UNITED Airlines-charging for more than 1 bag

[AuntDJ]

I just read that United is going to start charging $25 per bag if you have more than one bag. This can be waived if you are n the "premier" or Silver" frequent flier club.

Effective on May 5 and applies to tickets purchased on or after today.

DJ

[BigRedDad]

Another reason to avoid a bankrupt airline that fails to change its Business Model to be profitable. From my area, UAL is a useless airline. I probably would not even fly them if they were 50% less than SW or AirTran.

[Dakota Rose]

Ouch! Since United is 1 of only 3 airlines that serve my local airport, this really stinks! Oh well, guess I'll have to fly NWA from now on.

This is what my dad (a retired entrepreneur) calls "punishing the customer because you don't know how to make money any other way."

[vicster]

Thank the Lord for Southwest!!!

[Tink&Goofy]

United has announced that they are going to start charging $25 to check a second bag on domestic flights. The most elite of their frequent fliers are exempt. So that leaves most of us. I wonder if they realize that this means alot more people will be maxxing out the allowed carryon - which is normally overfull anyway.

Will this affect your decision to fly on United?

[BelleLovesTheBeast]

I fly SW most of the time. I really don't like United. I've had problems with them canceling flights. My husbands requests from his business travel agent to not book them because they cancel his flights 9 out 10 times. This will just give me another reason to fly with them.

[Melanie]

Ouch! This is will affect us unfortunately. United is the only US airline to fly into Okinawa. :(

[vamaggie]

I have actually had very good experiences with United. We fly them at least once a year and cannot remember any problems that affected our trips. The only 1 free bag will not affect us too much as we usually only check 3 bags for the 4 of us anyway. I can imagine that folks who fly from overseas or who are taking very long vacations will be hit but maybe baggagecheck will be quicker (with less bags). I would rather them take these kinds ofrevenue increasing steps (which people can decide to pay or not) than charge even higher fees or cancel more flights (which affect everyone). Just my thoughts.

[BMan62]

Hearing the report on the news last night, they went even further to say that if you check MORE than 2 bags, you will pay $100 per bag.

Business travelers will be exempt from the second bag charge, but not the 3+ charge(s.)

Other airlines are watching to see what happens with this, but if it does not lead to lower bookings you will see them follow suit shortly.

We never take more than 1 checked bag/person for our trips, but I could see some families being hit hard by this.

It may now be easier, and more cost effective, to take fewer clothes and plan on laundering them during your trip.

[BigRedDad]

Other airlines are watching to see what happens with this, but if it does not lead to lower bookings you will see them follow suit shortly.


The only airlines that will watch this are the bankrupt airlines that do not make profit. They have a poor business model and refuse to change it. SouthWest, JetBlue, SkyBus (maybe), etc will not change their models because they are extremely profitable.

The only ones I see doing this are the ones looking for more bail our money from Gov't so the execs can take their separation package money. They whine to get the gov't to bail them out, the gov't gives them $5B in aid, then the execs leave taking $4B of the gov't aid as their buyout packages. it is ridiculous. The gov't should stop bailing out failing business because the execs want large buyouts.

[Tinkerfreak]

I bet people who normally would only bring a small carryon bag will now bring a bigger one adding a new problem of not enough overhead storage.

[2Epcot]

Thank the Lord for Southwest!!!

I also love Southwest ... I fly it about 95% of the time. I flew United for the first time in my life last October when I went to China. I only used United because my wife had leftover miles from them. I wasn't happy about using them, and giving up my favorite Asian airliner. The service was just ok, I would not use them again. Their weight restrictions also made the trip more inconvienent.

[wendy*darling]

Spirit Airlines (not bankrupt) has been charging for ALL bags for over a year now.

It had been $10 per bag for the first 2 bags, but if you paid the baggage fee online in advance, it was half price.

Now, with this new announcement from United- Spirit is increasing their fees to $20 per bag ($10 if paid on line in advance).

Bags #3 and up per person are $100 each (no online discount).

The fees are EACH WAY.

This is the wave of the future guys.

