Airliners with no charge bags

[jjj444]

It has been along time since I have flown and was wondering if someone knew what airliners charge you for bags and what ones don't. We will have 4 people flying with 3 seats. So I am going to do a bag each to check and a bag each to carry-on(for 3 seats). I am hoping to gate check my stroller and car seats. Help me. I haven't booked anything yet and would love to know what airlines to be looking at.
Thanks

 

[DisneyFirefly]

Southwest doesn't charge for bags unless they're oversize or overweight.

 

[ljcrochet]

I know southwest is 2 free bags per ticket. I think jetblue is one.
Here is a chart that has the baggage fees. I would just double check with the airline before you book.

 

[prncess674]

Do you really need 8 suitcases to travel? Are you going for a month? Car seats and strollers are gate checked complimentary, but the down side is you have to schlep these items to the gate and thru security. You say 3 paid tickets but 4 people. Unless you happen to be on a relatively low occupancy seat, the passenger under 2 yrs will be on someone's lap and even if they airline allows free baggage, a lap child (on a domestic flight) is not given a baggage allowance, so in your instance the first 3 checked bags will be at the first fee level, the next three will be at the next level and the next two checked will be at astromonical levels.

 

[jjj444]

No I don't need 8 bags but at least one each. So say 4 bags and hopefully only having to check 1-2 and carry on the rest. Thanks for the chart with the airline fees. Looks like I need to get a Southwest flight. So far I can only find flights that have a plane change or layover. Hopefully if I keep checking a non-stop flight will open up. thanks for all the help

 

[DebbieB]

No I don't need 8 bags but at least one each. So say 4 bags and hopefully only having to check 1-2 and carry on the rest. Thanks for the chart with the airline fees. Looks like I need to get a Southwest flight. So far I can only find flights that have a plane change or layover. Hopefully if I keep checking a non-stop flight will open up. thanks for all the help

Be sure to compare the fares rather than go straight to SW. SW may have free checked luggage but the fare could be higher than airlines who charge. I know from PIT the fares I've seen lately are much higher. They wanted almost $400 for a ticket last June (but you get free luggage......), Delta was in the $200 range.

I saw on another thread that you are flying out of DTW. SW used to have non-stops from DTW but they discontinued them, I guess not enough business. Delta has non-stops from DTW, as well as AirTran and Spirit. They have bag fees, so add that in when comparing. If the difference is close, I would go for a non-stop.

 

[n2mm]

OP, it sounds like you are flying with a lap baby. Keep in mind that the lap baby does not get a baggage allowance. Only ticketed people. However, airlines do generally allow you to gatecheck carseats, strollers, and you are allowed to carry on a diaper bag. If you check your carseat with SW at the counter, it DOES count towards your luggage allowance. If you check your carseat at the counter with Jetblue it does NOT count and is free. You can carry a carseat through the airport and gate check it. (We fly jetblue and SW ALOT and last year 3 times with a lapbaby, so learned all of this first hand.) If you are traveling with a lapbaby, I'm not sure how much stuff you want to carry on, as it sounds like you will have your hands full. Personally between the 2, I love Jetblue.

 

[safetymom]

http://www.wdwinfo.com/transportation/airport_tips.htm

 

[kaytieeldr]

So far I can only find flights that have a plane change or layover. Hopefully if I keep checking a non-stop flight will open up. thanks for all the help

As you can see by a subsequent response to this, Southwest no longer provides nonstop service from DTW (your apparent departure airport?) to MCO - so a nonstop flight is simply not going to open up.

You need to consider not only the cost of the tickets and any luggage fees, you also need to consider the value of your decision. How much (more than Southwest, if indeed SW is cheapest) is it worth to you to NOT have to change planes? Say all fares are $200, but Delta charges $23 per checked bag BUT Delta has nonstop flights. If you can check just one or two bags, is convenience worth the extra $46?

 

[TheWog]

JetBlue has one bag free per seat (ticketed person).

 

[Brian Noble]

I want to echo a couple points made in the thread.

The presence or absence of baggage charges is not the issue. You should be thinking about "total costs". Southwest, in particular, is often not terribly competitive out of DTW in terms of bottom-line total cost.

Non-stop flights, to me, are more valuable than connecting ones, and I'm often willing to pay for that convenience. However, if that's not feasabble for you, a close second is the "stop, but don't change planes" flights that SW sometimes offers out of DTW. These are a little longer than a direct flight, but you don't have to (and, in some cases can't) get off the plane when it stops.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Non-stop flights, to me, are more valuable than connecting ones, and I'm often willing to pay for that convenience.

I know exactly what you mean. Jet Blue flights are more valuable to me than flights on other airlines, and I'm often willing to pay extra to fly my airline-of-choice if necessary.

Kind of funny story... when I go to Las Vegas, I take flight 777; it (usually*) leaves Boston around 7:30 PM and arrives in Las Vegas about 10:30-11 - or at least that's what's scheduled . As the night flight - and the same plane returns to Boston as the redeye - it's generally the cheapest flight, even though it's also the only non-stop

A couple of years ago, a flight that connected in Washington DC was cheaper (and landed earlier. I booked that. Well, I got to the airport in plenty of time... only to find out that the plane going from Boston to Washington hadn't yet left its Philadelphia departure (due to bad weather the previous day).

It ultimately ended up not leaving there until after we were supposed to BE in Washington. Well, naturally, I wasn't going to make my connection (along with one party going to Dallas and one to Orlando).

Anybody want to guess which flight I ended up taking? And that wasn't even the year we had to stop in Denver to refuel!

*Oddly, for two weeks last October, JetBlue rescheduled flights 777/778 for, respectively, morning/noontime departures. It's the first time I've arrived in Las Vegas in daylight in twelve years