Last year, a barrel of oil was selling for $147, which prompted American Airlines as well as all other airlines to raise the cost of tickets. Another way to recoup expenses was to add a fee to each bag checked. Now that the price of oil is down and the economy is sagging, the airlines were ahead of the game -- charging for bags is here to stay as a way to bolster the airlines' revenues while keeping that $15 off of airline tickets.American Airlines' Executive Vice President Dan Garton said that bag fees are here to stay and that " they have allowed us to give customers choice. If you carry on your bag or don't take a lot of clothing with you, you don't have to pay the fee. So it is an optional fee. Customers do enjoy having the choice of how much they pay for services. So some people choose not to have bags, some travel with very many bags. I'd say you get what you pay for in this case."
I think this is baloney. This isn't an optional fee. If I don't want to pay the fee but I'm staying somewhere for a week, how am I going to not take more clothes than would fit into a carry-on? So my choice is to wear two outfits all week and wash one while wearing the other? That's ridiculous!
Garton also says "The customers who fly with us most and pay the highest fares do not encounter the same fees as those who fly once a year on a very leisure-based fare." Since I'm on the non-receiving end of this good deal for frequent fliers, I don't much like his reasoning, but, I do get discounts from certain stores that I frequent more than others, so I guess I can see the reasoning. Except, if all airlines do this, then I don't really have a choice, like I do when I go grocery shopping. I could choose to go to one of many grocery stores, but since most airlines (except Southwest! Yay, Southwest!) force fees on checked bags and a tiered pricing system, then I'd say most of us are screwed.
Time to gas up the hybrid!
Photo: Michael J. Carter, http://www.airwaysmag.com/channels.html?article_id=135&channel_id=3
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