United has now joined the bandwagon with American and US Airways to start charging $15 for the first bag of luggage checked, each way. Expect people to start carrying bigger and bigger carry-on bags, which will make life in the cabin sooooo much nicer.
Airlines are attributing new fees and surcharges to high fuel prices, up 91.5 percent from this time last year, according to the International Air Transport Association.
“With record-breaking fuel prices, we must pursue new revenue opportunities, while continuing to offer competitive fares, by tailoring our products and services around what our customers value most and are willing to pay for,” United’s chief operating officer, John P. Tague, said in a statement.
Some airline, soon, is going to start advertising a “no fees fare” for flying. It will be more expensive than the raw airfare that folks like United will advertise — but I think as more people travel and get hit by one fee after another, it could turn out (like no-haggle car prices) to be a very effective tactic. Certainly I’d be interested.
Either that, or I’m gonna start shipping stuff I need to take on personal trips.
(via Ginny)
Only if you can ship it for less than, say, $15…
Yeah. The shipping costs occurred to me later.
So … a boon to the cheap vacation t-shirt industry? Some entrepreneur to set up “buy it, wear it, throw it away” wear at destination airports?