How are you dealing with baggage charging when flying?

[salth2owannabe]

This has nothing to do with keeping airfare more affordable and everything to do with charging you more.

Actually it does-
The airlines have a profit margin they have to maintain, just like any other business. Weight = Fuel use - What might appear to be a small amount of weight when multiplied by passengers and flights over the course of the year it makes a huge difference. Airlines can either increase passenger fares across the board or make those that cost them money pay for the service. Why should I have to pay for some ones extra 50 lb. bag when I packed lightly?

 

[deco_martini]

Actually it does-
The airlines have a profit margin they have to maintain, just like any other business. Weight = Fuel use - What might appear to be a small amount of weight when multiplied by passengers and flights over the course of the year it makes a huge difference. Airlines can either increase passenger fares across the board or make those that cost them money pay for the service. Why should I have to pay for some ones extra 50 lb. bag when I packed lightly?

The only profitable major airline right now is Southwest. Their current marketing campaign is "bags fly free".

All bag fees do is make people late for flights since there is added extra complexity and time to the checkin process. You check one bag, but are delayed at the checkin line because the 4 people in front of you are having to stop, get our their wallets, and pay service fees.

Its more convenient to most passengers to increase the fares 5 dollars than it is to charge a third of the people on a flight 15 dollars.

The real cost cutting these major airlines need to do is headcount. Southwest flies more flights than United but with 20,000 less staff. Delta flies half as many flight as southwest but has 21k more staff.

Bag fees (which mean poorer customer service) aren't the magic fix for fuel costs. Its almost a bait and switch.

These airlines know that corporate travelers often have to take whatever the lowest airfare is. However, this is before fees and taxes. If you add on a "fuel surchage", charge for the first bag, and keep nickel and diming, you can deceptively offer the "lowest" airfare.

 

[John_B]

These airlines know that corporate travelers often have to take whatever the lowest airfare is. However, this is before fees and taxes. If you add on a "fuel surchage", charge for the first bag, and keep nickel and diming, you can deceptively offer the "lowest" airfare.

Travelocity has started adding a "Bag Fees May Apply" warning to their search results. Ultimately I'm thinking the search engine sites (Kayak, etc.) are going to have to add this as an search option to "re-level" the playing field. There is no way American should show up as $30 cheaper for a round trip when most people will need to check at least one bag.

 

[1_T_Submariner]

Take fewer clothes. Be careful on how your weight is distirbuted. Carry on as much as possible.

 

[alcina]

Carry on as much as possible.

And this is what bugs me even more than the fees

 

[1_T_Submariner]

Southwest has also very smartly choosen the routes that it flies. Want to go to smaller airports in the US or Bonaire, Roatan, Belieze or Cozumel you will have to fly someone else.

The only profitable major airline right now is Southwest. Their current marketing campaign is "bags fly free".

All bag fees do is make people late for flights since there is added extra complexity and time to the checkin process. You check one bag, but are delayed at the checkin line because the 4 people in front of you are having to stop, get our their wallets, and pay service fees.

Its more convenient to most passengers to increase the fares 5 dollars than it is to charge a third of the people on a flight 15 dollars.

The real cost cutting these major airlines need to do is headcount. Southwest flies more flights than United but with 20,000 less staff. Delta flies half as many flight as southwest but has 21k more staff.

Bag fees (which mean poorer customer service) aren't the magic fix for fuel costs. Its almost a bait and switch.

These airlines know that corporate travelers often have to take whatever the lowest airfare is. However, this is before fees and taxes. If you add on a "fuel surchage", charge for the first bag, and keep nickel and diming, you can deceptively offer the "lowest" airfare.

 

[1_T_Submariner]

And this is what bugs me even more than the fees

Me too actually. I made the mistake a couple weeks ago to go through the "Pro" flier line at midway and realized it was the line with people with 2 carry on bags. When I fly for work I have to check bags.

They should have a TSA express lane for no or 1 bag.

