A number of US airlines, facing rising fuel prices and implementing new fees for checked baggage, are keeping a closer watch on how much passengers carry on board the plane with them.
Airlines point out that they have long had to follow policies set by the Federal Aviation Administration, not the industry, limiting the size of carry-on bags.
But with newly introduced fees for checked baggage, airline officials say they have an obligation to keep people from sneaking bulky bags onto planes to avoid the fees. Not only is it unfair to the honest, fee-paying traveler, they say, but it would also overload the overhead bins and force gate crews to delay takeoffs while they checked excess bags.
“We’re planning on having extra staff where possible, especially at peak times at busy airports,” US Airways spokesman Morgan Durrant said.
The added scrutiny means every passenger — even those not used to checking bags — is going to have to start following the rules.
People who are accustomed to boarding with a large roller case might find themselves handing US$15 to an airline employee before they get through security.
“It’s up to us to get to them before they get too far in line and say ‘Ma’am or sir, you need to check that bag,’” said Mark Dupont, American’s senior vice president of airport services planning.
AMR Corp’s American Airlines, the country’s largest carrier, was the first to announce fees for a single checked bag. It started charging US$15 each way for the first bag on tickets purchased on June 15 or later.
US Airways Group Inc will match that fee for tickets booked on or after July 9. UAL Corp’s United Airlines will follow later in the summer with the same bag fee for domestic flights as of Aug. 18.
The three airlines say they are responding to tremendous pressure to cover sky-high fuel prices that have erased profits and sunk stock values. The Air Transport Association says fuel costs will hammer the industry this year, contributing to about US$13 billion in losses.
Most airlines plan to cut back on available seats and routes in hopes of eventually boosting demand and keeping fares high.
American, US Airways and United also will shed thousands of jobs to cut costs.
US Airways, which does not have an extensive network of lucrative international flights, said it would look for additional ways to raise cash. It is already planning to increase service fees on tickets, charge for items like soda and for popular seats in coach.
Along with the bag charges, the fees are expected to bring US Airways an additional US$300 million to US$400 million annually.
If a passenger is stopped from boarding with an oversize carry-on, American will charge that passenger the US$15 fee to check it at the gate. United has not decided how it will handle passengers with oversize carry-ons and US Airways says its passengers can check those bags at the gate for free.
Meanwhile, other carriers are watching how passengers react to the new bag fees.
Continental Airlines Inc chairman and chief executive Lawrence Kellner, for example, said he might add a bag charge if he sees that customers are not scared off.
US Airways flight attendant and union leader Mike Flores said the new bag fees would anger a lot of people, and he is not excited about being the one to sort out the confusion.
Passengers are not going to be happy when they see people checking their bags at the gate for free, he said.
“They really haven’t thought this thing out,” Flores said. “Passengers who paid the fee are going to say ‘Wait a minute, I paid US$15 to have my bag checked and this guy is getting them checked for free.’”
But the new fees could force a lot of people to start following the federal carry-on guidelines, said Laura Glading, president of the Association of Professional Flight Attendants.
Glading said passengers have gotten used to bringing in large bags in part as airlines rarely have enough staff to watch them. In her 30 years at American Airlines, Glading said she has seen passengers bring on tubas and wedding gowns.
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