US airline to charge passengers extra to use overhead lockers

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Viewing 15 posts - 1 through 15 (of 19 total)

  • PhilipHart
    Participant

    US airline to charge passengers extra to use overhead lockers

    The table showing which airlines earn what from extra charges makes interesting reading. Ditto how those extra charges are levied.


    AMcWhirter
    Participant

    It’s all part of the economy class downgrade (on domestic flights) to which we referred last March.

    US airlines poised for economy downgrade


    AlanOrton1
    Participant

    Have to wonder how UA are going to enforce the ‘no usage of the overhead bin’. Will cabin crew have to police this on boarding? I cannot imagine they’ll be too happy, and interested what their unions have to say if cabin crew bear the brunt of irate pax.

    Interesting to note that non US full service airlines KLM / AF, Lufthansa & Qantas feature in the top 10 airlines that earn the most from ancillary charges.


    WillieWelsh
    Participant

    Well here’s one that BA have missed. HBO, one small piece and be assigned to the last boarding group so everyone else has their bags stowed before you are allowed to board.

    No doubt a very attractive proposition to many BA flyers tired of people and their excessive bags.

    Then again, BA wouldn’t be able to manage the zoned boarding so the same chaos would result as now. Might be fun to watch though.


    Cloud-9
    Participant

    I watched a lady with 4 large bags try to board a QR flight from HEL today.

    The ground crew told her unequivocally that only one bag was permitted. No fees were charged.


    SGJNI1961
    Participant

    How did she get to the gate with four large bags? Shopping? What happened at checkin one wonders.


    TominScotland
    Participant

    WillieWelsh – please explain the purpose of your post in light of the theme of this discussion. There is more to life, surely, than BA and BA bashing?


    FDOS_UK
    Participant

    [quote quote=778738]WillieWelsh – please explain the purpose of your post in light of the theme of this discussion. There is more to life, surely, than BA and BA bashing?

    [/quote]

    Tom, are you being ‘ironic’ again?

    Willie’s comment is on topic.

    Sentence 1 = factual comment

    Sentence 2 = reasonable comment, I’ve taken a few domestics and a European return this year and the baggage situation is way beyond reasonable and also way beyond apparent control – SimonS1 has a view of why it happens (slippery shouldering the problem down the line), but whatever the cause all of my domestics from LHR have been later. By comparison, I have taken a similar number of Ryanair flights and they have all pushed back on schedule, because the gate agents hande the baggage situation proactively and firmly.

    Sentence 3 = aligns with my recent experience – on the BA flights I’ve taken this year , only about 1/3 have followed the current policy on boarding by the designated groups, some followed the old system and in one instance,the boarding didn’t include any attempt to prioritise by groups – quite disgraceful.

    So, please now inform us that you were being ‘ironic’ and we can have a good laugh and move on……


    AlanOrton1
    Participant

    Wasn’t this thread about US carriers…?


    MartynSinclair
    Participant

    I think it is a great idea and should be extended to the entire passenger cabin, not just these super cheap fares.

    This will soon resolve the problem of people bringing too much baggage through the cabin & make the boarding process far quicker and easier.

    It is very easily enforceable, good revenue for the companies BUT only if staff can be bothered to strictly monitor about the size/amount of hand luggage allowed in the cabin…


    AlanOrton1
    Participant

    On some of the US carriers I’ve seen some cabin crew enforcing ‘one bag in the overhead bin and the second bag under the seat’ rule.

    What they could do is reduce slightly the size of the main carry on bag, as many look particularly large and have to go in sideways, and the second bag should be much smaller, i.e a handbag or small laptop case. So often I see the second bag being a rucksack or similar. Makes boarding domestic US flights slow and painful.


    penfold69
    Participant

    I think this has been a long time coming. As soon as airlines started to charge for checked luggage, the next logical step is to charge for carry-on luggage. In the never ending quest for increasing revenue & profits, as soon as the charges for checked luggage, seat selection etc have levelled off and stopped increasing, the next logical way to get more money is to charge for carry on luggage. I can see other airlines, especially the low cost airlines, following suit.
    It hasn’t happened yet, but I think what MartynSinclair wants, will happen. The whole cabin will have to pay for carry-on luggage, apart from possibly the premium cabins.
    Where will it stop though? A mandatory charge to check in? Bus charge for parking off stand? Aer Lingus, Easyjet and others already charge an admin fee for making a booking online, and a bigger one for booking over the phone. I would not rule out airlines charging for anything in future. The story about Ryanair charging to go to the toilet, doesn’t seem so far off.


    JohnHarper
    Participant

    I still don’t understand why all airlines do not enforce the two in business or first and one in economy rule and that’s not one in economy plus another piece. Where it is enforced it works.


    mancvboy
    Participant

    Of course Spirit Airlines in the US have been doing this for years – it is cheaper to check in baggage than to take it on board. Only briefcase sized hand baggage is allowed on board without payment and this is strictly enforced.The difference that this makes to boarding has to be seen to be believed -far quicker both loading and unloading.


    AlanOrton1
    Participant

    mancvboy – you are absolutely spot on. Was just about to post the same comment about Spirit.

    Still not sure how UA can make this work with only a proportion of the pax on any given flight not having the right to use the overhead bin.

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