Baggage Fees

Yesterday Spirit Airlines announced it will begin charging $45 per carry-on bag starting on August 1. While purses and laptop bags will remain free, this is bad news for travelers. As soon as one airline started charging $25 per checked bag, the others quickly followed. Thus it's reasonable to suspect that all airlines will soon charge for carry-ons. How long before we're charged for the clothing we wear during the flight?

I like to think that companies still sometimes listen to their customers, so in an effort to persuade anyone who would listen I dashed off the following letter to major carriers. (I'll add replies to this post as I receive them.)

Dear Airline,
Yesterday a competitor of yours announced new $45 fees for carry-on baggage, in addition to existing $25 fees for checked baggage. I sincerely hope that you do not follow suit. As a frequent traveler, these fees would make it impossible for me to continue in my current line of work—a job I adore and in this economy is especially precious. I am self-employed and thus do not have the luxury of “expensing” baggage fees to a client or employer for reimbursement. Paying an additional $50-$90 for baggage each round trip would reduce my annual income by $xxxx-$xxxx [figures removed for blog post]. What’s more, it is unreasonable to expect passengers would travel with zero luggage; at least one bag of 50 lbs. or less should be included in the cost of the ticket. If you must raise airline prices then do so, but by raising ticket prices and not by adding baggage fees. Some employers and clients will pay for airfare, but not baggage fees thus your bundling the fee for one bag into each ticket price would ease the cost of travel for frequent business flyers.
Sincerely,
Hope S. Philbrick

The first reply came, much to my utter surprise, from American Airlines (with whom I have a complicated past):

April 7, 2010
Dear Mrs. Philbrick:
We appreciate hearing your perspective about the changes that some of our competitors have made to their carry-on bag policy. We are not charging to stow carry-on bags in overhead bins, and we have not announced intention to do so.

Thank you for giving us the chance to address this matter. We appreciate your business, and I hope that we have the opportunity to welcome you aboard again soon.

Sincerely,
Kim G. McGee
Customer Relations
American Airlines

OK, although "have not announced intention to do so" doesn't mean they have no intention of doing so. Time will tell.

April 8, 2010
Dear Mr. Philbrick:

Thank you for contacting Customer Relations at US Airways in regard to the recent announcement made by Spirit Airline and their decision to begin charging customers for carry on luggage. Comments and suggestions from our customers are considered a vital link to the continued growth and success of US Airways. Accordingly, I have forwarded your email to our Executive Management to have your comments counted among similar comments received by US Airways. I am confident your comments will receive thoughtful evaluation.

We appreciate your business and would welcome any opportunity to serve your travel needs.

Sincerely,
Deana Farnsworth
Representative, Customer Relations
US Airways Corporate Office

Glad to hear that the issue will be escalated (as it should be) to top management at US Airways. I'll overlook the assumption that I'm a dude.

April 9, 2010
Dear Mr. Philbrick:

Thank you for contacting Continental Airlines.

At this time, we are not planning to charge for carry-on baggage. I can appreciate your concern and, while the airline industry is dynamic, I can assure you that imminent changes regarding our bag policy have not been advised.

We value your business and look forward to welcoming you onboard Continental Airlines in the future.

Regards,
Felicitas Popp
Customer Service Manager
Continental Airlines

Good news. But again I'm addressed as "Mr. Philbrick." Even today, the standard assumption about frequent business travelers is that they are male?

Dear Ms. Philbrick,

Currently, we have no intention of increasing costs or implementing fees for carry on luggage.

I assure you before any decision is made to increase fares or implement fees, we thoroughly investigate all options available to us. Although fees are sometimes necessary to a companies survival, we do not wish to unnecessarily burden our passengers or their pockets.

If I have failed to address all of your concerns, please contact me directly in a reply to this message. We thank you for including AirTran Airways in your travels and we hope to serve you soon.

Sincerely,
Natasha Mugen
Customer Relations Department
AirTran Airways

Good. But I have a sneaking suspicion that when they determine it's time to raise prices and "thoroughly investigate all options" it won't result in their bundling fees. Higher prices can be understandable as fuel prices rise; but it shouldn't mean suddenly paying for services that should be perceived as free by being automatically included in the baseline price.

Dear Mrs. Philbrick,

Thank you for contacting Delta Air Lines; your feedback is greatly appreciated.

At this time Delta has no plans to charge for carry-on luggage.

We appreciate receiving your comments. Many customers share their feedback with us, and these observations oftentimes form the basis for improvements in our service. Be assured I will be sharing your comments with the responsible leadership team.

Again, thank you for writing. We appreciate your selection of Delta and will always welcome the opportunity to be of service.

Sincerely,
Merlynn White
Online Customer Support Desk

Let's all mark our calendars and watch how long "at this time" lasts.

I'll add other airlines' replies as they trickle in.

Join the campaign and send your own letters to airlines' customer service departments!
To reach Continental Airlines send an email to: geninfo@coair.com

The following airlines have online email forms; click to link to...
AirTran
American Airlines
Delta
United Airlines
US Airways

Note: Southwest Airlines does not charge extra for baggage. Sadly, they do not fly into Atlanta.

Baltimore Bites & Sips

When in Baltimore, Maryland, these tastes are worth seeking out.

The macaroni and cheese at Taverna Corvino marries house-made pasta with cheesy sauce and crispy cubes of pancetta.

The seafood rice (an individual-sized portion of paella) at Pazo is loaded with shrimp, calamari, mussels and monkfish and gets extra zings of flavor from lobster stock and saffron.

Pretty and delicious, the beet gnocchi at Sotto Sopra is topped with squash, asparagus and feta: The sampler at Brewer's Art serves up six of the house-made microbrews, so you can sip each variety. Odds are you'll then want to order a pint of your favorite.

You can't go wrong when ordering crab at City Cafe, whether it's the to-die-for cream of crab soup, crab atop a fried green tomato or meaty jumbo lump crab cake.

This best-selling cocktail at B&O American Brasserie is made with gin, lemon juice, elderflower syrup and honey.

The crab ceviche at Talara pairs the seafood with mango and avocado:
At Milan don't miss the lobster mac & cheese.

At Aldo's in Baltimore's "Little Italy" neighborhood arrive hungry because you don't want to miss the eggplant parmigiana...
...or the gnocchi in tomato cream sauce or the pappardelle with wild boar sauce.

Bottom Line: There are many good things to eat and drink in Baltimore, Maryland, so plan to stay for several days and remember to pack your loose pants.