Update On Baggage Fees For The Budget Traveler
November 6, 2008
A recent price comparison for checked baggage on some of the major airlines revealed that nearly all the major
players are currently going to $15.00 for the first checked bag and $25.00 for the second one. These include US Air, Northwest, United, and Continental. Of course there is always Southwest which is not charging anything for first and second checked bags and the fares aren’t too bad either. Both US Air and Northwest/KLM are charging $100.00 for a third bag and United will be raising the fees to $25.00 for the first and $50.00 for the second bag after the 9th of November. The majority of the airlines will not be charging those fees for the travelers with first class tickets which will be much more costly than the coach fares. United has announced that military personnel and their dependants will not be expected to pay the baggage fees as long as they have their Military Identification.
If you are traveling with heavy luggage or for some reason will have several bags to carry with you consider using FedEx to ship your bags a couple of days before you fly. You will probably find your bags delivered right on time and you’ll probably save a few dollars while you’re at it. If you have one large bag that is overweight it would save you a few dollars if you could pack your belongings into two smaller bags and eliminate the cost of an overweight bag which could run as high as $100.00. With all the rising prices we are seeing for baggage lately, it is very important to pack lightly and take only those items you must have with you.
