American Airlines - $15 for FIRST bag now

[lmorin]

Amen to that. Like this hasn't been annoying me for years already, I'm sure it will be worse now.......

Right! Just flew Delta from JFK to Atlanta and there were too many carry-ons for the available overhead space. Latecomers were being asked to give their carry-ons to handlers to put in the luggage compartment. That's a bit ironic, isn't it? This issue is changing the entire dynamic of luggage handling.

 

[novicediver]

So where is all this oil papabear? Are you going to pull it out of a hat?

 

[novicediver]

I am not sure what color the sky is in your world articdiver but reality is that no major US airline except for maybe Southwest is making a profit. Frontier is on the brink of going bye bye; ATA, Skybus, and Aloha have already gone under. I hate airline service and I hate getting nickel and dimed as well, but reality is that I should not have to subsidize someone else's second bag or extra heavy bag. Learn to pack lighter, ship your stuff via UPS, or FedEx, I don't care.... but stop being a whiny baby. You reap what you sow and it is time to pay up.

 

[ArcticDiver]

I am not sure what color the sky is in your world articdiver but reality is that no major US airline except for maybe Southwest is making a profit. Frontier is on the brink of going bye bye; ATA, Skybus, and Aloha have already gone under. I hate airline service and I hate getting nickel and dimed as well, but reality is that I should not have to subsidize someone else's second bag or extra heavy bag. Learn to pack lighter, ship your stuff via UPS, or FedEx, I don't care.... but stop being a whiny baby. You reap what you sow and it is time to pay up.

Well, I suppose that if one hasn't read the posts and has some emotions at hand the only resolution is a personal attack. If it makes you feel better to be emotive rather than cognitive have at it. Always happy to be of service.

 

[deco_martini]

Its pretty obvious he didn't read the thread, or possibly even the title of this thread.

 

[nmdiveboy]

I am not sure what color the sky is in your world articdiver but reality is that no major US airline except for maybe Southwest is making a profit. Frontier is on the brink of going bye bye; ATA, Skybus, and Aloha have already gone under. I hate airline service and I hate getting nickel and dimed as well, but reality is that I should not have to subsidize someone else's second bag or extra heavy bag. Learn to pack lighter, ship your stuff via UPS, or FedEx, I don't care.... but stop being a whiny baby. You reap what you sow and it is time to pay up.

Reference one of my earlier posts and consider this: You already are suibsidizing someone elses second bag, extra heavy bag, or extra heavy body.

Again, my wife - 4'11" and 85lbs pounds. She could get on the plane with three full size, fully loaded suitcases, and still not have as much total weight as any given adult male on board.

I'm all for charging by the pound. And I don't just mean baggage either.

 

[mgmonk]

What a load of CRAP! We know where there is 1.3 Trillion Barrels of oil right now today! Enough to power 60 million Cars for 60 years and give us time to build more nuclear plants to ease pressure!

What's the load there, papa bear?

The part where you and I agree that 1.3 trillion barrels is finite? Or is this one of those, "as long as the effects are delayed long enough to where I'll be long gone" kind of arguments?

Or is the load the part where your solution is to keep up with a bad course of action until we have enough time to come up with an equally bad course of action?

How about addressing the real costs of protecting the oil sources we use and the costs of opening up more of them for further exploitation? What about those environmental costs? What about those military costs? What about those political costs (...world opinion)?

Let's look at the shifts of power occurring today, let's look at the explosive population and consumptive habits of developing countries today, and then lets think about what position we want to put ourselves in defending oil reserves (on our land or someone else's) from every other hungry mouth out there. Full well knowing that the oil won't last.

Does that seems like a logical allocation of resources? Spend time, energy and money defending an antiquated mode of energy or spend time, energy and money developing a way forward.

If the first way still sounds good to you, then I have a killer investment for you.

Horse drawn carriages. I'm telling you, we have more than enough horses to keep breeding them and using them until we perfect that steam engine thing. PM me for details and an address to send money to.

 

[ragtopjen]

Presently fuel accounts for about 40% of an airline operating costs, and that proportion is only increasing. In 2004, base price for Jet A fuel was $1.02 (not including taxes and pumping fees), now it is about $2.40. But air fares have not kept up with inflation at all. Some estimates I have seen is that adjusting fare for inflation, we are paying 37% less for airfares now then we were before deregulation. We all want low fares (me included) but for that to happen airlines have to make up the difference somewhere. I understand it, but it is small consolation when I am squashed into my coach seat starving because they won't even give you a bag of pretzels anymore.