AA to charge $15 for overweight/oversize carryon bags

[TropicAtHeart]

I haven't checked a suitcase in years. My wife and I can always go carry-on only for even a two week trip(legal size carry-on and one personal bag that can fit under seat). It just takes sending a flat rate Priority box ahead using USPS. Tropical vacations don't require a lot of clothing. People just pack way too much or they're the type that has to have 2 different outfits per day and shoes to match.

[TropicAtHeart]

Big people? Solution: The airlines are saying they are cutting seats, so why not remove the existing ones and replace them with bigger (and fewer) seats? Simple.
-Bert

I'd love for some seats to be removed and replaced with larger ones, but unfortunately it cost about $5000 for each new seat to be built and installed in planes.

[jimg20]

All I know is that the airlines say they are charging for bags so they don't have to raise ticket prices, but my EXACT same flight that I took to STT last year is more than twice what I paid last year. More than twice!

I think the airlines are getting to be ridiculous. They have us where they want us, and they take advantage of that. It's not fair, but I don't know that there's anything we can do about it.

I agree that the airlines have always had this problem of looking in the wrong end of the telescope. They cannot see the world the way the rest of us do. I must say, however, this crisis is not really of their making. They are fighting the same issues as we are with a lot more zeros in their number.

I travel every week for work. In fact, I am sitting in the ATL ariport waiting for a flight to Washington. his will not get better any time soon. I just hope that the airlines survive and maintain some level of competition so thisng do not go completely wild. My $600-700 tickets are costing $1200-1300 today.

Now it is time to get to the next gate and earn some more STT miles. That's how I justify doing this.

JIM

[waterguy]

My Butt fits in my seat noproblem but my shoulders are always in fringing on the other seats. I try not to use the arm rests and try to sit in the aisle seat so most of the flight I can lean out that way. I'd like to see the person these seats are made for.

[RickG]

I thought this note would get people going. The reality is that when oil goes from $60 to $135 per barrel airline operating costs increase dramatically. The industry was running below cost due to suicidal competition before the oil shock.

There are two things that the airlines need to do: decrease costs and increase prices. I'd rather the price increases be shared proportionally based on the resources that people use. The a la carte fees are one way to do this. Use all of the resources you want: check as many bags as you wish, pack them as heavy as you like, bring a surfboard and skis, don't forget that scuba tank and beer keg (take out the valves), put your bike in a box, but pay the freight.

How much do you need to take on a trip? AA lets you take a 40 pound carryon that is up to 45 linear inches. The carryon bags that we use are the inexpensive 7 pound rollers from RickSteves.com that measure 9x21x14. This fits everything, except snorkel gear, for two people for one-two weeks on St. John and came in at 32 pounds. It works great and fits in the overhead bin wheels first.

Cheers, RickG

[augie]

There are a good many common sense options that the airlines COULD adopt, such as the ones Rick proposes, but common sense seems to be in short supply among the folks that apparently make the decisions.

Yesterday, as we flew out of Cozumel on an ATR puddle jumper to Miami, we had to do the luggage chinese fire drill on the floor in front of the ticket agent. Since we had no scale at our condo we had to guess to try and even out the weight among our bags, and we didn't nail it.

Our family of four still had the same net weight for our checked luggage (bringing your own scuba gear, even sans weights and tanks, fills up one's weight allotment pretty quickly) yet we had to do an iterative operation to get them all under fifty pounds instead of allowing a couple of them to be a pound or two heavy and the others to be a pound or two light.

Which I'm sure only added to the positive airline experience of the people behind us in line waiting to check in. If there was a scale somewhere in the terminal where you could weigh your bags before getting in the check in line it would save some folks a lot of embarassment, and others some uneccessary frustration.

Again, that would be a common sense fix that ain't likely to happen.

[RickG]

Augie, that's a really good point. Anyone who has an equipment intensive hobby like scuba, skiing, mountaineering or homebrewing (try getting kegs home) appreciates a scale.

Cheers, RickG

[Diana2]

Never do the chinese luggage drill again. Here's the coolest luggage scale. We don't leave home without it. http://www.magellans.com/store/Gift_Ide ... T789?Args=

[California Girl]

My carry-on bag is within legal size restrictions, but it doesn't always fit wheels-in in the overhead. So when do you suppose the airlines will start standardizing the size of the overhead bins?

