On the heels of American Airlines' ill-conceived decision to begin levying a $15 charge for the first checked bag for most passengers and several carrier's recently instituted second-bag fee of $25, Southwest just sent out the following statement, which I quote in its entirety:
"Today's New York Times story on American Airlines' plan to charge for all checked luggage included a reference to Southwest Airlines that said, 'Other major American airlines, including Southwest Airlines, said Wednesday that they were considering matching the fee.' That is not true. The next line quotes a Southwest spokesperson saying, 'We're doing everything we can do to boost revenue, but it's not our goal to nickel and dime our customers.' That is true. We want to assure you that Southwest Airlines still allows you to check up to two free bags when you travel with us, and has no plans to change that. You can still count on Southwest Airlines to provide high quality air travel at a low fare, without a lot of extra fees. We look forward to seeing you onboard very soon. (And bring your luggage!)"As I noted in my blog post yesterday that included news of this American Airlines "revenue enchancer," I believe that this surcharge will backfire and many passengers will avoid American whenever they can. Fifteen dollars is not a fortune, but for the proverbial family of four on a tight budget, that additional $60 each way to check just one bag apiece, the new fee can make or break a trip. Now, perhaps driving becomes a more reasonable option -- and so is staying home and enjoying what has come to be called a "staycation."
The entire issue of surcharges set travel consumer advocate Christopher Elliott off on a recent rant. He wrote "Five Airline Fees That Make Absolutely No Sense Whatsover" -- and that was before American decided to impose a fee for even the first checked bag.
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