Now that most of the airlines are marching in lockstep on ways to gouge the passengers on baggage fees (Southwest and JetBlue excepted) travelers really need to consider a luggage strategy in financial self-defense. With baggage levies routinely threatening to add more than $100 to a round-trip flight, things are getting serious.
We should even look to sending our luggage by mail, or shipping the way we’d send a birthday present.
American Airlines now has joined the feeding frenzy, following Delta, United, Continental and so many others with hefty bag fees. If they were baseball clubs, the players union and anti-trust people would be after these companies for their collusion.
For all the consistency in raising the baggage fees there are some few exceptions — and the smart flier should absolutely look to go with the airlines that treat the passengers with the most respect. Southwest lets you have two free bags. JetBlue doesn’t charge for the first one. Answer? Fly Southwest or JetBlue and save the money. Why give your extra cash (extra?) to the guys who are treating you shabbily?
A really excellent resource to plan your baggage impact is luggagelimits.com.
Obviously we should pack lighter to avoid that second bag or the weight allowance levies. But that’s not always possible. With so much money at stake — and we’re talking hundreds of millions for the airlines — all those souvenirs you pick up and can’t bring aboard as carry-on anymore can cost a bundle.
George Hobica at airfarewatchblog.com has come up with the details to support another good idea: Ship your bag separately. He’s charted out what it would cost to send a standard-sized bag by USPS or FedEx or UPS and there’s money to be saved there. Likely, you wouldn’t ship your first bag but sending the second one to beat the $35 fee makes sense on several levels. You can save money. You get better security. You get better tracking of the bag en route. You take the pressure off the airport experience, gliding through security without the bag. If you have a lot of extra weight or travel as family, this could be a significant savings over the air carriers’ fee schedule.
An extra step, a bit of a hassle? Sure but there are good reasons to consider it.
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“If they were baseball clubs, the players u’nion and anti-trust people would be after these companies for their collusion.”
should’ve picked another sport. Baseball is the only one witha complete exemption from anti-trust laws.
Right you are, John.
What I was trying to saying and said inartfully is that the players union and those who are concerned about anti-trust matters would react. Not that there are any more anti-trust agencies left — or that anyone has any power of MLB
Denis you said “Obviously we should pack lighter to avoid that second bag or the weight allowance levies. But that’s not always possible.” Gotta send you to onebag.com because yes indeed it is possible. I pack one bag for every trip, whether it’s an overnight to Atlanta or two weeks around the world. I use a RedOxx (redoxx.com) Air Boss bag and a packing system that includes a bunch of small Eagle Creek packing cubes in the main bag. It just requires planning, appropriate clothing & gear selection and a commitment to keeping it to one bag. My Air Boss fits every carryon requirement – the only problem is sometimes keeping it under the 8kg international limit weightwise but I’ve found the don’t give business class that much scrutiny if you’re carrying just one bag. If you buy gifts while away you just need to keep them low-volume (scarves, jewelry, etc) so you can fit them in the nooks & crannies of the bag.
And you’re right – Go Southwest!
Good points, Jim. I do pretty well at this but may not be as disciplined as you — nor as smart. but the idea of lightening up, keeping it as simple as possible is universal. Anything done in that direction works, it’s just a matter of degree. I’ll look into redoxx.com
I considered separate shipping two years ago when I took the family to California’s High Sierra with an extra suitcase of riding gear. Found a motel that would accept the UPS shipment and hold for our arrival. Then got prices. I learned what Hobica’s chart shows: Cheaper to pay extra to have the airline ship it. $20 then, $35 now; STILL cheaper.