Well, there’s outrage in the media over this new baggage fee at least. I haven’t really heard much from passengers.
I am talking about a new fee from low-cost airline Spirit that’s really more of a “late payment” penalty. Spirit now charges an extra $5-$10 if you don’t pay your bag fees by 24 hours of departure time. By the way, other airlines do something similar by charging you a few bucks more for paying for checked-bags at the airport instead of online.
What do I think? I am in the crowd of roll-it-all-into-the-ticket-price so I can compare apples to apples – but since I know this isn’t going to happen in this new “airline fee generation” of ours, then it’s all about being well informed about all the trap doors you have to navigate to keep from whipping out your credit card.
A good way to stay informed is to check out the FareCompare Domestic Airline Baggage Fee Chart before you fly. As a rule of thumb, expect to pay a fee for your first checked-bag unless you’re flying JetBlue or Southwest. And so far, only Spirit charges for a carryon – but watch out: Allegiant is “thinking about it.”
Do you long for the days when we paid one price for an all-inclusive airline ticket? I’d love to hear your airline fee stories on Facebook.
[Editor's note: Rick almost always avoids bag fees because he almost always travels with a carryon].