Airline news TODAY

[mdeane]

Hard to believe but true.....American Airlines announced today that starting in June they will charge $15 to check the FIRST bag. Thank goodness, Delta said they would not follow with this change. Seems to be no end to what the airlines can to us.

[Snoofer]

Why don't they just call it what it is - an increase in fares! At least if they are honest about it you can't get as angry as if you feel you're being decieved or cheated.

[232271]

and this is EACH way as well! So technically it is $30!!!

[knorrisb07]

if people can cut back the travel and resist booking AA, they will back down and other airlines won't follow the same trap.

[gazingm42]

I will pay a higher price not to fly AA. I just can't give them my

$$ when they play these games.

[JLC@SD]

if people can cut back the travel and resist booking AA, they will back down and other airlines won't follow the same trap.

 

.....you do not have to cut back....AA already is canceling flights and grounding the gas guzzling jets.......;)

 

.......guess nobody has heard that ....OIL IS $130 a BARREL......:rolleyes:

[sunsetme]

email AA and complain! just imagine check in with complaining customers--what a nightmare.

[JLC@SD]

email AA and complain! just imagine check in with complaining customers--what a nightmare.

 

I am going to call and congratulate them.......:)

 

.....those travelling with 4 bags.......should pay for them........$15.00 for one bag (like I travel)......and $90.00 for the 4 baggers ($15.00 plus 3 time $25.00).

[chasetf]

if people can cut back the travel and resist booking AA, they will back down and other airlines won't follow the same trap.

RIGHT...............................:rolleyes: :rolleyes:

 

And what makes you think they will absorb the ever increasing fuel costs.

[chasetf]

I will pay a higher price not to fly AA. I just can't give them my $$ when they play these games.

That logic escapes me :confused: :rolleyes: Pay more to make a point :confused: :(

[PennyAgain]

Folks, American Airlines is not running a charity. The cost of fuel is killing all airlines.

 

This is only the beginning!

 

The arguments at the check in lines have been terrible since the first series of charges went in May 12. Only going to get worse.

 

Food is going up at the grocery store as well.

 

Cruise prices will be next. Cruise 'add ons' will go up even faster.

 

The good old days are gone!

[Budget Queen]

Folks, American Airlines is not running a charity. The cost of fuel is killing all airlines.

 

This is only the beginning!

 

The arguments at the check in lines have been terrible since the first series of charges went in May 12. Only going to get worse.

 

Food is going up at the grocery store as well.

 

Cruise prices will be next. Cruise 'add ons' will go up even faster.

 

The good old days are gone!

 

Well said. This is the trend of travel. Complain all you want, it's also going to get worse.

[NancyIL]

American has given people plenty of notice about when they will start charging for the first checked bag, and that's for tickets purchased on or after June 15th. It is NOT for travel that begins on or after June 15th. I doubt that affects most people who are cruising to Alaska this summer, unless they just booked a last-minute cruise, and wait until June 15 to buy their plane ticket.

[swdke]

Hard to believe but true.....American Airlines announced today that starting in June they will charge $15 to check the FIRST bag. Thank goodness, Delta said they would not follow with this change. Seems to be no end to what the airlines can to us.

 

Give it time, this will be standard for all airlines soon. With oil prices, they have no choice, it's not their fault. I forsee free softdrink drinks going away to at some point in the future. Airlines are in a critical situation, as are we all in this oil crisis.

 

As for crusing, you may want to book your future trips now to lock in prices.

[mrgoins]

I think the problem is that this $15 dollar charge (each way) comes across as nickel and diming. I would have had no problem if they had said "Hey in light of rising fuel costs we are adding $15 to every ticket we sell." I don't think anyone would have said a word or been surprised. In addition, I don't like this becasue they just inacted their only 1 bag free (under 50lbs), pay for additional bags...now they are revising that policy. They shouldn't have inacted it in the frist place if it didn't suit their needs financially.

[NancyIL]

I think the problem is that this $15 dollar charge (each way) comes across as nickel and diming. I would have had no problem if they had said "Hey in light of rising fuel costs we are adding $15 to every ticket we sell." I don't think anyone would have said a word or been surprised. In addition, I don't like this becasue they just inacted their only 1 bag free (under 50lbs), pay for additional bags...now they are revising that policy. They shouldn't have inacted it in the frist place if it didn't suit their needs financially.

