According to a press release issued yesterday by British Airways, starting February 13th the company will begin enforcing a “new simpler baggage policy” which includes charging an extra fee for a second bag. This new policy, however, will not affect UK to US flights
“It’s all part of a trend toward selling bare-bones plane tickets and then charging for everything from checked baggage to advance seat assignments,” says Rob Lovitt in this MSNBC article, who expects more carriers to adopt similar policies in the future. If this is true, and you’re already accustom to packing lightly and not splurging on extras, the money you spend on a plane tickets could go down if more carriers do indeed start making similar changes. The bad news?
For one, if your used to traveling with two pieces of checked luggage, prepare to pay for what once was included in the cost. Or, try scaling down to a single bag. Without any new restrictions on carry-ons, however, you can bet that people will find loopholes in the system.
“The problem is that many passengers will do whatever they can to avoid the added cost, and that means one thing: more – and bigger – carry-on bags,” says Lovitt. “If U.S. airlines start charging for checked luggage, you can bet the already tedious process of boarding is going to get a lot more frustrating.”
For more, visit MSNBC.com.