Owners Locker is making more and more sense right now!!! :thumbsup:

[BelleLovesTheBeast]

How do they know the difference between a business traveler and one who's just vacationing?

[vamaggie]

How do they know the difference between a business traveler and one who's just vacationing?

By Business traveler" I think they mean someone traveling in Business class or in of the the "upper tier" miles plus categories.

[Tick-Tock]

Ouch! This is will affect us unfortunately. United is the only US airline to fly into Okinawa. :(

From the articles I've read, I don't think it applies to international flights except Canada.

[NotaGeek]

This is from the United Airlines Website (http://www.united.com/page/article/0,6722,52481,00.html):


United is announcing a new checked bag policy for customers who purchase nonrefundable domestic economy tickets. Customers purchasing nonrefundable domestic economy tickets who do not have status in Mileage Plus or Star Alliance may check one bag for free and a second bag for a $25 service fee. Customers who have attained Premier status or higher in Mileage Plus or who have Silver status and above with a Star Alliance partner, are exempt from this policy change. This policy is for travel exclusively within the 50 United States, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands and Canada and applies to tickets purchased on or after February 4, 2008 for travel on or after May 5, 2008.

[Melanie]

From the articles I've read, I don't think it applies to international flights except Canada.


This is from the United Airlines Website (http://www.united.com/page/article/0,6722,52481,00.html):

Oh, good deal. :whew:

Didn't even think about it being domestic only.

[NotaGeek]

I didn't even realize that military folks have their own set of luggage rules! Check out the international luggage UA rules ... cool!

[Melanie]

I didn't even realize that military folks have their own set of luggage rules! Check out the international luggage UA rules ... cool!

Oh yeah, you should have seen all the stuff DH left here with when he went to Iraq. He did have to pay some excess baggage fees though, but he was reimbursed.

[thrillme]

I don't know what exactly it's going to take to become a "member" of one of their status clubs.

I can't remember ever flying United anyway. They've always been pricer than the other airlines. Spirit has been charging for bags but...they have some KILLER deals that really make it worth it by far in the long run.

They're officially NOT here yet but they did have a deal where I could fly from San Antonio to Ft Lauderdale between late April and early May for only $32.50 round trip. I have no need to go to Ft Lauderdale at that time but...if I did...$20 for luggage...no big deal.

I'm sure people will start packing a lot lighter.

[Mufasa]

I don't know what exactly it's going to take to become a "member" of one of their status clubs.

Premier is when you fly 25,000 miles, or 30 flight segments in a year, Premier Executive is 50,000 miles or 60 flight segments and 1k status is when you fly 100,000 miles or 100 segments in a calendar year.

Usually those bonus miles you might earn through credit card programs, hotel stays, etc. don't count towards your elite status.

One year I easily cleared Premier status in less than 2 weeks when I basically flew around the world in that time.

Where it gets tricky is if you're right on the edge of making it into the next tier status group so you might make a last minute mileage run to earn enough to bump you into 1k for the next year (and then you can usually call up the competitor airlines and get put into their status programs in an effort for them to try and win your business).

For a lot of business travelers this won't really have much of an effect- I understand that it only applies to nonrefundable fares (a lot of business travelers often are booked on fully refundable tickets or wind up booking them for last minute travel)

I always try and avoid checking any bags and travel light, although with the TSA requirements on liquids & gels in carry-ons you sometimes pretty much are forced to check a bag.

And it really doesn't come as a surprise they're starting to charge for more than 1 bag on domestic flights since they've already reduced the maximum weight of a bag down to 50 pounds domestic.

[TheRustyScupper]

1) Several no-frills airlines have charged for luggage for some time.
2) Most major carriers have charged for over 50# bags.
3) It is a sign of the times.
. . . less luggage saves fuel
. . . saving fuel means not going bankrupt
4) I see all carriers going to this mode.
5) They have to make up for cheap tourist fares somehow.

NOTE: "Elite" passengers (with annual air miles over 25,000) will be exempt, because they pay so much for tickets. Casual passengers and tourists pay a lot less for those advance-sales tickets.