Airlines will now charge $25 for the Second Bag to travellers

Five of the six major airlines in the United States plan to start charging coach passengers as much as $25 next month to check a second bag, in their latest move to offset high fuel prices.

“For people traveling with samples or trade show materials, they’re going to find their costs are substantially higher,” an airline industry analyst, Robert Mann, said. “It’s really not limited to leisure travelers.”

The new fee of $25 for a second bag is being levied by Continental, Delta, Northwest, United and US Airways. The low-fare carrier AirTran has announced that it will charge $10 a flight for a second checked bag. Airlines have long levied fees for checking a third bag. Some carriers have recently increased those as well, and the fees on the major carriers now run as high as $100.

As the airlines struggle to stay in the black, charges for amenities formerly included in the ticket price are on the rise. Depending on the carrier, travelers now can wind up paying extra for everything from food to curbside check-in to bulkhead seats that offer extra legroom.

As for the extra bag fee, even those who say they pack lightly for their trips anticipate problems caused by price-sensitive fliers overfilling their carry-on bags and using large amounts of scarce overhead-bin space.

“The thing that scares me about this is that it’s just going to encourage people to lug more stuff onto the plane,” Mr. Mitchell said. “For those of us that have only one bag, if I don’t board early, there’s no place for my bag.”

Some business travelers say they would express their displeasure with the new regulation by opting for carriers that do not charge a separate fee for checking a second bag. They concede, however, that this may become impossible as more airlines, reeling from the escalating cost of fuel, might look toward imposing similar fees in the future.

“I will switch to another carrier that doesn’t charge the fee,” Mr. Bower of Wine Galaxy said. He conceded, though, that this might become more difficult as more airlines follow suit.

He recently booked a business trip with AirTran to avoid paying the extra baggage charge. On April 11, however, AirTran announced that it, too, would start charging passengers to check a second bag. Although Mr. Bower’s trip is scheduled for a few days before the start of the new fee, he says next time he might just have to carry on two bags.


Another affect for the common man due to daily rising oil prices. It is slowly and steadily going to hit hard at every budget.
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