baggage fees out of detroit

[robinsnest49ers]

Hi, we have always driven to Disney but are getting older and would like to fly with our family this time.

Can anyone tell me what airlines include baggage and which ones don't. We'll be flying out of Detroit.

The last time I flew was about 10 years ago when everything was included. Heck, they even gave you free breakfast and snacks!

I'm looking to book for March and am getting confused trying to figure out the best deal because you see a cheap price then you have to add in baggage fees and taxes and ..... It's all so confusing. Where do you pack everything, There are so many rules now. Like where do you pack things like shampoo? Has anyone booked flights for March break and got a good deal??

 

[snickerboo]

Southwest is still 2 free bags. I think the others out of DTW charge. JetBlue is 1 free but, IIRC, they don't go out of DTW (they go from BUF). AirTran, Delta & American all charge for bags.

You have to pack your shampoo in your checked luggage. The maximum allowable liquids or gels in carry-on luggage is 3oz which is pretty small. You can bring any of the under 3 oz in your carry-on in a ziploc bag. You must bring your own ziploc bag (as I found out when they tossed my B&BW hand sanitizer on my trip from DTW last month). You must have the baggie with the liquid/gel in it OUT to show when you go through security. They will throw out anything you have that does not meet regulations, you do not get it back.

Personally, I like Southwest best. You do not pick your seat in advance (unless you pay extra to do so). What you do is print your boarding passes 24 hours before your flight. Your boarding pass will give you a letter of A, B or C and a number. That's the order you board (A first, then B, then C). It works out pretty well-you just sit in the first available seats. I've never had any trouble with this on SW and I always have two kids with me. You still get a drink & a snack (pretzels or peanuts) on SW. SW cheapest prices for flights are usually about 2-3 months ahead and they often don't even publish flights until a few months before. I doubt they have March prices out yet.

One thing you'll find different if you haven't flown in 10 years is that the airport terminals all have little coffee kiosks, McDonalds, etc. After you clear security, you can buy whatever you want (even a drink) and take it on the plane with you.

My dh travels a lot on business & we travel regularly to the US through DTW. If I can help you with anything, feel free to PM me.

 

[MikeJ]

Delta currently charges $23/bag for checked luggage. We always try to get around it by going with carry-ons only, but if we need a checked bag we'll split one between us.

We're DVC members and have a box with Owner's Locker, so we can keep things like large bottles (shampoo, etc) down there which minimizes the number toiletries we need to take with us. For stuff like meds, which we need to carry, we make sure they fit in the quart bag as mandated by TSA.

You may get a good fare with Spirit, but they now also charge for carry-on bags as well, so you're right in that you need to factor in the additional charges to make sure you're getting a good deal.

- Mike