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Bag charges and extra fees could leave some grounded
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S.F. AIRPORT (Map, News) - With some airlines starting to charge passengers for a second checked bag — and even more for extra and overweight bags — analysts say air travel is drifting out of reach for people such as Christina Malins, who recently stood under a tower of baggage at the San Francisco International Airport.
“One bag per person would be really, really hard,” she said, struggling with a cart loaded with eight suitcases and a pile of carry-on bags. “I mean, this bag alone is just car seats,”
Malins, her sister and her sister’s three young children were en route to visit her very ill father in New Zealand. The trip cost them $7,000 — one way — the kind of price tag that analysts say is likely to get higher as airlines continue to “unbundle” their fares.
So far, two major airlines that fly through SFO — United Airlines and U.S. Airways — have announced they will begin charging passengers $25 for a second checked bag in May.
They are also among several airlines that have recently upped their charge for oversized and overweight bags. Meanwhile, Southwest Airlines and AirTran Airways have dropped the number of allowed checked bags from three to two, and Delta Air Lines recently joined the pack that charges for curbside check-in.
Airline officials have explained all of these moves by pointing to the $100-a-barrel price of oil. United officials have said it expects to generate $100 million annually by charging for second bags — largely due to the fuel savings from lighter cargo holds.
The timing of the announcement is no accident, New York airline analyst Bob Harrell said.
“No one ever wants to pay more, but the customer is more psychologically receptive to these things in what they know is a high fuel-cost environment,” he said.
Colorado-based airline analyst Tim Sieber said other carriers are likely to follow suit.
“It’s the direction of the industry, for better or worse,” he said. “Airlines realize more revenue by charging a la carte for services. If they can figure out how to charge for the air on the airplane, they’ll do it.”
Comments from Examiner Readers
10:53 PM MST on Mon., Jul. 28, 2008 re: "It saves to fly out of San Francisco"
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1:11 PM MST on Fri., Jul. 25, 2008
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12:49 PM MST on Fri., Jul. 25, 2008
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10:01 AM MST on Mon., May. 26, 2008
re: "Passengers are not happy with SFO"
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8:37 AM MST on Mon., May. 26, 2008
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12:58 PM MST on Wed., Apr. 30, 2008
re: "Virgin takes off while competitors lay low"
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7:03 PM MST on Fri., Dec. 21, 2007
re: "2 flights grounded at SFO"
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1:00 PM MST on Fri., Dec. 21, 2007
re: "2 American Airlines flights grounded at SFO"
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Examiner Reader said:
I agree, Southwest aircraft, besides the Boeing 737-700, are pretty beat up and ghetto. Flying Virgin is the only way to go, clean new Airbus Aircraft, freindly staff, and tons of entertainment onboard. I only wish they flew to other destnations out of San Diego.
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Wai Yip Tung said:
Of course they do fly to New York.
2 agree | 2 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
But the low cost carriers out of SFO do not fly to places like Chicago, New York, or do they?
3 agree | 4 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
truly poor vender selection,food services extremely limited.... one only needs to travel outside of the U.S. to make a comparison ie zurich, heathrow vender food serivice quite varied... services in sfo are sooo predictably bland off the shelf vendors and services... ray okamoto frequent flyer
10 agree | 11 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
I read this in the printed copy. It shows Philli coming in first. No wonder the managers at SFO are taking shots at the study. Not like SFO would be a jewel by the sea... but Philli?
9 agree | 10 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
I find Virgin America a bunch of fun to fly!
11 agree | 10 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Go for it! The noise over Montara and Moss Beach has become unbearable on some days. And the claim that the airport cares and calls back is BS. I have called them on really bad days and not once have they had the courtesy to return a call and discuss the issues. They deserve what is coming for them.
10 agree | 11 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Once again the genius of the marketplace has brought us the current state of u.s. airlines. I suspect many of us flyers would be willing to pay a bit more not to be left waiting at the gate.
10 agree | 10 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
southwest is super ghetto with the lack of seat assignments, while it's lax it is not efficient and planes look beat up and in poor shape
72 agree | 84 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Southwest....is the only way to go!
92 agree | 97 disagree
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