The other point missed in large part by the media, but touched on by you is the effect of increasing carryon luggage. As it stands right now, there is NOT room for all carry-ons already brought onboard. So how are bigger and more carryons going to find room. Add in that fact that now everyone will “carry-on” bags that cannot possibly fit, so will the airline go back and collect the fee when those have to be checked. What will happen on regional jets when all but the smallest carryons have to be gate checked. What does that count as?

I honestly believe that as much as this is being stated about fuel, the secondary benefit is clearly in the costs airlines have in mishandling a record number of bags. When the airline loses or delays my bags, they to pay a delivery charge, pay replacement costs, etc. Less “checked” bags relieves them of this liablity for late, lost or damage bags.

Also, when talking about luggage increases, it should be noted that these fees most affect non-business travels. The bulk of business travels check very few bags in my experience. People taking multiple bags are either the family travels, older travelers taking longer trips, or vacationers traveling with golf clubs, baby gear, or items they are bringing back from their vacation spot. My wife and I are going for a two-week vacation with two small kids. I can hear the cash register ringing up parents luggage, kids luggage, car seats, playpen. Of course I am checking it all, because I already have two small kids to haul around the airport. So they have me stuck…

Great column, thanks for the insight.

1) FedEx delivers to your door. I would gladly pay the $15 luggage fee if the airline did that for me.
2) You compare next day FedEx (paid the day before arrival) to an airline ticket bought a month in advance. Maybe a USPS next MONTH price would be more appropriate, or use the airline fare price bought only one day in advance.
3) You are comparing the maximum size bag (50 pounds) before the extra airline fee. One extra pound and the airline price goes from $15 to $65. I don’t think FedEx has this big of a price change for that extra pound. Maybe we should compare a more typical bag size of say 35 pounds. The price goes down for FedEx, but the airlines charge the same.

Regardless, I hope you are right about the fee not sticking.

I just checked “luggage delivery services” for their pricing:
firstluggage.com = $371.20
luggagefree.com = $220.00
carymyluggage.com = $375+ (based on exchange rate from British Pounds)
Luggageconcierge.com = $411.06

I don’t intend to fly AA anytime soon. It already takes a long time to get on and off a plane because of so many people struggling with their carry-ons. I cannot imagine how bad it will be once the number and size of carry-ons starts to increase.

If we have to pay airlines for a baggage shipping service that too often loses, delays, damages, or pilfers luggage, it would make sense to pay a little more for a third party that provides reliable and secure service. And by the way, vacationers who are able to plan ahead can significantly reduce the cost of third-party shipping by sending their bags several days in advance.

If the fees persist, the third-party shipping will become just another one of the many expenses and hassles that go with air travel. Of course, the best solution to all those hassles is to choose destinations that don’t require flying. This summer would be a great time to spend a vacation exploring the attractions in our home towns that we overlooked when air travel was easy!

Don’t have the money/credit card with you for the unexpected gate check? The airline won’t care if you are forced to either leave your bag or not take the flight.