GusMan's Blog

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FORT WORTH, Texas - American Airlines will start charging $15 for the first checked bag, cut domestic flights and lay off workers as it grapples with record-high fuel prices.
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American, the nation’s largest carrier, said Wednesday the fee for the first checked bag starts June 15 and that it would raise other fees for services ranging from reservation help to oversized bags. The other fees will mostly range from $5 to $50 per service, the airline said.

Im not going to say that this is an indicator of things, but at the same time, this really makes me wonder. I mean, is this a last ditch effort or a preemptive strike.

As a frequent traveler, and an AA frequent flier for business trips, this is going to change the way I fly for sure. Brand loyalty will start becoming a thing of the past and I will start looking into lowest fare with the best schedule. And the funny part is that up until the past year, AA has been very competitive for nearly all my travels, especially to Florida.

It was bad enough having many try to fit oversized bags into the overhead bins before. Now, I am going to predict that everyone will be doing it. Nothing good can come of this.

I suppose this is just a way to help curb ticket costs to look competitive only to have to pay for the most common service in air travel outside of the flight itself. I know that there are some low-cost carriers overseas that nickel and dime you to death, but we are talking about a huge, international, airline.

Now, putting a Disney spin to this - I am wondering how this is going to impact DME (@WDW) since the online check in desks will not accept any airline fees. You might be able to check in but then you will still have to go and check your luggage at the airport.

All I know is that if they mess with my flights to WDW in December, they will hear about it.