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United follows American, will charge $15 for first checked bag

June 12, 2008

It was just a matter of time. United Airlines said this morning it will start charging a “service fee” of $15 for the first checked bag, following American Airlines’ misguided lead.

Let’s go straight to the announcement:

United Airlines today announced two changes to its domestic checked bag policy. The service fee to check one bag for domestic travel will be $15 each way and the fee to check three or more bags, overweight bags or items that require special handling will increase from $100 to $125 or from $200 to $250, depending on the item.

In other words, United is charging more for everything — not just the first checked bag.

These changes apply to customers who purchase a ticket on or after June 13, 2008, for travel within the U.S. and to/from Canada, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands on or after August 18, 2008.

That means if you buy your ticket today for future travel, the new fee doesn’t apply. My advice: have some kind of proof of purchase date and/or the airline’s contract of carriage from today printed out — otherwise a ticket agent could charge you these new fees.

The $15 service fee does not apply to customers who are flying in United First or United Business or who have premier status with United or Star Alliance. Details on United’s checked bag policy are available at united.com/baggage.

Yeah, yeah. The ones who can most afford to pay for their luggage are getting off the hook. Some passengers are more equal than others.

United estimates that the new $15 service fee will apply to one out of three customers, and the potential revenue from baggage handling service fees, including those for checking a first and second bag, will be approximately $275 million a year.

This disgusts me, considering how United has run its business.

Next up on the fee bandwagon? US Airways.

It’s gonna be a fun summer, my friends.

Christopher Elliott is the author of Scammed: How to Save Your Money and Find Better Service in a World of Schemes, Swindles, and Shady Deals. Critics have called it “eye-opening” and “inspiring” — it’ll “grab your attention and won’t let go.” Order your copy now on Amazon, Barnes & Noble or iTunes.

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18 comments

  • Jasper

    So when do we think Coke and Pepsi will start charging a ‘bottling fee’ on every bottle of their products? I mean, oil prices are up, and plastic is in the end a product of oil, not?

    Since they pick up everything people can come up with, here’s another fee idea: A ‘service fee’ that pays for the ‘cost’ of having air attendants on the air craft. Their salaries need to be paid too you know. And why not make the air attendants work for their money, by reducing their base salary, and letting passengers tip them.

    Oh sorry, I am becoming an old cynic.

  • Barbara Reich

    I think if they charge the extra fees, we should also get our luggage
    at our destination within 15 minutes or they reimburse us. I have been
    waiting 45 minutes to an hour to get my luggage lately. Add that time
    to getting to the airport in enough time (1 to 2 Hours), I am waiting
    on them for several hours just to get to my destination.

  • http://claystorm.livejournal.com Kevin Muray

    I’ve only ever flown United once, and that was due to me being cheap when I was in college and doing priceline for a trip to see some family in Wichita, KS (which until Frontier came in to ICT would cost 400 to 500 dollars for a roundtrip flight from ABQ), and it seems that it was the first and last time I flew with them.

    As much as it might gain them potential revenue, I wonder how much they (and AA) will loose in turn from people like me switching to someone like Southwest who still lets you check two bags free.

    But what will really end up happening is that when I go to book travel, I will add in the 30 dollar charge (15 each way) into the price of the ticket when I compare them (and AA) to other airlines like Southwest and Frontier.

  • M.W.

    Jasper… don’t give them ideas! The service fee sounds like something they would actually do!

  • Bill Wolfe II

    I was really hoping that United would be smart enough to wait until American goes live with their process to see how it works out. I’m Premier with United and dreading the boarding process this summer when everyone tries to get their carry-on on board. They’re going to have to start boarding 45 minutes before departure just to try to leave on time. I feel really sorry for the gate agents and flight attendants that are going to have to deal with this crazy policy too.

  • Jasper

    @ MW: You really think they haven’t thought of worse yet?

    BTW: I think we need to shift our focus from trying to influence the airlines to getting all the travel websites to show true pricing in their comparative tables. They should start including all the fees and surcharges, so that customers get a real price when they compare prices in stead of the current ‘airplane-entry-ticket’ prices we get to see now.

    All they need to do is add a little field where you can say how many bags you want to check. Or they can simply increase the tickets prices of AA and UA by a standard $15.

  • Anthony

    “United follows American, will charge $15 for first checked bag”

    …thus cementing United’s reputation as the worst U.S. airline.

    The best solution: don’t fly United or American. Vote with your dollars.

  • Terri

    So is gate-checking your bags the ultimate end around for this? Gate-checked bags are ones that a traveler intends to carry-on but can’t for whatever reason. If we can do an end around this, then we should all just gate-check everything!

  • Amy

    So what if you travel with your spouse and they have premier status and you don’t? Do you still have to pay the $15?

    I am so sick of all these new fees! Time to stay home!

  • http://claystorm.livejournal.com Kevin Muray

    Terri,

    That is a very good question. If I take my larger then life suitcase with me past secuirty (so long as I dont have more then 3oz of liquids), and then they have to gate check it, are they still going to charge me for that or is it free?

    Chris, do you have any insight into what will happen with this?

