A few weeks ago, the company Spirit Airlines was the first airline in the country to make passengers pay for a carry on baggage. They charge $45 for each carry on item that is too small to fit beneath a seat but that can fit in the over compartment. So basically if you can fit the luggage under your seat(with little to no room for your feet!) you can have the luggage there for free. The CEO of Spirit Airlines, Ben Baldanza has defended the fees, saying fewer carry-on bags will help empty the plane faster and that the cost of most tickets would be reduced by $40.
But yesterday, a report from the democratic senator Charles E. Schumer explains that five airlines will not allow the same fee to occur in their flights. The airlines are american airlines, U.S airways, united airlines, delta airlines and jet blue airways.
Thankfully these five major airlines did not allow one airline to pressure them into copping out some more fees for passengers to pay. In general, I believe this fee for carry on luggages is completely ridiculous and I feel that it is a cheap way to make some money. Especially the fact that the luggage would be considered free if you can fit it under your seat. Are you serious? Will there be any room for your feet? How would storing it under your feet be any different then storing it in a storage compartment? What if some one trips over the bag supposedly under the seat? I am really glad that the biggest and most popular airlines did not buy these lame tactics, and I am guessing that there is a reason why no one has really ever heard of Spirit Airlines, and will continue not to know about it.
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20002468-503544.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/19/business/19bags.html?scp=1&sq=Spirit%20Airlines&st=cse
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4 comments:
Airlines in general are adding on all sorts of fees nowadays, so I'm not surprised to learn that an airline (albeit a small one) is starting to charge for carryon luggage. I remember flying when I was younger; domestic flights would give you peanuts and pretzels, and even a free meal if the flight coincided with a mealtime. And even before that, back when airlines first became available for commercial use, it wasn't uncommon for airplanes to have full beds and bunkbeds, as well as large leather chairs for everyone, not just business class, to sit in.
It seems that recently, airlines have just gotten a lot stingier. On the domestic flights I've been on recently, there has been no food; if you want to eat, you have to either buy your food in the airport or pay an exorbitant fee to purchase a meal from the flight attendants. United now charges $25 for your first checked bag, and $35 for the second. When I flew down to socal during spring break to visit colleges, my dad and I also learned that United won't let you check bags if you don't arrive at least 45 minutes before the plane is scheduled to take off (we arrived at the self check in station 43 minutes before take off); we had to pay $75 per person in order to reserve seats on the next plane flying to LA. When talking to the people working behind the counter, no one was willing to tell us if there were any seats available on the next flight, or if we would have to end up waiting even longer for the one after (as you can tell, I'm a bit bitter over the whole ordeal). It seems that lately, airlines have gotten a lot less personal; flying is no longer the exciting adventure I thought it was when I was little.
So no, I don't think that the ridiculous policies are only limited to the small, unknown airlines. Even the large ones are resorting to seemingly underhand tactics in order to make a buck (or more).
Wow, $45 PER item? Seems unreasonable, but I guess this would motivate people to not overpack. I would hate to be going somewhere for a month and not be able to pack a lot of clothing. Glad it's only Spirit Airlines and not United or Southwest. If there's no room for your feet, then I guess that's the price you pay for being cheap?
Wow that's really expensive just for a carry on item. It's already a small area and it'll just get worse with the luggage underneath the seat. I agree with Lauren that this is just another way for the airlines to make money. I'm glad that the five major airlines have not made the same decision.
I have noticed too that all of the airlines are adding all sorts of little fees that they did not have before. Also some don;'t even provide food any more like United Airlines....
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