Tag Archives for checked baggage.
You don’t get an elite status or premium cabin baggage benefit for sports equipment – unless you’re checking a golf bag. Make of that exception what you will. I understand that the sign itself that tipped off this change will come down.
A passenger was told that if they wanted to remove an item from their checked bag to get under their 50 pound allowance, they would have to go to the back of the line and start over – and then they would miss their flight (or, presumably, the cut-off time for checking bags before their flight).
Of course paying the overweight bag fee would likely take at least as long as avoiding the overweight bag fee.
American Airlines raised checked bag fees on Tuesday and now charges more for bags than United or Delta. They’re highlighting, though, that they reduced their fees for overweight and oversized bags.
What American didn’t tell everyone about the modest giveback is that you can no longer take bags that are as big or heavy as before – at any price – and that they’ve banned some items they previously used to allow as checked luggage. Aspiring Olympians beware!
Avoiding checked luggage saves time and reduces the risk of loss, but if unavoidable, using specific credit cards for protection, maximizing baggage allowances, not checking valuable items, and considering luggage trackers can mitigate the hassles.
I won’t tell you exactly what the baggage handler wrote on the luggage, but it’s the same as a tourism slogan for Australia’s Northern Territory. You can see for yourself in the photos.
A passenger inside an American Airlines plane filmed a baggage handler tossing luggage on the ground. Another member of the crew wasn’t having it. He goes over and starts to lecture her. And while we can’t hear what’s said, he’s clearly letting her know that this is not how to treat customer bags. You can see him pointing out bags strewn about.
At Southwest Airlines each passenger gets two free checked bags. Some people don’t want to leave a benefit unused. Sure, you could check your pickleball in your luggage. But if you’ve only got one bag to check, you could also send the pickleball off on its own as your second free checked bag – and see whether it makes it, gets caught in the airport baggage system, or bounces away?
When you approach the check-in counter, and they weigh your bags, they might suggest that you do a little bit of rearranging if a piece of your luggage is overweight. Maybe you can move some items, wear a piece of clothing, or stick something into your carry on. But if you don’t have another bag?
A story of how one passenger in Europe handled this is getting attention and it’s rather sweet revenge on the airline.
A United Airlines passenger’s checked luggage, containing a sealed bottle of tequila, was returned with the seal broken and the contents partially consumed, raising concerns about the security and integrity of airline baggage handling. The incident echoes previous cases, including one with a bottle of whiskey, prompting United to offer compensation and highlighting the challenges of ensuring personal items remain untouched during transit.
“Lifted Lingerie: Unpacking the Disturbing Trend of Underwear Theft from Airline Luggage” dives into the unsettling phenomena of personal items, specifically underwear, being stolen from checked bags during air travel. Using recent incidents involving American Airlines and Delta as case studies, the post explores the multiple points of failure in the baggage handling process and highlights how airlines struggle to combat this growing issue.
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 »
