Gothamist: Pack Light: American Airlines to Charge $15 for First Checked Bag

sonyactivision

Thu, 22 May 2008 23:23:25 -0500

Oprah pays far more than $15 for "something special in the air": her dildo collection, once mere carry-on, has morphed into seven adult fares just for the steamer trunks. The roller luggage has been known to cause passenger bumping and delays up and down the East Coast.

BKBoy

Thu, 22 May 2008 14:01:19 -0500

#23 - wow, that is about the most ignorant thing I've ever read. There's plenty of blame to go around, but let's call a spade a spade. Under regulations at the time, box cutters were completely allowed on planes. As were knives up to a certain length. COULD airlines have implemented more stringent rules? Of course! Do you think that passengers at the time would have gotten all hissy on message boards just like this one how it takes 20 minutes longer to go through American Airlines security than any other airlines? You bet! Please explain how you place American Airlines at the top of the blame list for this? How about lax oversight? And trust me, I am no fan of American Airlines..

Jerk Store

Thu, 22 May 2008 13:26:43 -0500

I would gladly pay the $15 dollars if it would help improve the horrible service that has only gotten worse over time -- delays, cancellations, inconvenience, and a shrug-our-shoulders "not our fault" attitude. At this point I think the structure of the industry needs a complete overhaul because it's the largest source of the problems. We have this bizarre hybrid industry that floats on heavy government subsidies, but with "private" companies. Either the industry needs to move back towards less subsidies and more truly private competitors -- so that the market will drive out the bad airlines -- or else the industry needs to go completely public. The current system just produces a bunch of self-interested companies who know they can rely on bailouts and handouts rather than correct deep problems.

Spiritof76

Thu, 22 May 2008 13:02:23 -0500

I'd pay the $15 if they could guarantee me that 1) My bag will make it to my destination the same time I do, and 2) It will not be rifled through and valuables stolen by crooked baggage handlers.

drewo

Thu, 22 May 2008 12:56:27 -0500

#23 JCBra: the 2 hijackings can be blamed more on airport security, than AA security. (It happened to 2 planes on another airline as well). The crash record for large commercial jets in this country (discounting intentional crashes) is actually great over the last 10 years or so.

Politburo

Thu, 22 May 2008 12:44:25 -0500

Ianciano: The business world is going to have to deal with it either way.. they can use slower train trips, or expensive plane trips. Or, they can realize that not everything needs to be done face-to-face.

JMH

Thu, 22 May 2008 12:43:50 -0500

Schematic @ #18 has the right idea. The future of travel in this country should be one in which the airlines focus on more profitable longer routes and our intercity rail network is improved so that it can handle more people traveling shorter (NYC-Buffalo, Boston-Philly, etc.) distances.

roe

Thu, 22 May 2008 12:34:32 -0500

Good points, all. At least on RyanAir and EasyJet, you know up front that the service is going to suck, and you're not being charged through the nose. American? High prices, poor service, a bag of peanuts if you're lucky, all for the privilege of being treated worse than you would on the Chinatown buses. And they wonder why people aren't flying as much anymore...

streber

Thu, 22 May 2008 12:29:21 -0500

Slighty off topic, but: American Airlines Sucks! They hire 3rd party baggage handlers, who pay minimum wage, and then take no accountability for their actions. So when you tell AA that a baggage handler threw your belongings on the ground and threatened you that you will never see them again, AA doesn't give a rats ass. I won't fly American Airlines. You shouldn't fly American Airlines.

JenChungsBra

Thu, 22 May 2008 12:10:45 -0500

That's right drewo, and all three of those planes crashed and killed everyone on board. One was from wake turbulence or whatever and the other two were because American failed to take adequate steps to prevent people armed with boxcutters from turning their planes into terrorist weapons. It's not like nobody had ever hijacked a plane before.

lanciano

Thu, 22 May 2008 11:39:14 -0500

wow. just reread my last post and noticed the bad grammar and unfinished sentences. i need to slow down!

lanciano

Thu, 22 May 2008 11:37:13 -0500

i feel bad for the flight attendants who are going to have to referee the arguments over overhead bins. as if air travel was already uncivilized. this is going to ensure that all fliers into cavemen. I would like to see a train travel revival, but if we take longer to get places, the world, including the business world, will have to alter it's lightning-fast, instant gratification, "need it YESTERDAY" blackberryish expectations. It would be nice to slow down a little but I don't see that happening. At this point, we're too used to moving this fast.

allie25

Thu, 22 May 2008 11:30:50 -0500

the acela from boston to NYC is great. i work with a lot of lazy assholes who insist on flying to boston.. by the time you get to the airport, go through security, get on your flight, get to boston, and then get to where your going there, it probably takes close to the 3 hours (assuming there arent any delays) it takes on train.. penn station to south station, it's great. a little pricey but a thousand times more relaxing a peaceful than flying. i dread flying, its an absolutle nightmare. i would so much rather take the train than fly any day, especially for the boston/nyc trip. nto to say there arent bad things about the train, there certainly are. the acela is pricey. but flying takes a toll on my blood pressure. christ, even the fung wah is better than flying.

amsci

Thu, 22 May 2008 11:29:40 -0500

[16] I should probably buy a crash helmet for trip so I can avoid a concussion when people are flinging their stuff out of the overheads haphazardly.

schematic

Thu, 22 May 2008 10:59:47 -0500

The silver lining to this whole effort to recalibrate the economy to a world of (more)expensive energy is that we'll finally get some good rail service. Relying on rail for trips of 500 miles or less will free up a lot of airport capacity for the longer haul routes that can't be done any other way. That, and it's more energy efficient.

zodak

Thu, 22 May 2008 10:58:16 -0500

that's why i always fly oceanic air.