My suggestion was to avoid the fees I didn't say I liked it.

 

[deco_martini]

Southwest has also very smartly choosen the routes that it flies. Want to go to smaller airports in the US or Bonaire, Roatan, Belieze or Cozumel you will have to fly someone else.

Well, southwest doesn't have any international routes. If they did, I am sure their low headcount:flight ratio, uniform fleet mentality, and other strategies would prevail in closeby markets their current fleet have the fuel capacity to serve.

My point wasn't to fly southwest, it was to point out the inefficiency of the other major airlines.

As to flying to "smaller" airports. Midway is smaller than O'Hare but Midway is not by any means a small airport. Midway is a hub. Las Vegas is not a small airport and its one of Southwest's busiest airports.

 

[kouhoutek]

Well, southwest doesn't have any international routes. If they did, I am sure their low headcount:flight ratio, uniform fleet mentality, and other strategies would prevail in closeby markets their current fleet have the fuel capacity to serve.

My point wasn't to fly southwest, it was to point out the inefficiency of the other major airlines.

As to flying to "smaller" airports. Midway is smaller than O'Hare but Midway is not by any means a small airport. Midway is a hub. Las Vegas is not a small airport and its one of Southwest's busiest airports.

You completely miss the point.

Southwest's business model is to cherry pick the most profitable routes, combining popular destinations with the cheapest airports (Midway).

Wanna go to Boston? They can drop you off about an hour away, traffic permitting.

How about "small" cities like Atlanta, Minneapolis or Cincinnati? Sorry, they don't go there at all.

Southwest is a brilliant company, and I am sure they have found ways to eliminate a lot of the inefficiencies of other airlines.

But to say other airlines can fix everything if they would just "be more like Southwest" shows a profound lack of understanding of the travel industry. They operate in the crevices of the big airlines, whose business customers expect blanket coverage and access to the major airports. Sadly, as Southwest grows, it becomes more like the big airlines, not the other way around...already they are trying to reach out to business. In ten years, Southwest-American-Air China will be just another major, and there will be some Southwest Jr. on the horizon.

Disclaimer: I've done consulting work for Southwest, and several other airlines. I do not speak for them...my opinions are my own.

 

[deco_martini]

You completely miss the point.

Southwest's business model is to cherry pick the most profitable routes, combining popular destinations with the cheapest airports (Midway).

Wanna go to Boston? They can drop you off about an hour away, traffic permitting.

How about "small" cities like Atlanta, Minneapolis or Cincinnati? Sorry, they don't go there at all.

Southwest is a brilliant company, and I am sure they have found ways to eliminate a lot of the inefficiencies of other airlines.

But to say other airlines can fix everything if they would just "be more like Southwest" shows a profound lack of understanding of the travel industry.

I didn't miss the point at all and you seem to not understand Southwest as well as you think you do. There is no smaller airport in Las Vegas. Las Vegas is the source of more Southwest flights per day than any other Southwest city including Chicago Midway. Midway was a great airport for them not because it magically reduces expenses but because O'Hare was clogged like a bad drain with major airline hubbing.

Southwest is a popular business case study in business schools are better colleges. Uniformity of fleet reduces maintenance costs. Low staff to flight ratio means lower overhead. Route choice was one of the factors.

Are you honestly saying Southwest couldn't fly to Cancun profitably? Is this the mastery of the airline industry you are bringing to bear? Are you having trouble grasping how much more it costs to run an airline that has 20,000 more headcounts and serves less flights.

Yes, the major airlines still have lessons to be learned from the Southwest business model. And obviously, I wasn't meaning they should all get out of major airports and move to airports 1 hour away.

Wanna fly to Atlanta? Delta and Airtran have the airport consumed. Hartsfield is a mess right now. Checkin times are awful. It's getting to be like O'Hare with on-time ratios. Wanna fly to Minneapolis? NWA has it tied up. The airlines of influence at the big hubs want to keep SWA out because they fear the competition.