With the current baggage fees (which for now, are only applicable to flight within the US or to/from Canada), the airlines have all had a specified date where tickets purchased after that date are subject to the fees....do you think if you buy a ticket "sooner" that you are exempt from the extra bag fee or "first bag" fee that they might attach later for flights to Mexico? Am curious about that and not feeling real trustful of ANY airline these days, that's for sure!
For the newest charge with AA - $15 for the FIRST checked bag (in addition to their previous announced 2nd bag charge...) the magic day is June 15th.
I really think it's just a matter of time before the bag fees are tagged on for international travel too. All it takes is one carrier to do it and they'll all follow.
I think between the unknown in extra fees and the ticket prices going up, lots of people are already booking their winter trips. I was looking for Dec tickets earlier today. Although the price is reasonable over the weeks I want, there are already no upgrades available. I usually book my Dec trip in about Aug, sometimes even Sept and have had no issue with getting a good price and upgrades for the past few years.