With the steady increase in checked-baggage fees and the broadening of the application of those fees, many passengers have been wondering just what they get for their money when they check a bag domestically. The answer: nothing.
Delta wins the infamous Golden Luggage Award this quarter with a stellar effort at collecting more fees than any other airline but also managing to rack up the most luggage-related complaints.
According to the latest Transportation Department reports, America’s airlines, last January, February and March, collected almost $570 million in checked-baggage fees. The airlines are well on their way to breaking their billion-dollar record of fees collected last year.
At the same time, baggage service, now on track to be more than a $2 billion industry for the airlines, has not seen any real improvements and certainly no guarantees for delivery offered by any airline other than Alaska Airlines.
Delta, among the major airlines (excluding regional airlines) is the king of lost luggage with more than 6 pieces lost per 1,000 passengers (and 2.32/1,000 on Northwest) based on their March 2009 statistics. They are the clear Golden Luggage Award winner
These baggage fees are not controlled by the DOT. They are not subject to taxes on airfares. The fees are not commissionable to travel agents. They are not refundable. In some cases, they can only be paid for at the airport. And they are never clearly included in the airfare.
Mention of these charges that can amount to $100 for a passenger traveling round-trip with two bags only come at the very end of the purchase process on most airline Web sites.
Department of Transportation figures show airlines collected $3.8 billion in fees during the first six months of the year, up more than 50 percent from the $2.3 billion in fees charged in 2008.
With fees now becoming a major source of revenue for the airlines, DOT needs to figure out a way to force the airlines to clearly reveal their fees before passengers go through the entire booking process.
Here is a facebook group that is forming to fight baggage fees. We’ll see what happens. DOT may set up some new rules about including at least one bag in the ticket price. But, one thing is for sure, baggage fees are here to stay.
Chart from The Economist
Charlie Leocha is the President of Travelers United. He has been working in Washington, DC, for the past 14 years with Congress, the Department of Transportation, and industry stakeholders on travel issues. He was the first consumer representative to the Advisory Committee for Aviation Consumer Protections appointed by the Secretary of Transportation from 2012 through 2018.
