New Southwest Commercial Makes a Subtle, Valid Point

I don't find the following commercial (via Nuts About Southwest) all that funny. At all. In fact, it's kind of lame. But, it does make a valid (and very awesome) point: Southwest Airlines doesn't charge consumers for checking baggage, one of my biggest beefs with any member of the airline industry. So, yeah, that alone makes it worth posting/discussing/applauding, regardless of the humor present.

Airlines Set to Charge You for Not Checking Bags Online

Checked bag fees are, quite arguably, the devil. There's nothing more irritating in my mind: how can you rationally travel somewhere without taking bags? Exactly. And so, airlines, in my humble opinion, are taking advantage of folks by charging for checked bags.

A few of the airlines have decided to actually increase that too, according to Budget Travel, tacking on $5 fees for folks that don't check their bags before they get to the airport.

That's right. More baggage fees! United and US Airways are the big culprits here, too, because they already charge $15 for the first bag and $25 for the second ... now, if you pay those fees at the airport, they will charge you an additional $5. (Yes, it's very much like rebooking at the terminal -- for whatever reason, they want to charge you and additional $15.)

But are there other airlines instituting similar policies? Of course there are! Delta and Northwest will begin charging an additional $50 for a second checked bag on international flights (which I wouldn't really have a problem with, save the fact that you almost always need two bags when traveling to another frigging country). And Alaska Air will charge $15 for the first checked bag. I have no problem with this, since I don't go to Alaska. Although I'm sure Alaskan travelers may have some beef, since you dont' exactly take day trips up there.

The long and short here is that you're always, always, always smarter to just carry-on two bags when possible (and to pack accordingly, obviously) but the reality is that a lot of people simply can't manage to get all their stuff in that amount of space.

And while it's nice to see the airlines "stimulating the economy" by "trying not to go bankrupt," I'll be honest -- at some point, these baggage fees are going to send enough people far enough over the top where we score a giant boycott and dump all the tea in the ocean. Or something.

Air Jamaica Begins Worst Policy Ever

Air Jamaica effectively eliminated second bags today when they announced the dumbest airline policy since Ryanair considered charging passengers to use the bathroom.

Charging additional fees for everything from checked bags to pillows and peanuts has become modus operandi for airlines in tough times, but Air Jamaica has taken the absurdity to new heights.

On Monday, Air Jamaica started charging passengers $25 for the second checked bag on flights from New York to Grenada and Barbados, but the second checked bag won't be on their flight.

Air Jamaica will transport the first checked bag on passengers' flights, at no charge. All other bags will be transported within seven days and must be picked up at the airport, Air Jamaica said.

Here's another suggestion. Why not freight all that luggage from New York to the Florida Keys and then launch it to Grenada and Barbados using a giant catapult? That way when the policy fails miserably there would at least be the satisfaction of a splash as your personal belongings disappear into the Caribbean Sea.

Plus, you wouldn't have to wait "up to 7 days" for the splash.

If this policy was really put in place because of "weight restrictions on the plane" does that mean that the same rules apply on the return flight home? This is clearly just another case of inane boardroom decision making that has no basis in reality.

Delta Has an Idea to Generate Revenue: More Bag Charges!

Bag charges. They're the worst. But here's some even more annoying news: they're going up!

Yes, that's right. Delta has decided that people traveling a really long way shouldn't be able to pack more than one bag for anything other than highway robbery, as they've raised their "second bag price" on international flights to a whopping $50.

Effective today, for international travel beginning July 1, Delta will charge customers a $50 fee to check a second bag, which the company expects to generate more than $100 million annually.

Well, goodie for Delta, who will make a ton of money. The downside: this is, um, not awesome news for consumers. The airline may have posted huge losses recently, but that's still not an excuse to seek awkwardly aggressive methods of charging consumers in an attempt to recoup some money. They're better off doing something counter intuitive like giving out free peanuts. I'd buy more airplane tickets.