On another note, I think what it all boils down to is basically terrorism. The point of terrorism is to upset everyone and get them running around like chickens with their heads cut off. All of the new airline restrictions went into effect after 9-11 - a result of terrorism. The cost of a barrel of oil has pushed up fuel prices - and who is controlling the oil these days? I believe it's the Middle East. Another form of terrorism if you ask me. It's economic terrorism. You don't even have to blow up any buildings to screw with America...just keep increasing the price of the oil and gas we have to put in our SUVs!

[Teresa_Rae]

Wanna know something weird?

On Sunday we departed STT on United (via US Air) and they didn't weigh our checked luggage.

Is it because they finally realized that the only reason our suitcases are heavy post-vacation is because they are filled with rum and they want us to keep buying it?

[RickG]

On another note, I think what it all boils down to is basically terrorism. The point of terrorism is to upset everyone and get them running around like chickens with their heads cut off. All of the new airline restrictions went into effect after 9-11 - a result of terrorism. The cost of a barrel of oil has pushed up fuel prices - and who is controlling the oil these days? I believe it's the Middle East. Another form of terrorism if you ask me. It's economic terrorism. You don't even have to blow up any buildings to screw with America...just keep increasing the price of the oil and gas we have to put in our SUVs!

Err, uhh, hmm, I think there's both more and less to the price of oil than economic terrorism.

The oil producers are pumping all of the oil they possibly can. This is a demand-side problem.

In brewing, we are seeing the same thing in stainless steel, barley malt and hops. The emerging demand for these products in the developing world, as for oil, has pushed past the ability of the producers to meet the demand - the price goes up. Period.

The only solution is to reduce demand. That won't happen anytime soon.

Read this for more "good news:" http://www.economist.com/finance/displa ... d=11610918

Cheers, RickG

[papabou]

CariBert wrote:
Big people? Solution: The airlines are saying they are cutting seats, so why not remove the existing ones and replace them with bigger (and fewer) seats? Simple.
-Bert

bert, the airlines did that over a half century ago. its called first class. plenty of seat and leg room but unfortunately the fares are a little higher.

i'm with rickG; prices should be based on what you use. airlines need to price like the ala carte restuarant not the all you can eat for one price buffet.

still papabou

[Robin in NC]

Rick Seaney of farecompare.com has a complete guide to carry-on regulations here: http://rickseaney.com/airline-carry-on-baggage-chart/

Interesting that some airlines (American, Delta, Northwest) limit carry-ons to 45" linear inches, while others (Continental, USAirways) allow 51". Also interesting that not all airlines specify a maximum weight.

I'd feel a lot better about doing my part to help the airlines stay profitable if they organized their routes in a more logical order. Their nonstop routes are most preferred, so they place a premium price on them. That makes budget-conscious flyers have to take flights with one or two connections -- wasting who knows how much jet fuel. And haven't we all had to make a goofy connection, like flying from Charlotte to St. Thomas via Detroit? They need to rethink the entire system, but it's easier to just keep charging their customers more and more. Four-dollar gas has been the tipping point where people are reconsidering where they drive; the airlines are going to reach a point where those who don't have to fly, won't.

Robin

[CariBert]

bert, the airlines did that over a half century ago. its called first class. plenty of seat and leg room but unfortunately the fares are a little higher.

i'm with rickG; prices should be based on what you use. airlines need to price like the ala carte restuarant not the all you can eat for one price buffet.

still papabou

yeah, but they only did it in the front of the plane. They need to do it in the rest of the plane.

And Rick, if they are pumping out all the oil they can, why did the Saudis just meet and decide to increase their production to meet the demand more?

You know, I hope the powers that be will read these posts, because between us, we have just about solved this crisis!!

-Bert

[Lulu76]

I have always said if I ran the airlines, I'd ensure they wouldn't be losing money by doing stupid things like having a connection in MINNESOTA when flying from Nashville to Washington DC. And yes, I looked at a Nashville-Detroit-Miami-St. Thomas flight just yesterday. I'm sure there's some rationale to that, I just don't get what it is. I think it has to do with hubs and what-not, but it still has to be wasteful.

If it weren't for the ban on liquid and razors, I could easily travel with just my carryon, especially to STJ, where I take two pairs of shorts, two swimsuits, two pairs of flip flops (and one of them is on my feet), two tank tops, PJs and a sundress. Unfortunately, I hate the thought of replacing all my personal items and spending $15 on a can of sunscreen when I get there.

I'm not a little girl, and I fit in my seat OK and try not to let too much of my fat hang out on the person next to me!