 

Not everyone checks bags when flying - business travelers especially. American was the last of the major airlines to jump on the bandwagon to charge $25 for the 2nd checked bag. It remains to be seen if other airlines follow them in charging for the first checked bag.

[Mailgirl]

Hard to believe but true.....American Airlines announced today that starting in June they will charge $15 to check the FIRST bag. Thank goodness, Delta said they would not follow with this change. Seems to be no end to what the airlines can to us.

 

 

Every time I traveled it amazed me what people would get away with as carry on. Can you imagine what it is going to be like now. It was hard enough to find a place for your carry on to begin with…

 

 

They should have just raised their prices by $30.00 and I am sure no one would have complained because of the rising fuel costs.

[chewap]

It is not AA fault. Blame the dems in congress in not allowing drilling in coastal areas and Alaska and Pres Clinton veto of the ANWR drilling in 1996. If the drilling was allowed, the price at the gas pump would be $1.50 gal. As long as Congress stops the supply of Oil, the costs are going up. Airlines have a huge loss this year. Write your congress person to increase the supply of oil in United States.

[cpdad]

Every time I traveled it amazed me what people would get away with as carry on. Can you imagine what it is going to be like now. It was hard enough to find a place for your carry on to begin with…

 

 

They should have just raised their prices by $30.00 and I am sure no one would have complained because of the rising fuel costs.

You summarized my thoughts exactly. ;) If the airline would just be honest and call it a fare increase people would not try to stuff everything into a carry-on bag. But, honesty in airline advertising died when they all started advertising "one-way" fares based on a round-trip purchase. Sort of like a shoe store advertising the price of one shoe, based on the purchase of a pair.

 

By the way... if passengers do get by with an overstuffed carry-on, where will they put the large bottles of shampoo (> 3 oz.) etc.?? This may result in serious delays at the security points. :mad:

 

I wonder... if they must add a fee for baggage, perhaps they should charge for carry-ons, and not for checked bags.

[gazingm42]

Folks, American Airlines is not running a charity. The cost of fuel is killing all airlines.

 

This is only the beginning!

 

The arguments at the check in lines have been terrible since the first series of charges went in May 12. Only going to get worse.

 

Food is going up at the grocery store as well.

 

Cruise prices will be next. Cruise 'add ons' will go up even faster.

 

The good old days are gone!

 

 

Penny I total agree with you. But what I dislike is the "game" that they

are playing. If there a need to charge additional $30 RT per ticket. Then

add the $30.00 per ticket. But they tell you its only $15 per bag (Each way).

I feel its a safe bet that on a 7 day trip everyone will have 1 bag to check

in. When a traveler is looking at fairs and see price differences the $30 can

cause them to fly another airline. So I hoping folks will not considered the

$30 as part of the fare.

[needalatte74]

and check just 1 piece of luggage.

 

Delta is charging $25 each additional piece of luggage past the first.

 

I'm not defending AA, but Delta and other airlines aren't handling it any better.

[texastee]

Has anyone even thought of the amount of time that it is going to take to check in for your flights if everyone has to pay for the luggage they bring??? So much for those time saving kiosks that American put in to speed up check in. I had already booked my flight for this trip (after the fee was announced for the second bag), but will definitely try to avoid AA going forward.

[PennyAgain]

Trying to avoid AA is pointless. Delta service out of DFW is just awful.

 

All the airlines will jump on this bandwagon one way or another as long as oil prices continue to climb.

[Daycare Provider]

:mad: We bought our tickets last january for Alaska...aa is now cancelling one leg of my flight.luckily it is the lst leg coming home. Instead of coming home on Saturday after our cruise, we may not be back until Monday or Tuesday....This is crazy.....It would take us 16hours to drive from Seattle, Wa to where we live along the central coast of california...I have been working with AA for 1 hr and 32 minutes to get us on flights home. one solution was to put all three of us on different flights...DD14 by herself on a plane...I don't think so...Not yet anyways...

[srlafleur]

...adding the fees for extra bags won't just help defray the increased cost of fuel, but it may actually reduce consumption of fuel by eliminating weight. (Some might re-think the bag packed with just shoes :eek: )

 

Paying for the 1st bag is somewhat outrageous, I'll admit. Perhaps reducing the allowable weight per bag would have been better. Or even making it the total combined weight (including carry-on), as some European airlines do, before adding a fee.

It IS going to become problematic with more people trying to carry-on larger bags.