Politburo

Thu, 22 May 2008 10:54:40 -0500

"why don't they just raise the ticket by $15 and be done with it?" Because then it would be upfront. This way, even though it is publicized well in advance, some people will still be surprised by it. And yes, this will mean even more carry-on hell, which slows boarding and alighting, as well as check-in and security lines.

ny2102

Thu, 22 May 2008 10:41:36 -0500

Acela is a fantastic service given the trackage it runs on. A little expensive, especially during peak times, but it's hugely popular (always booked) and everyone I know loves it. It's about 2000 times less hassle than flying. They're not the fastest trains on the planet, but they roll on old trunk lines, and they're super quiet and comfortable, tons of leg room, decent cafe, power outlets, etc. Though, WiFi would be nice. The rest of Amtrak's services... well, they stink for the most part. With the shape the airlines are in, and the rising price of energy, it's time for a massive investment in high-speed rail countrywide. Plus, Acela actually runs at an operating *profit*.

drewo

Thu, 22 May 2008 10:39:57 -0500

#5 JCBra: which 3 crashes are you referring to? There was the crash of the Airbus flight to the Dominican in Nov. 2001. The 2 planes on 9/11 were, of course, hijacked.

EastRiver

Thu, 22 May 2008 10:37:54 -0500

Unless the government steps in and controls the oil industry we're in for some terrible times. The government does control the oil industry, just not our government.

amsci

Thu, 22 May 2008 10:37:15 -0500

Does this mean we're going to have more people attempting to squeeze their gigantor rollie-cart suitcases into the overheads? Oh well, at least the one guy with the giant guitar case won't feel lonely.

chris

Thu, 22 May 2008 10:22:44 -0500

Hrm. So now we get all of the 'service' of Ryanair at 3 times the price? What the hell?

jenchungsgrammar

Thu, 22 May 2008 10:08:08 -0500

bluealways: just so you know, the airlines are subsidized more then a factor of 10 higher then amtrak. "The implication that Amtrak is exceptional in the transportation industry in its reliance on government subsidies, however, is troublesome--and ironic, given the recent well-publicized bailout for U.S. airlines. On top of $13 billion in federal aviation spending for fiscal year 2002, Congress approved a $15 billion package of airline aid within two weeks of September 11. Intercity passenger rail, by comparison, received half a billion in federal funds for the current fiscal year, and Amtrak is asking for $1.2 billion in the next to avoid service cuts." http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=1112 thats right, $30 billion in YOUR tax dollars, funding that shitty experience. if we give amtrak a quarter of that, they could probably afford to lay their own track, making their famously late trains actually run fast and on time. the reason they are slow is because they share the track with freight lines, and they get right of way.

Mr Mel

Thu, 22 May 2008 09:57:17 -0500

Did anyone really think that the oil price gouging wouldn't raise airline prices (that's what this is)? Unless the government steps in and controls the oil industry we're in for some terrible times. We must remember that the president and his cohorts are oil-men first and super patriots second. In the oil crises of the 1970s they claimed a gas shortage, it stayed in tight supply until they got the price up to where they wanted it. Now there's no shortage and we haven't seen the end yet.

Bluealways

Thu, 22 May 2008 09:57:08 -0500

Amtrak is massively subsidized and it's still an expensive and miserable experience. Hell, the government bails out the airlines so often, I'm tempted to say nationalize the whole damn enterprise. But that's a whole other can of worms.

Headzo

Thu, 22 May 2008 09:33:14 -0500

I too wish Amtrak were a cheaper alternative. The only experience I have with passenger trains in the U.S. are commuter rails such as NJT and Metro-North. Even though I am not familiar with Amtrak's service, I can tell you this - flying is NEVER (almost) a joy anymore. Especially into and out of the NYC airports. Getting out of or into here with less than an hour delay seems like a victory.

lucyvanpelt

Thu, 22 May 2008 09:27:54 -0500

I wish Amtrak weren't so underfunded and poorly run. I envy many of the EU countries their train systems. I'd rather take a train any day, but here in the US it's often it's so expensive and unpleasant (overbooked, no reserved seats, the maybe-a-quiet-car-maybe-not scenario, the mad crush to the gate when the train is called, etc.) that flying is (almost) a joy.

JenChungsBra

Thu, 22 May 2008 09:12:18 -0500

Holy moly, can you imagine what all those American flights down to the Dominican Republic will look like now? I guess they figured that since they've only had three large passenger jets crash in the last seven years that they deserve a fee increase like this.

SikBug

Thu, 22 May 2008 09:09:01 -0500

Kojak, at this point I may actually be ok with that.

Kojak

Thu, 22 May 2008 08:56:16 -0500

Whats even more amazing is that American Airlines is the only big legacy carrier that hasn't filed for chapter 11 anytime in its history. Things may get so bad that theres now talk of the government subsidizing the airlines to keep the system running.

mocanlagunas

Thu, 22 May 2008 08:54:27 -0500

The airline industry is run by morons... why don't they just raise the ticket by $15 and be done with it? I think the goal is to make travel miserable, so they can have fewer customers... imagine the savings: less flights, less fuel, less airplanes!

spreetaper

Thu, 22 May 2008 08:01:11 -0500

so if i was to actually pay $15 for my first checked bag and then they lost it, oh you bet I would expect more than just the standard couple hundred bucks at most to make up for what I had lost... but you know that won't change either not that I would actually fly American frankly I'm surprised they are still in business