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Comments (14)
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Save/ShareAnd you thought $25 checked luggage fees and charges for carry-ons were bad.
When it comes to baggage fees, fee-crazed Spirit Airlines might come to mind. More than 20 percent of revenues brought in by the airline, which was the first American carrier to charge for carry-ons, comes in the form of ancillary (a.k.a. not regular old airfare) fees.
Delta, by contrast, charges a comparatively cheap overweight checked baggage fee of $200 on most international flights.
It's fees like these that make it increasingly worth your while to consider shipping your bags as an alternative to checking them on flights.
Other ways to avoid these fees should be fairly obvious. Two ideas: 1) Pack less. 2) Pack in multiple bags rather than one overweight bag. On international flights, for instance, Continental allows one bag under 50 lbs. for free, charges between $40 and $70 for a second bag in the same weight category, and charges $100 for the third. Add that up and it comes to a total of up to 150 lbs. of baggage for under $200: That's less than half the price of a single checked bag weighing 99 lbs. ($400) on an international flight with Continental.
MORE FROM BUDGET TRAVEL:
4 Most Common Reasons Airlines Lose Luggage
8 Common Air Travel Snafus, and How to Beat Them
Frequent flier: United Continental reveals merged mileage plan
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It's an airplane, not a Mayflower moving van. Pay for what you need and use. Don't make me pay for it in my base fare. If you don't wanna pay, learn to do with less or ship with UPS or some other appropriate outfit.
Posted By Toni on September 26, 2011, 12:20 PM
It's an airplane, not a Mayflower moving van. Pay for what you need and want; don't make me pay for your 100-pound bags in my base fare. Learn to do with less or ship your things via UPS or some other appropriate company.
Posted By Toni on September 26, 2011, 12:22 PM
Who has luggage that weighs that much??? Ship it over there...it will be cheaper for everyone!
Posted By CAS on September 26, 2011, 12:41 PM
Not only should the airlines charge those fees as a deterrent to overweight travel they should also enforce the same sorts of limits on carry-on.
I'm tired of getting on planes with people who are carrying several carry-ons packed to the brim then taking more stowage overhead than they should be allowed while the rest of us who pack wisely pay the consequences of their inconsideration. Not to mention waiting to load the plane while these selfish twerps find room to stow their entire lives.
Posted By David Bronx on September 26, 2011, 2:40 PM
I agree with Toni. When can we start surcharging fat people too? I'm tired of subsidizing their tickets as well.
Posted By Mike on September 26, 2011, 4:03 PM
I agree with Toni. When can we start surcharging fat people too? I'm tired of subsidizing their tickets as well.
Posted By Mike on September 26, 2011, 4:04 PM
All these different add on fees make it very difficult to compare the true costs of flights on different airlines. Does anyone have a spreadsheet for this? You can not always pack light! When going someplace to work for a month, or to visit family to whom you want to bring necessities - you may need a lot of stuff. This is ESPECIALLY true if you are going to a third world country. It takes a lot of work to decide if really Spirit is lower than AirTran or Delta or whatever because of all these different fees.
Posted By LJ Howell on September 26, 2011, 4:14 PM
My daughter recently relocated from northern CA to Zagreb, Croatia, for a year long Fulbright teaching assignment. We researched all methods of getting her clothing and shoes there and it ended up being less costly at $270, to fly with a (free)carry-on, one free)49.7 pound checked bag, a 2nd checked bag weighing 49.8 pounds for $70, and a 3rd checked bag, weighing 49.6 pounds for $200, than to ship at $487 per 30 pounds- almost $2500! No choice but we had to vacuum out all excess air and send the bags with her. How does anyone relocate? That certainly dashed all my daydreams of moving to Italy or France for a year...
Posted By grace on September 26, 2011, 6:05 PM
No, you can't always pack light (which means different things to different people). But why should those who fly with nothing but a briefcase under the seat in front of them have to subsidize, in the price of their base fare, the folks who are carting around hundreds of pounds of baggage? So you have to do a little math, open a few websites, to get an idea. Obviously that's doable, judging from the comments by "grace." And yes, several news outlets have published charts and the like on the web to help in this effort. And it sounds to me like "grace" and her daughter got a darn good deal! (Wonder how big and heavy that "carry on" was.) People relocate, and take temporary jobs overseas, ALL THE TIME. I know, because I've done much as what "grace's" daughter is doing. I actually question whether "grace's" daughter really needed all that stuff. I can almost guarantee you that she didn't, and I have a feeling that grace tried to convince her daughter of this to no avail. Guess what? THEY SELL STUFF IN CROATIA. And in Italy and France, too, grace! If you can't imagine taking off for a year without all your precious stuff, you don't deserve the trip! Many if not most European women get by with two, maybe three pairs of shoes, a tube of lipstick, a scarf and a sweater. And they look fine doing it. Learn to let go and you'll enjoy travel more, even if it's for a year.
Posted By Toni on September 27, 2011, 9:12 AM
Even $2500 wouldn't dash my daydreams of living in Italy or France for a year. If I wanted to do it badly enough (and I do!), a measly fee for shipping necessities would be a pleasure!
Pack lighter, people...as Toni said, there are stores abroad.
Posted By WEG on October 18, 2011, 8:33 PM
@Mike So you're basically saying that fat people shouldn't be allowed to fly for whatever reason they need to get to a certain place, whether it's a happy occasion or a sad one?
Something must have happened to you in the past if you hate fat people that much!
Maybe cranky idiots like YOU shouldn't be allowed on flights if that's the way you treat certain types of people.
Posted By Jayce on October 20, 2011, 6:48 PM
Is it me or do the likes of Toni and Mike sound like bitter people who would rather have the airlines go back to the bad old days of air travel when only the rich could afford to fly.
On another note, what is it with all the hate towards fat people on this website blog entries from certain people as I believe that everybody should be allowed to fly on a airplane, even fat people and if some people have a problem with my views, I couldn't care less!
Posted By Jayce on October 20, 2011, 7:04 PM
Wow. I never imagined the vitriol... My daughter accepted a low-paid Fulbright grant to teach in Croatia, barely survival salary, so it was difficult to figure how she'd replace winter (very expensive) clothing. And if she spent every cent on winter clothing, what would remain for household goods, and shipping was extraordinarily expensive. The airlines are not just for you, Toni and Mike... Be just a little more tolerant and kind.
Posted By Grace on December 6, 2011, 8:02 PM
I do not hate fat people but if they are going to take up two, or more, seats then they should pay for them.
Posted By diane on January 20, 2012, 12:42 PM