Jan 20th, 2010 at 12:30PM:
If you regularly check a bag, then I'm sure the airlines would like to personally thank you for the extra income. In just two years, we've gone from one airline experimenting with a pay-to-check baggage system, to an industry where paying to check any bag is the new standard. Thankfully, there are ways around having to check a bag.
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Trick, repack and rethink your way around the new luggage fees
Jan 20th, 2010 at 12:30PM:
If you regularly check a bag, then I'm sure the airlines would like to personally thank you for the extra income. In just two years, we've gone from one airline experimenting with a pay-to-check baggage system, to an industry where paying to check any bag is the new standard. Thankfully, there are ways around having to check a bag.
tweetmeme_url = ...What? You're still paying the airlines to carry your bags?
Jan 19th, 2010 at 10:30AM: Now that the airlines have raised, yet again, their fees for checked bags, it's time to take another look at the alternative: shipping your bags, or better yet (if you're staying in one place once you arrive) just the contents of your bag ahead of your arrival using economical ground shipping services.
Why deal with the airlines, when UPS Ground and FedEx Ground offer better tracking, insurance ...US Airways the latest to increase extra bag fee
Jan 16th, 2010 at 2:00PM: US Airways has joined the ranks of airlines increasing their fees for extra baggage. The low cost carrier is raising its extra baggage fees by $5 each way, which is comparable to the increases levied by Delta, Continental and United. With the new charge, US Airways will be charging $25 for the first bag checked, with a second bag costing you $35 each way. The new fee takes effect on February 1, ...10 travel resolutions for 2010
Dec 30th, 2009 at 9:30AM:
As 2009 draws to a close and we look back on the last 365 days of travel, it's time to make some resolutions for the coming year. Here are ten travel resolutions that will help you be a happier, more fulfilled traveler in 2010.
Pack lighter
digg_url = 'http://digg.com/travel_places/10_Travel_Resolutions_for_2010'; Nearly every domestic carrier now charges for the first checked bag. The ...Passengers left without luggage because of airlines refusal to pay overtime
Dec 20th, 2009 at 1:30PM: Oh how the mighty have fallen. A decade ago, British Airways referred to itself as "the world's favorite airline". Now, they are quickly becoming the world's worst.
After their planned strike was canceled, it became obvious that staff morale was at an all time low - something that became painfully obvious last Friday night at London Heathrow. A flight arriving from Prague got into the airport ...Airline recession will continue into 2010, good news for passengers
Dec 16th, 2009 at 4:00PM: The airline industry must be excited to see 2009 coming to a close. It was a year of route cuts, perk cuts and abuse from passengers over all kinds of sacrifices in the cabin ... and a genuine commitment to fees for extra bags. The global financial crisis triggered in September 2008 hit the travel industry with extra severity, forcing airlines, famous for not being able to generate easy profits ...Congress to investigate airline fees ... but not for your benefit
Nov 14th, 2009 at 2:00PM: Congress is digging into all those new airline fees. Extra bags, special check-in situations ... you name it. Before you start cheering on our lawmakers, though, you should know that they aren't doing this from a sense of consumer advocacy. Frankly, Congress doesn't give a damn how much you pay for air travel. But, it does care how you pay. Why? A cash-strapped government is wondering if it's ...Five ways to beat the competition to the overhead bin
Oct 28th, 2009 at 2:00PM: There's nothing so gauche as to stick your carry-on into an overhead bin far ahead of your seat, grab a book or magazine from it and walk 17 rows back to your seat. Because, whether you know it (or give a damn), one of the passengers sitting under your bag may not have a place to put his. Then, when the plane settles in at the gate, he'll try to shove his way to the back of the plane (where he was ...Five tips for booking holiday travel
Oct 18th, 2009 at 8:00AM: If you're planning to fly home for the holidays this year, it's time to start booking your flight. Even though fares are cheaper than they were last year, prices have been going up over the fast few weeks, according to a report in USA Today. Thanksgiving prices are down around 7%, with the Christmas/New Year's season down 12% from last year. Since the travel market is still limping along, you may ...British Airways offers free companion fare
Oct 1st, 2009 at 2:30PM: Fly on British Airways between now and January 29, 2010 and you could earn a free companion fare for your next flight.
