American Airlines will now charge $$$$ for ALL checked luggage.

Here is the article:

FORT WORTH — American Airlines, hit hard by escalating fuel prices, said Wednesday passengers will be hit with fees to check any bag, starting with tickets purchased after June 15.

American and its American Eagle subsidiary will also trim their fleets, cut their flight schedules and lay off workers in the coming months.

Speaking at the annual meeting of AMR Corporation, the parent company of both airlines, chairman, president and CEO Gerard Arpey said travelers would face a $15 charge for the first piece of luggage checked, the first time any major domestic airline has used this method to increase revenue.

Delta doesn't plan to match American's fee for the first checked bag, airline spokeswoman Betsy Talton said.

"These are difficult but necessary steps," Arpey said, noting that rising oil prices have inflated the airline's annual fuel costs by nearly $3 billiion since the start of the year.

American recently instituted a $25 fee for second bags checked after a free first bag. Arpey said other passenger fees will be increased, including surcharges for pets and for unaccompanied minors.

Also on Wednesday, Arpey said AMR planned to cut its domestic capacity by up to 12 percent by retiring 40 to 45 American Airlines jets and 30 to 35 American Eagle aircraft starting in the fourth quarter. Some of the planes will be retired; others will be parked at a desert storage facility.

Arpey said fewer flights will lead to job cuts at both American and American Eagle. The number of workers facing layoffs was not announced.

AMR shares tumbled $1.10, or 13.4 percent, to $7.10 after the announcement which came as its shareholders gathered for their annual meeting.

Here is a link to the actual page where it was posted:

http://www.wfaa.com/sharedcontent/dws/wfaa/latestnews/s...aafees.1522e30e.html

I don't have a problem with this. Hopefully it will reduce the number of bags and with fewer bags to process maybe it will help with getting our bags to the correct destination.
Now I would like to see the 300lbs surcharge. Anyone over 300 lbs should pay double.

Given all the restrictions on carry-on luggage, I feel a bit insulted by a charge to the first bag checked. I have no problem with charging for extra bags or for bags on discounted seats to children.

I hate to see what carry on items are going to look like now on American. I quit flying American 10 years ago after several bad inexcusable incidents.

They will start charging extra if the plane leaves on time soon, and if it lands safely . . . now that's gonna cost ya.

Airlines suck. How much does it cost to go from point A to point B. Charge it and be done.

Every time I fly to a hunt, this is going to cost me more. One rifle case and a suitcase with cold-weather clothes and the stuff you can't carry on. It will take a lot more time, but this year, I may drive...

Solution is to mail your heavy hunting clothes & boots ahead of time then you won't have to pay for extra luggage .

My wife and I were talking about this just last night. This will only have an effect on those who are flying for pleasure, whether it be vacation with the family or a hunting trip. The reason I say this is because most business people carry on their luggage. I fly just about every week and I've become a master at being able to back a weeks worth of clothing into my carry on.

What I don't understand about the announcement of the baggage charge is why don't you just place it into your fees when purchasing the ticket. This way, they will be able to get that extra $15 from those business travelers, and then charge the extra $25 or so for those checking more than 1 bag.

For those who say they'll just drive, I hope your hunting destination is fairly close, because it will still be cheaper to fly when all costs and time are included, but of course this is dependent upon the distance from home to hunting location.

If the airlines can't make money at the price they charge for their tickets I would prefer that they raise their ticket prices to a point where they can. That's called good business.

I don't like the nickel & dime approach trying to pretend that we're too stupid to notice the additional cost, or the reduction in service, or the shift from meals to a five cent packet of peanuts.

It wouldn't bother me if the price is too high for 20% of air travelers. If it is they should stay home. If it's too high for me I won't go either.

I have a low tolerance for whining and crying.

Here's another thing to consider - you are going to have to pay the fee at the counter, when you check in - this is going to cause a delay in the amount of time the agent takes to process you for your flight. Meaning: lines at the counter will be longer...

They can't automatically charge you prior to your flight - you may not have checked luggage!

If the mileage is 1000 miles or less the airline is NOT the way to go, or if you must change airlines or cross international borders, driving will win under most conditions. We are talking about time from home to destination.

quote:

Originally posted by 577NitroExpress:

They can't automatically charge you prior to your flight - you may not have checked luggage!

I'm sure there is a way for them to call it some BS fee, which could be included in the fees at the time of booking the flights. Hence, they could then say the first checked bag is FREE; thereby, making the uninformed think they are getting a DEAL.

quote:

Originally posted by ztreh:
If the mileage is 1000 miles or less the airline is NOT the way to go, or if you must change airlines or cross international borders, driving will win under most conditions. We are talking about time from home to destination.

Alright here ya go for a comparision. I flew home during the tailend of turkey season. My cost for a one-way ticket was $65.69 total, with 2 bags checked (1 guncase and 1 bag with hunting stuff) and 1 carried on. My truck was at my dad's place, which I picked up some patio furniture and drove back to CO after hunting. Total miles one-way from OK to Co was 654 miles. It cost me $189.00 in fuel alone to drive my truck back. The truck being a '99 Dodge Ram Extended Cab with a 5.9L 360 V8 that gets somewhere in the neighborhood of 15 miles to the gallon on the highway.

Just last weekend I bought my grandmother a ticket to fly from Tulsa to Denver for the weekend. Total cost of a roundtrip ticket was $189.89.

Another perfect example: I just purchased a round trip ticket for my wife to go home in June for a total cost of $213.00. There is absolutely NO way you could drive the round trip for less than the ticket price even in my wife's Toyota Corolla that gets better than 30 miles/gallon.

However, if flying into some of the smaller airports that might only be serviced by one, maybe two carriers, you can expect the cost of that ticket to be much more.

In these times, a bargain.