Air Jamaica: pay for extra baggage, which might arrive after your holiday

by Karen Walrond on

You know, I get it. I do. I mean, the economy is bad, people aren’t taking vacations as often as they used to, and so airlines are feeling the pinch. They need to come up with creative ways to make a bit of cash. Of course they do. We all do. I get it.

However.

Something tells me that Air Jamaica might just be shooting themselves in the foot with their latest scheme. According to USA Today, Air Jamaica will allow passengers flying from New York to Grenada and New York to Barbados to check one bag on the plane for free — but the second bag will cost them US$ 25.

But dude, that’s not the best part.

The best part is that this second bag? The one that you’re PAYING EXTRA to bring on the flight? Won’t actually be on your flight. Instead, it will be “transported within 7 days,” and you’ll have to go to the airport to pick up the bag yourself.

Huh?

The airline states that the reason for this new policy is because of “weight restrictions on the aircraft.” Hmm.

Ooooh. Wait, I get it: they’re implementing this ridiculous policy so that no one will want to fly them anymore, and look for alternate routes to Grenada and Barbados, and therefore the planes will be lighter, since they’ll have no baggage or passengers. It all makes total sense to me, now!

Except for, you know, the part where it doesn’t.

10 tips for smarter flying


Ryanair: get in shape, carry your own bags

by Tom Johansmeyer on

European object of disdain low-cost carrier Ryanair is always looking for ways to save a few bucks. From pay-to-piss to the fat tax, the airline has put forth a stream of ideas that really haven’t gotten off the ground. Well, CEO Michael O’Leary has a new one to add to the list: mandatory luggage self-service.

Under this new model, passengers would carry their bags through airport security and drop them at the steps at the bottom of the plane. Turnaround times remain a concern – as they are for the fat tax. Let’s be realistic: the only people in the airport more likely to screw something up than baggage handlers are the passengers themselves.

If you spend 15 minutes staring at the menu at Sbarro and can’t figure the damned thing out, you probably shouldn’t be trusted to carry your own bags.

Bravo Alaska Airlines – bag not on the belt in 25 minutes? $25 off your next flight!

by Scott Carmichael on

It doesn’t matter how much of an experienced traveler you are – if you checked a bag, you are at the mercy of someone in the basement of the airport to get your bag.

I’ve had my bags tagged “priority”, and still spent 2 hours waiting for them to appear on the carousel.

Alaska Airlines understands our frustration, and is introducing a “Baggage Service Guarantee” which will go into effect on July 7th.

Their guarantee is simple – if you wait more than 25 minutes for your bags to reach you, you’ll get $25 off your next flight, or 2500 frequent flier miles.

Of course, their timing is a little suspicious, because they just announced that they’ll be joining the ranks of other airlines that charge for all checked baggage. Your first bag will cost $15, the second $25 and the third $50. This probably means people will secretly be hoping for their bags to take their time, so they can make some of that money back.

Delta to charge $50 for second checked bag on international routes

by Jeffrey White on

Well, we knew this day would arrive eventually.

Delta Airlines today announced that it would begin charging $50 for a second checked bag on its international routes.

That makes it the first US legacy carrier to implement a baggage fee for international travel.

American Airlines and United are reportedly studying Delta’s move, which means they’re weighing the same fee but want to see first whether it is really worth it.

Passengers with elite status on Delta, and active military personnel, are exempt from the new baggage fee.

The first checked bag remains free on Delta’s international routes.

Delta, the world’s largest airline, reported a $794 million first-quarter loss today, which it blames on both the bad economy and bad hedging on fuel prices.

The airline plans to reduce its international capacity by roughly 10 percent starting this fall.

U.S. Airlines can’t come up with any new ways to charge their customers

by Scott Carmichael on

Some sad news from Reuters this afternoon (for the airlines at least).

U.S. based airlines may have finally run out of new fees for their passengers.

Indeed, after years of moving things that used to be free into a fee based category, there simply isn’t anything left they can charge us for.

Some airlines, have increased their revenue by over $2 Billion a year, just off things like meals, drinks and baggage charges.

These are all things that used to be included for free with your ticket, but now add as much as 25% to the price of your trip.

Of course, when an airline claims it has run out of ways to screw us, I suspect they are just getting warmed up for the really nasty charges they are preparing. There are plenty of ways they can still make a few bucks off us, until the point where your ticket is nothing more than a piece of paper that entitles you to getting to your destination “sooner or later”.

I’ve written about some of the insane ways airlines come up with “exciting” new products, and quite frankly, I don’t think their creativity will end until the last accountant has left the building.

(Via: RickSeaney.com)