What is the general opinion on carry on baggage fees? I can reluctantly accept a reasonable fee for a checked bag, but charging for carry on is going too far.
Allegiant has just implemented a carry on fee, which, taken into account with all their other nickel & dime fees, makes them not the bargain they make themselves out to be.
With this carry on fee, they have just lost themselves a customer!
I’m waiting for an airline to impose an Oxygen fee. No pay, you get to experience hypoxia. Pay you get to use the drop down O2 mask.
They’re great. I hate having to board early to get bin space.
The bins on Allegiant’s aircraft are really small (most of their aircraft are former Spanair and SAS MD-83’s with “small” bins on both sides - roll-aboards have to go in sideways) so they were having trouble fitting all the carry-ons because of people avoiding their checked bag fees. This required them to strictly measure every bag and do a lot of gate checks, which they charged full-price for and angered a lot of customers (including my girlfriend and me on a LAS-RFD flight). By charging for carry-ons they can get a better balance of checked bags and bags going in the overhead bins.
I think their customer satisfaction will ultimately improve from this as they won’t have to measure everyone’s carry-ons anymore and will have to do fewer last-minute gate checks.
Before Spirit enacted their carry-on fee, they said they ended up having to do 50+ gate checks on every flight out of LGA due to people trying to avoid the checked bag fee and it was really hurting their already poor on-time performance there. It really becomes a problem with nearly all-leisure airlines.
We may not like it, but there’s a real reason to do it, other than revenue.
Also, note that while Spirit charges more for a carry-on than a checked bag, I believe Allegiant will be charging less.
No, the ONLY reason they do it is revenue. It’s a wonder Allegiant, Spirit, and other similar nickel-and-dime airlines don’t charge a toll for walking on the Jetway between the terminal and the aircraft.
God forbid an airline try and make money
Can I request that the profits from my baggage fee be used to hire some flight attendants that aren’t frightening?
If they are going to charge money then they should charge it by weight. A carry-on that weighs 10 pounds causes the aircraft to burn more fuel than one weight 5 pounds. If it’s space they are worried about then the carry-on that is 3 cubic feet should be charged more than the one that is only 1 cubic foot.
The carrying of a reasonable amount of luggage (checked and carry-on) should be included in the price of the ticket.
It’s a business, they are there to make money. Regardless what you think or your opinion the bottom line is the bottom line.
Last year the baggage fees amounted to just over 1% of the US industries total revenues. What a great ploy to piss off your customers and only get peanuts for it.
Must have been some koleege graduate done thot that one up.
John- 1% of a very large number is still a very large number.
In 2010, the latest year I could find figures for, baggage fees amounted to $3,400,000,000 ($3.4 Billion). What is bad is that if the airline delays or loses your baggage, in most cases you do NOT get a refund of your fee!
Sure is, but is it worth worsening an already bad PR rep?
Airlines do not see significant book away due to baggage fees.
Customers like to bitch and moan, but when it comes to actually buying tickets, price and schedule always seem to dominate purchase decisions.
“PR” is a lot less important than people seem to treat it. Besides, almost every airline charges checked bag fees now.
Also, when the airline loses or delays your bag, you can almost always get your fee refunded, you just have to ask.
Finally, the checked bag fees have been a real boon to the airline credit cards that include waived checked bag fees. Mine has already paid for itself in the first 3 months of the year and is a pretty good credit card I wouldn’t mind having anyway.
Dismal airline PR will keep the rich flying with guys like me so I have no complaints
lol, job security comes from the strangest places sometimes.
That does not make it right!
So walmart shouldn’t charge for bananas? The gas station shouldn’t charge for gas? If you don’t like it you can drive or take a train or bus.
Or better yet charter a flight, in which case you can bring all the baggage the airplane can store
These are absurd analogies. You’re paying for a product at both places.
At Wal-Mart you’re buying the bananas. If Wal-Mart was an airline you’d be paying extra to use the cart to carry them to the cash register.
At the gas station you’re paying for the gas. At an airline you’d be paying extra to use the hose.
When people travel they need to bring things along like clothes, business presentations, books, etc. Why shouldn’t the cost of these be included in the ticket price? For decades, all means of transportation allowed passengers to bring baggage (one or two) along at no extra charge.
Like I said- take a car/train/bus if you don’t like it.
Where is it stated that you have the inherent right to bring baggage ona flight? Do you assume that you have that right?