cabins, which means less legroom for you. [More]
Southwest Could Start Charging For Checked Bags, Says CEO
By 10.25.13
While its competitors have been nickle/diming travelers for years with checked-bag fees, Southwest has done its best to equate its brand with the slogan “bags fly free.” But the airline’s CEO now says that he’s not completely averse to the whole notion of making a mountain of cash off baggage fees. [More]
Airlines Aren't Pulling In As Much Dough Off Checked Bags Fees As They Used To
By 5.18.12
You might already have suspected that the reason why you engage in a fierce, almost Hunger Gamesesque competition to stow your carry-on is because no one wants to pay to check bags. That free-for-all has resulted in U.S. airlines making less money off baggage fees for the first time since they started assessing them. [More]
Senator Introduces Two Bills To Curb Checked Bag Fees
By 11.23.11
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. [More]
It Could Now Cost You Over $400 To Check A Bag On Some Flights
By 9.20.11
Fees for checked bags vary wildly, from absolutely nothing to arm-and-a-leg-and-an-ear. And according to a new round-up of fees from the various carriers, you might need to throw another limb in there if you’re checking an oversize bag on your international flight. [More]
Car Seats Fly Free, So Pack Other Stuff In There To Avoid Bag Fees
By 4.25.11
It’s sort of sneaky, but you can take advantage of the fact that a few items, like strollers, car seats and some medical items, never get a fee for getting checked in order to avoid checked bag fees on your other stuff, writes the Money Crashers blog. [More]
A Dead Cow & The 5 Other Most Bizarre Things Passengers Have Tried To Check Onto A Virgin Atlantic Flight
By 4.13.11
The folks over that the Virgin Atlantic blog recently sent out a request to the staffers working the check-in desks at the airline’s various global destinations. They wanted to know about the strangest items that passengers actually tried to have stowed in the cargo hold, and they compiled a list of bizarre baggage that rivals this one. [More]
10 Ways To Make The TSA Crotch Grabbers Profitable
By 3.7.11
Last week, the the Director of Homeland Security suggested to Congress that the TSA get a cut of airline baggage fees. The fees encourage travelers to carry on their bags, and this in turn leads to more bags that have to be inspected by hand at security checkpoints. Should taxpayers keep picking up the tab, or should airlines give the TSA a piece of the baggage fees? How about neither? What if instead the TSA looked for more creative ways to offset costs and even increase revenue? Here are 10 modest proposals: [More]
