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it's a bit embarrassing that the stuff Christopher Elliott writes can pass for journalism. Vote for the most outrageous fee on the sidebar there? Give me a break. This is ridiculous.
the tips are not earthshattering -- they are just things that you should inform yourself about especially if you don't fly often:
1. Bring less.
duh.
2. Fly a no-fee airline.
if that's how your loyalty swings, and they can get you to where you want to go, then by all means.
3. Look for loopholes. (elites, military get exemptions/discounts on bag fees, etc)
Well, these aren't exactly \"loopholes\". They get exemptions because they pay a lot/fly a lot/have political reasons.
4. Ask someone else to pay.
Who really, is going to choose their hotel based on the bag fee?
5. Get creative.
(on just packing smarter)
6. Exploit policy differences.
it's not that you're exploiting them, they just don't charge the fee if you connect between two different airlines that have different bag policies. It's not like you're going to choose which airline based on that, you've already bought the ticket.
7. Mail it.
this goes along with packing less. If you don't need something to be with you immediately on and off the plane, then consider shipping it, if it's a lot of stuff. But for something that has to be there with you, at all costs, paying the baggage fees are still a bargain.
and then this great line:
None of this ought to be necessary. If airlines could figure out how to make enough money from their fares, then they wouldn't need to nickel and dime those of us who aren't fortunate enough to be elite-level frequent fliers, unaccompanied minors or active duty military.
Well, coach passengers have demonstrated that you/we are unwilling to pay much more for airline services, so they have to come up with such fees. The airlines are being innovative.
Unless the industry consolidates and 1-2 airlines fold and no new replacements come in to take their place, this pressure on fares will continue and there will be fees.
and more:
How do we fix this? I can think of two solutions. First, air travelers can buy tickets on airlines that don't charge outrageous fees, like JetBlue and Southwest.
Give me a break. Good luck finding a flight with JetBlue or Southwest to London, or Beijing.
Chris Elliott, come up with some new, less tired old stuff to say. This passes for new information in July 2009? This guy covers travel issues full time. This is the best he can come up with?
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@kepler11: How could you miss the best gem of the whole article:
And second, our government can say, \"enough!\" It wouldn't take much. The Transportation Department could rule that the price of an airline ticket must include at least one piece of checked luggage, and that would pretty much end this debate.
*Link to DOT contact page*
I mean, really?! What a hack this guy is. I feel dumber for having read his article.
@kepler11: Well...just a few months ago, he was rehashing the \"tip\" that you can kissass to the gate agent to get a bump to J or First Class... and he brings up the irrelevant \"Rule 240\" every so often.
The only reason Southwest can get away without a bag fee is because they don't show up on Orbitz or any other GDS....so people can't directly price-shop in a spreadsheet format. They have many reminders on their website about the lack of fees, which an airline like Delta can't exactly do on Orbitz. The rest of the airlines have to undercut each other by at least a penny to show up on top in search results.
jetBlue can get away without a fee because they have built up a certain reputation that makes them a little less of a commodity product, and people are willing to pay more to ride them. Also, 85% of their reservations are done through their own website, vs. about 25% for the legacy carriers.
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@kepler11: Ha ha, what kind of tip were you hoping for? \"1. Slip onto the tarmac just before takeoff, and bungee your suitcase to the roof of the plane...the secret door code is 12345.\" I only fly once a year or so...I found the article informative.
@kepler11: @ kepler11 - Thanks for spending the time to consolidate. I read the article and thought the same thing.
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I once had 2 pieces of luggage and a car seat while flying Southwest. I was flying alone, so I wanted to check all 3 items. Since they charge for the 3rd piece, what I ended up doing was carrying the car seat all the way through to the gate, and then checked it at the gate, where they offered me the option of sending it directly to baggage claim when I arrived at my destination. Win!