Tag Archives for checked bag fees.
Airlines enforce the 50-pound limit with baggage scales that aren’t always perfectly calibrated—so some passengers have started “helping” the reading by quietly supporting one side of the suitcase with a foot while it’s being weighed. The number drops because part of the bag’s weight transfers off the scale, and influencers even promote it as a tip. It’s also fraud, and agents say they see (and cringe at) it all the time.
American Airlines is raising first checked bag fees on short haul international flights, including Mexico, Canada, the Caribbean, Central America and Guyana, to $40each way starting Monday.
In their rush to light their business model on fire, with checked bag fees, expiring flight credits, devalued frequent flyer programs and paid seats, Southwest Airlines has moved quickly to implement changes but hasn’t done the work to make those run smoothly or to maximize revenue.
The end of Southwest Airlines as a brand is Tuesday, May 28th. They begin charging for checked bags on all tickets sold beginning tomorrow. What’s amazing is that they refused to even tell customers what they’d be charging. They were too embarrassed – having built their entire reputation on being a customer-friendly airline, with ‘bags fly free’ as the centerpiece.
Southwest Airlines starts charging for checked bags on May 28th. That’s just days away. And they still won’t say how much checked bags are going to cost!
Surely the systems are already programmed (or are they?) They certainly know the pricing. They just won’t tell customers what to expect.
Southwest Airlines has killed its ‘differentiated product’ for the airline, and when they’re just like everyone else it becomes obvious that their product is at the bottom of the pack. Yet once most of the decisions have been made, maybe it actually makes sense to charge for checked bags?
Southwest Airlines has announced the end of Bags Fly Free, the primary benefit separating it from competitors – and idea they have consistently rejected.
Together with cutting points-earning by two-thirds on the fares most customers buy, Southwest now says they will offer basic economy fares – something they said they would never do.
No checked bag fees has been a sine qua non of Southwest Airlines. Customers choose Southwest because of this. It makes them appear friendlier and more flexible. And there are strong economic reasons why this is a great choice for the airline. It also differentiates them from other airlines, in an otherwise mostly homogenous industry. And free checked bags may be on the way out. Departure Of Chief Transformation Officer Signals Change Ryan Green has been in charge of the Southwest Airlines transformation. Under pressure from activist investor Elliott Management, they’ve been making changes – and becoming more like the rest of the industry – but not fast enough for the fund that’s taken control of nearly half the Board of Directors. Green is leaving, and the news followed the announcement of the upcoming departures…
Southwest Airlines is beginning redeye flights. They’re working on premium seating and assigned seats. They’ve been slow in most of their new efforts, and are being dragged into change faster by an activist investor. But some of what’s under consideration could do real damage to the Southwest brand and the multiples that their stock has been able to achieve – and alienate customers who are fanatically loyal.
It is time to end differential tax treatment for airfares versus fees, since that creates a perverse incentive to shift customer spending from fares into fees. Any politician who rails against airline fees without addressing the role they have in legislating the tax code is unserious.
Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel -- a topic he has covered since 2002.
Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »
