Avoiding extra fees at airports
2010-06-02
The economic downturn has forced airlines to tighten their belts as they struggle to stay afloat. Unfortunately for travelers, this often means airlines passing costs down to the consumer.
Experienced travelers avoid baggage fees by packing light and carrying on. If you can sacrifice the extra space, taking your bag onboard yourself also ensures that the airline won't lose your luggage. As of late, airlines are resorting to some tough tactics to squeeze every dollar they can out of the average flier, according to USA Today.
Rich Truesdell, a frequent traveler and the editorial director of AutomotiveTravel.com, was traveling with his rolling duffel which he claims he has carried on for years. When he got to the security checkpoint, he was stopped, but not by TSA officials. His airline had placed an agent there to send anyone whose bag was too big back to the ticket counter.
"She was there to monitor carry-on luggage," he told the news source. "I still made the flight, but not by much."
Truesdell's luggage slightly exceeded the 45-inch combined width, length, and height rule for carrying a bag onboard. He was forced to pay a $25 fee to check the bag. In response, he's learned to pack lighter and carries a tape measure to ward off any opportunistic agents.