Airlines bank a lot on passengers' luggage
Lewis DiuguidThe days of airlines checking passengers’ bags at no cost are packed away with good-old-days memories of getting free meals on flights.
With the high cost of fuel and intense competition, free checked bags on all airlines are likely never to return. Besides, it hard for the companies to give up the extra money. In the first half of this year, they made more than $1.7 billion in baggage fees.
It is the largest amount ever collected in a six-month period, according to a report from the Bureau of Transportation released Tuesday.
The airline baggage charges have caused more passengers to travel with smaller bags and overload overhead bins on airplanes. It takes more time then for people to get on and off of flights, and time is money. Tick-tock.
What also makes no sense is when people are directed to smaller planes and find that they can’t carry on even the smaller bags because the bins on the plane are too tiny. The airline then checks passengers’ bags at no charge.
But again it takes time — and money — to do that. What a waste.
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