Yet another fee the airlines find it convenient to charge and get away with.
As the title states, taking bags on a trip with you can be a huge drag on your back specially if you have decided to pack everything including the kitchen sink and now have to check your bags in at the airport. Lifting this dead weight into and out of your transport to the airport then making the bag do F1 ( Nascar for you Americans) maneuvers in a busy airport including a long queue for bag drop can be a mind numbing experience. Add to that the long wait times to check-in your bag(s) or drop it off, is the nervous twitch you just developed with one eyeball glued to the watch as the boarding time fast approaches and the woman at front seems to have fifty thousand questions she needs answered by the check-in agent. Nightmare!
You get to the check-in agent, place your bag on the scale and you get asked to pay a $$$ fee for the privilege of taking the sink with you. You will be charged in most cases by most US carriers to check-in a bag.
Next to charging for seats, charging for bags is a massive revenue stream for airlines. In days gone by full service carriers included 1-2 checked bags for free within a certain weight threshold in the cost of the airline ticket. Along came the Low cost carriers and charged for seats, bags, boarding position, change fees and any ancillary service they could think of, the legacy airlines decided to follow suit.
According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics the US carriers in 2022 earned a massive $6.7 billion in revenue from baggage fees alone. Each carrier has designed its bag fee policy based on its customer service play book and revenue goals.
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One carrier stands heads and shoulders above the other US carriers and has thus far resisted the charging for checked bags. Southwest airlines business model has won
allot of fans and accolades as one that remains profitable without nickel and diming customers. If you don't believe us go checkout their website where the baggage policy is clearly laid out. Southwest definitely win our best in class award for zero checked bag fees for 2 bags and free carry on allowance. There are allot of happy campers traveling on Southwest not having to worry about whipping out the credit card for yet another fee.
Of course the industry keeps evolving and competition amongst the airlines if fierce. Always check the latest bag fees information directly with the airline before departure to avoid last minute surprises.
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