Extra fees by the airlines

Those of you who fly frequently are no doubt aware that many airlines are now charging a fee for a 2nd checked bag.  Recently US Airways announced they are implementing a $15 fee for your first checked bag!

You can read more about the extra baggage fees for some major carriers here:

• American: http://tinyurl.com/6ah6kd
• United: http://tinyurl.com/6gdlqa
• Delta: http://tinyurl.com/bp7g2
• USAirways: http://tinyurl.com/kc3u6

Delta, according to an article in the Wall Street Journal, is also adding a fuel surcharge to frequent-flier tickets. Starting Aug. 15, the airline will charge $25 for frequent-flier tickets for travel in the U.S. and Canada and $50 for travel from the U.S. and Canada to other countries. 

One airline that has not (as yet) raised their baggage fees is Southwest Airlines – read their baggage policies here: http://southwest.com/travel_center/baggage.html   Hooray for Southwest Airlines!  We recently had the pleasure to fly Southwest on two different trips and in addition to having the best fare we appreciated their generous baggage allowance.

One alternative to paying these extra airline baggage fees is to have your luggage shipped by U.P.S. or a company like https://www.luggageforward.com/