To Avoid Higher Baggage Fees, Plan Ahead
Someday we will tell our grandchildren about a serene time when you didn’t have to pay money to take your luggage with you when you were on the plane. For now, we’ll just focus on spending as little as possible to take our bags with us.
And that’s not good, people. These baggage check prices continue to rise.
In View From the Wing, Gary Leff writes that airlines are starting to offer “discounts” on baggage check fees if you pay online instead of at the ticket counter.
First, JetBlue raised its first bag from $ 30 to $ 35. Exception: If you pay online in front of the registration window, you still pay $ 30 . The discount only applies to your first two bags, which means your second bag could be $ 40 instead of the new $ 45 fee.
United is now taking a similar step, raising checked baggage rates on domestic routes, as well as on select routes from Latin America and the Caribbean. Right now, United’s website still lists fees of $ 30 for the first bag and $ 40 for the second. If you book after February 21st for travel on March 6th or later, you will pay more if you drop off your bag at the counter. And if you want to save money, you will need to pay online before registering .
Airlines are doing this to reduce congestion at ticket offices and to reward customers who plan ahead, Leff said. So if you don’t want to shell out the full price for your bags, you need to consider your travel needs when booking your ticket, rather than waiting the night before to start packing.
Are you going to visit your parents for a week? Just pay to drop your bag. Going on a business trip where you need to wear a suit every day? Just plan to check the bag. Planning a weekend trip and not sure? Maybe wait until it’s time to travel and risk paying another $ 5.
Because, as usual, there is a catch with this savings plan: if you decide not to check in your baggage at the last minute, you will not receive a prepaid baggage refund. You will only receive a refund if you cancel the entire ticket.
If you want to completely avoid paying baggage check fees , you need to be a member of the loyalty program with status and / or book your ticket using a credit card provided by the airline. Don’t want to get a credit card for every airline you could potentially patronize? Sorry!
It’s just a dumb new reality of air travel. I know that in general we have moved from complaints about baggage charges to complaints about seat fees . But if airlines just made it cheaper to check bags under the plane, we could get everyone out of the aisle and have this show on the road, am I right?