American Airlines to begin charging for 1st checked bag!

[x3 skier]

Ever try to fit skis into a carry-on?

My 170"s are shorter than my old 210's but I don't think they will fit in the overhead.

Although I did see a guy try and carry on his guitar once.

Cheers

 

[drguy]

My 170"s are shorter than my old 210's but I don't think they will fit in the overhead.

Although I did see a guy try and carry on his guitar once.

Cheers

I saw that 2 weeks ago.
Guy

 

[pjrose]

Although I did see a guy try and carry on his guitar once.

??? I would expect to carry on a guitar. Maybe technically it's too big, but I'd hate to trust it to baggage handlers.

I accompanied a high school orchestra on a trip last winter - 2 planes each way. We watched from the windows as instruments were THROWN into the hold. $10,000 Cellos - obviously musical instruments b/c of their cases - were handled roughly. About a half dozen instruments were damaged. (All were in hard cases and had extra wrapping around the instruments)

The same group (sadly, without me) goes to Europe this summer.....I think they're crating the instruments (?).

If the $15 baggage-check fee went DIRECTLY to baggage-checking, to allow for more people, padded compartments, and whatever else it would take to treat the luggage well....that would be worth it.

 

[tmartin1]

My DH is a high school pole vault coach. Try carrying 20' poles on the plane! He incurs a special charge (which will now be sky high) to transport them and has had them badly damaged by the handlers. It's not fun to explain to your star athlete that the pole they need to use for competition is broken.

The airlines will not take responsibility for the damage either. There's always a loophole.

Theresa

 

[T_R_Oglodyte]

My DH is a high school pole vault coach. Try carrying 20' poles on the plane! He incurs a special charge (which will now be sky high) to transport them and has had them badly damaged by the handlers. It's not fun to explain to your star athlete that the pole they need to use for competition is broken.

The airlines will not take responsibility for the damage either. There's always a loophole.

Theresa

Why doesn't he ship them separately? That's what I do when I have special gear that I need to travel with (usually field sampling gear). Even if I could check the stuff, I can't afford to take a chance on the gear not showing up or getting damaged because the parcels aren't cared for as diligently as they are by a shipping company. With the charges being added for bags, shipping becomes even more attractive.

This gets back to one of my key points. As a purchaser of goods and services, I would rather pay a lower fare for a ticket and have the choice of paying the airline to ship my belongings with me on the airplane, or paying someone else to ship my belongings.

 

[tmartin1]

Sounds like a good idea, but...

Since the kids are practicing the night before they leave, there's no time to ship the poles. Plus, my DH would be a nervous wreck wondering if the shipping company would get them to the right location on time. The risk of damage is actually less stressful than wondering where in the U.S. the poles may be.

Knowing my DH's personality, I don't think he could handle having the poles so far out of his 'control'.

Which is why we always need that much needed de-stressing 2-week vacation to Hawaii immediately after track season!

While I don't personally have a problem with the check-in baggage fee, it will add to the stress and long lines that we have to endure when the summer season hits and we are inundated with the occasional summer travelers that don't have the travel know-how that we TUG members do.

Theresa

 

[T_R_Oglodyte]

Sounds like a good idea, but...

Since the kids are practicing the night before they leave, there's no time to ship the poles. Plus, my DH would be a nervous wreck wondering if the shipping company would get them to the right location on time. The risk of damage is actually less stressful than wondering where in the U.S. the poles may be.

Knowing my DH's personality, I don't think he could handle having the poles so far out of his 'control'.

Well - the practicing would be a problem.

But as far as reliability and "being out of his contorl" .... Personally, I'm much more confident that a shipping company will deliver my package at it's destination than I am confident my luggage will arrive on the same flight. I've never had a shipping company lose a package. Can't say the same for an airline. And that doesn't even consider that a shipping company is far less likely to damage the shipment.

 

[pjrose]

It's not fun to explain to your star athlete that the pole they need to use for competition is broken.

Yikes, plus if it's got a tiny crack or some other damage that doesn't show, it would be a safety hazard.

 

[x3 skier]

Got an email today from AA and Elite members and their traveling companion do not have to pay extra baggage fees. I knew about me but not about the companion.

I knew all those lifetime road warrior miles would help someday.

Cheers