Can checking bags actually cost more than your airline ticket?
“Yes, it’s come to this,” says the LA Times.
United Airlines, for instance, recently offered a $119.40 round-trip fare, taxes included, from Los Angeles to San Francisco. If you were to check two bags both ways, your luggage charges would total $120, the newspaper said.
“It’s no cheaper on the rest of the Big Five airlines — American, Continental, Delta and US Airways — which, like United, last month increased checked-luggage charges in the US to $25 each way for the first bag and $35 for the second,” says the Times.
But brace for more increases this year, said Jay Sorensen, president of IdeaWorksCompany.com, an airline consultant based in Shorewood, Wis.
"We will see these fees tied to length of flight," he predicted. "If you travel across the country, why should the fees be the same as for a one-hour flight?"
"Most airlines now clearly consider baggage fees the holy grail of revenue treasure," said a report by Sorensen’s company.
Big money is involved. The Big Five are expected to haul in $1.7 billion from bag fees this year, estimated the company’s report. This is a quick turnaround from May of 2008 when most bags were free.
By David Wilkening