  • Richard C

    We’ve all talked about how people are going to try and cram everything into carry-ons and tie up the boarding process, etc. I don’t want to be a Gloomy Gus but someone is going to get hurt, physically. Someone is going to try to stuff a grand piano in the overhead with some help from the stew, and it’s going to slip and fall and seriously hurt someone. Then the ensuing lawsuits. Oh, dear. I don’t want to give our US carriers any more brilliant ideas but these days most European carriers have weight limits for carry-ons regardless of the size of the bag.We’ve already heard so many say “No More AA, No More UA, No More US” so when the remaining carriers all adopt the same fees for baggage, drinks, snacks, etc., which ones will we fly? Southwest doesn’t go everywhere. JetBlue just pulled out of my hometown which is poorly served in any event. We can’t stay home forever. We’ll have to fly one of these carriers, sadly, at some point in time.

  • Mike

    @Richard C:

    I face this very dilemma. During the 2000 “Summer of Love” (where pilots worked to rule and refused overtime). I was delayed for hours so many times I swore I would never fly UA again and switched to AA and Alaska. Unfortunately, Alaska has recently eliminated the two most important routes for me and one of them is only served now by UA or Air Canada. The other is mostly served by Southwest and American.

    I will suck it up and fly American, where my Platinum status helps when things inevitably go wrong.

  • Marlene

    It is very frustrating when airlines continue to make flying uncomfortable and a hassle. I can remember when flying was something special. Flight attendants actually smiled, said have a good day and met it! Flight attendants have no control over the increased fees. But they are also responsible for a satisfactory flight. How tough is it for the attendants to be pleasant? When is the last time an attendant helped you find a pillow or brought you a newspaper? I have been on plenty of flights where the attendants were just sitting reading a book. It is my understanding once they get on the plane; they are working until they get off the plane. In the mist of increased fees and hassles maybe the airline should take a long hard look at their level of customer service.

  • Ann Marie

    For those of you who fly a lot and even those who don’t, a crisis in the way you will fly is on the way. First off, we start with airlines downsizing and reducing everything from staff to where they fly and when. This happens to do 2 things. First- it reduces the number of available seats causing a spike in price per seat and secondly it puts many people out of work who got some of these airlines to where they are today.

    Next we run into more price hikes all in the name of “fuel prices souring”. We have checked baggage at $15 per piece, charges for crackers and sodas that were once free, charges for weight of baggage, size etc. It’s been reported on several occasions that many of the airlines pay less for their jet fuel then we as Americans pay for a gallon of gasoline for our cars.

    So my question is this, how can these airlines charge higher fares and charge for baggage and grossly overpricing and call it in the name of “fuel prices souring” when they pay less for their fuel then we do to gas up our cars?

    The airlines are going to eventually price themselves out of the market shutting down more airlines and job losses to hard working Americans. This whole process will end up in the same situation of the pre-Amtrak days when passenger rail line priced themselves out and were eventually taken over by the US Government. Eventually, the Government will have no choice then to buy out airlines and consolidate. This will bring prices under control, since they will be a government subsidiary and will have to answer to Congress on price changes. Mark my word- this will happen unless the industry works together and fixes the issues without grossly over charging customers.

  • Jasper

    @ myself: Wohoo! And there we are. Tropicana blames high oil prices for downsizing their orange juice! They mention the cost of making bottles first in their deceiptful excuse!

    ” The downsizing from 96 to 89 ounces wasn’t a decision we took lightly. As you are aware, oil costs have skyrocketed. ***Oil is used to make plastic bottles***, fuel our factories, and ship our juice across the country in refrigerated trains and trucks. We had the choice to either increase prices or to downsize the bottle. We chose to downsize the bottle but add value through the innovation of the SNAP cap and new bottle, which consumers were seeking.

    Although you may not agree with our decision, we hope you can appreciate that they were made in the best interest of our consumers and shareholders.”

    source: http://www.mouseprint.org/?p=449#comments)

  • James

    Just a comment on Marlene’s lament regarding the diminshing level of customer service with airlines. It’s not just the airlines. It’s happening in every store, restaurant, national park…pretty much everywhere. The problem isn’t just one industry like the airlines, it’s society in general. We are not only accepting of stupid and rude behavior, but I am willing to guess that many of us are also guilty of it – although we don’t always see it. We have raised the me generation. We have raised the entitlement generation. We are reaping what we have sown. It’s like that pot commercial when the parent demands from his son “Where did you learn this from?” And the son says, “I learned it from watching you!” So if you’re looking for someone to blame for the rampant decline of customer service, start by looking in the mirror.

  • barbara

    Why don’t the airlines charge for carry ons? That is what everyone wants. If they did more people would check baggage. Boarding would then be quicker and one might even have room to stow something if you wanted to pay.
    right now the carryons are huge… no one checks if they are too big…people come on with more that the one bag plus purse or briefcase. It is stupid!!!
    What are the airlines thinking????

  • Dang

    Fly Air Canada (or European Airlines) to everywhere in the world, 2 free checked luggages for economy and up to 23 Kg (50 lbs) and 3 free checked luggages for Business up to 23 Kg (50 lbs). On Asian Airlines like THAI the limit per bag is 32Kg (70lbs) on Business Class and First Class but in case your luggages are overweight they don’t give a fuss to Business and First Class passenger.

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