To get the free ticket, you need to sign up for the Executive Club (which is free) and take a round-trip flight to any one of the 300 destinations to which the airline flies. Then, book another ticket January 4 to July 30, 2010 for travel January 11 to December 15, 2010. You'll ...Increasing airline baggage fees displayed in pretty colors and numbers
Sep 27th, 2009 at 1:00PM: This chart shows the increase in airline baggage fees during the the last couple of quarters. As you can see, American Airlines and Delta Airlines grew from around 40 million Dollars in Q2 2008 to 118 million Dollars in Q2 of this year. You did read that correctly - they each made 118 million Dollars in just one quarter, just off baggage fees. The total money generated from baggage fees in 2009 ...Airline fees continue, necessary evil
Sep 6th, 2009 at 8:00AM: Yes, you've heard about this all year, and you'll probably hear about it for a while to come. Airlines are still looking for ways to pull every dollar they can out of your wallets, but the reality is that they have no choice. Seven of the nine largest airlines in the United States had a rough time in August, making these measures more important than passengers might realize.
The second bag, ...Bag too big? Check with Congress
Aug 25th, 2009 at 1:00PM: Every carry-on could become a federal case, so to speak. Rep. Dan Lipinski, D-IL, has proposed legislation that would cap the size of each carry-on. Right now, airlines are left to their own devices, leading to a bit of confusion for fliers who use several carriers throughout the year. Since a de facto industry standard hasn't emerged, Lipinski feels it's a job for the folks in Washington. ...Avoid high baggage fees - rent clothes from Zero Baggage
Aug 11th, 2009 at 11:30AM: Airline baggage fees just keep going up, and there seems to be no end in sight. With few airlines left that don't charge for checked bags, travelers who can't manage to get everything they need into a carry-on bag could end up paying some hefty fees. One Canadian company has come up with a plan to help.
Zero Baggage promises to provide travelers with an "environmentally responsible, anxiety-free ...Airline fee backfires: skycaps win in Massachusetts court
Aug 6th, 2009 at 8:00AM: When American Airlines started to charge a $2 fee for curbside baggage check-in, the skycaps lost their tips. Passengers were accustomed to paying $2 or so, it seems, and weren't going to amp up the cash flow just because the money was going into a different pocket. So, nine Logan Airport skycaps – current and former – just came into $325,000, thanks to the Massachusetts Supreme ...American Airlines: open your wallet
Jul 25th, 2009 at 12:00PM: When you have to combat a brutal economic downturn, there are few choices. The airlines are cutting costs, cutting seats and looking for new sources of revenue. But, none of this compares to doubling down on the old revenue streams they've already devised! Why work so hard trying to come up with new ideas, when you already have old ones? So, get ready for bag-checking to get more expensive on ...Delta's checked baggage fee to go up: A flawed, unfair practice
Jul 23rd, 2009 at 12:00PM: While browsing Wallet Pop, I found out that Delta is increasing its checked baggage fee as of August 4. If you don't check your baggage on-line before you arrive at the airport, you'll have to pay $20 for that first bag instead of $15.
Okay, people. Okay Delta, who I'm not too pleased with already, enough is enough. Here's why I think that's nonsense, and I'm a person who paid $55 total for ...New fees aren't new, but airlines keep trying
Jun 23rd, 2009 at 12:00PM: Cheaper fares are being offset by an array of extra fees, as airlines try to bring in some extra revenue in order to keep planes in the sky. And, to a certain extent, it's working. United Airlines forecasts $1 billion in revenue from these fees this year – accounting for more than 5 percent of its revenue. But, as they try to find new ways to dig into your wallet, fewer and fewer new ideas ...Airline baggage fees continue to climb
Jun 22nd, 2009 at 3:30PM: What started with a single airline charging passengers to check their second piece of luggage has slowly evolved into a massive money making scheme netting some airlines as much as $1 Billion in additional cash. The state of airline travel now means there are just a handful of airlines that do not charge for additional bags, and those airlines that do charge you, are getting so greedy that they ...Ten things that can (and will) spoil your vacation
Jun 11th, 2009 at 12:00PM: Vacation is meant to be a fun time - a chance to get away from it all and enjoy yourself. But things happen in life that can really mess up those plans. In this gallery, we've collected ten of the worst things that can happen on a trip that will really screw up your vacation. If you are lucky, you'll only run into one of them, but the really unlucky traveler may be thrown a combination of ...
