I recently read in the “New York Times” that the embattled airline industry is still losing vast amounts of money. In an effort to increase revenues, Spirit Airlines, will become the first major carrier to start charging for carry-on luggage — up to $45 per carry-on bag. The article said that if it catches on, other airlines are sure to follow suit.
A follow-up article in the “Times” mentioned that the airlines’ problem is that there are “too few air travelers” anymore, so the airlines are basically all chasing after the same passengers. My personal attitude is that if the airlines are chasing travelers, they’re chasing them away.
I put up with a lot from the airlines: Rude flight attendants and clueless gate agents are the norm. So are the endless, interminable delays which include a memorable recent trip when it took me almost 3 days to fly home from New Jersey. (And no, there was no volcano to blame.)
But the thought of paying for carry on luggage really disturbs me. As a frequent business flyer I never check my luggage because even if the luggage arrives, an iffy proposition at best, I don’t want to waste time waiting for it at the carousel. The idea of paying $45 to rent overhead space for a bag that I have to carry and hoist myself boggles my mind.
I can’t help but remember that the last time I was at a hotel in midtown New York I tipped the bellman $3.00 to put my bag in the taxi for a $35 ride to LaGuardia. For $45 I expect a flight attendant to carry my bag through the terminal, place it in the overhead bin for me, and polish it at the end of the flight. Heck, for $45 my suitcase and I should be transported through the terminal in a sedan chair borne by flight attendants in livery.
I recalled that I was on a recent flight from Newark to Fort Lauderdale with my mother-in-law and I was apoplectic at the amount I had to pay for 4 checked bags. My mother-in-law is a dear lady, but “packing light” is not in her vocabulary. When I asked the agent why the baggage charge was so high she loftily told me it was to defray the cost of the extra fuel needed to transport “all that excess weight.”
Later, on the plane, as I looked at the flight attendants it occurred to me that if the airlines really wanted to save money on airline fuel they should enforce weight standards for their in-flight personnel. I am no expert, but my guess was the combined weight of the two pilots and four flight attendants significantly exceeded the combined weight of every piece of carry on luggage on that plane. But I digress.
Because I must continue to fly if I want to continue to eat, I’ve been exploring alternatives to paying for carry-on luggage. I did some checking, and based on the average weight of my suitcase and the distances I travel, it would be cheaper to send my luggage via FedEx. I am not making this up. I would also be able to track the suitcase and, since FedEx is highly reliable, I know my luggage would be there waiting at the hotel when I arrived.
Of course I know that if the airlines can’t make money by charging for carry on luggage they’ll simply charge more for the tickets. But I have an alternative plan: it involves a really big FedEx box and a guaranteed overnight delivery.