http://www.usatoday.com/travel/news/2003/09/26-baggage-fees.htm
Fees for heavy bags give airlines a hefty profit
ST. PAUL (AP) Mark and Tonya Westphal were entitled to check four bags with a combined weight of 200 pounds on their Northwest Airlines flight from the Twin Cities to Atlanta. But they wanted to travel light.
So the Brooklyn Park couple limited how many pairs of pants, socks and shirts they packed and got their stuff into just one checked bag. But, like thousands of other travelers, they ran afoul of tighter excess baggage rules.
Their one bag tipped the scales at 52 pounds, making them subject to a $25 fee.
"The skycap would not allow our bag to slide by, even though it was the only checked piece of luggage that we had," Mark Westphal recalled. "We had to unpack two pounds and carry it on with us to avoid the fee."
Last Dec. 15, Eagan-based Northwest started charging most domestic passengers $25 to check a bag weighing between 50 and 70 pounds. Other big carriers have followed Northwest's lead, except Southwest Airlines.
That late-year policy change apparently paid off well for Northwest, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reported Wednesday. Its 2002 excess baggage revenues hit $27.8 million, about $4 million more than it collected in 2000 or 2001, years when it flew millions more passengers.
"Customers have accepted the changes but we assume some are packing lighter," said Northwest spokeswoman Mary Stanik.
Overall, data compiled by the federal Bureau of Transportation Statistics indicate that U.S. airlines collected $181 million in excess baggage fees last year, $28 million more than in 2001 and $11 million more than in 2000, a much busier year.
In the first quarter of this year, the airlines collected $52 million in excess baggage fees, according to bureau statistics. If they sustain that pace, they'll crack $200 million this year, the newspaper reported.
Airlines have several reasons for tightening up baggage weight rules.
When it changed its rules, Northwest noted that employee back injuries had jumped 27%. It blamed heavy bags for about one-third of those injuries. Since the new rules went into effect, Stanik said, "(Employees') back injuries are down and we believe that lighter bags may be a contributing factor."
Weightier bags also mean heavier planes and increased fuel consumption.
Of course, the nation's airlines, which have lost billions of dollars since 2001, welcome the added revenue generated by tighter baggage policies.
"They're looking at everything they can to add revenue," said David Stempler, president of the Air Travelers Association.
Like Northwest, American Airlines last December started charging $25 for bags weighing between 50 and 70 pounds. American ended up collecting $46 million in excess baggage fees in 2002, up from $36.6 million in 2001 and $35.8 million in 2000, according to BTS reports.
This past January, United Airlines started charging $25 for bags weighing 50 pounds or more. It eliminated its $80 fee for bags weighing between 70 and 100 pounds.
In February, Delta deemed bags over 50 pounds to be overweight, charging a $25 for bags weighing between 51 and 70 pounds. The airline continued to charge $80 for bags weighing 71 to 100 pounds, rejecting anything heavier. Delta collected $37.2 million in excess baggage fees last year, according to the BTS. In 2001, it took in $29.5 million; in 2000, $29.9 million.
Southwest Airlines has not tightened up its baggage weight rules. It allows each passenger to check three pieces each weighing up to 70 pounds free of charge.
"You know there are times summer vacations, longer trips when you'll travel with a lot of luggage," Southwest spokeswoman Whitney Eichinger said. "Most people check one or two bags. But having a lenient policy helps our customers."
