Have airlines always charged excessively for luggage that weighed over 50 lbs?

Question

I tried to avoid the extra checked luggage fees and avoid not having room to store a carry-on with everyone else trying to avoid checked luggage fees. So I stuffed everything into one suitcase and got nailed even worse because they said it was overweight. $100. Thats practically a one way ticket.

Answer 1

Yes, I had a tote that I had filled with beverages and snacks from California and cos it weighed 72 pounds, I had to cough up the $50. If there's any way possible at all, weigh your bags at home or find a scale you can use before you get to the airport. That way, you can see if you need to redistribute the weight..

Answer 2

Yeah, the idea is to charge for EXCESS weight due to the fuel prices, so when people like you stuffs wife and kids in one suitcase, they can recover from the fuel that your heavy luggage is costing them.

Answer 3

Actually the charging is something thats relatively new. (Like only a month old)

With the expenses of fuel shooting up through the roof, and the relatively cheap airfare expense. (and it is WAY cheaper that it should be. Tickets are about the same price for almost 20 years) some of the airlines are trying to come up with creative ways of improving their margin, without jacking ticket prices up past peoples comfort levels.

Hence the big baggage charge

Answer 4

always, its there way of sticking it to the man!!!

Answer 5

I believe american airlines was the first US airline to implement the charge for overweight luggage, and that was only a couple of months ago

Answer 6

nope they use to let you take more than 70 lbs i think now there getting more strict because of people selling stuff from other countries. Also gas is going up so that might have part of it also.

Answer 7

Hey :) the newest things airlines are doing is allowing you one carry on, and if you want to carry on another the fees vary from airway to airway (from 35-50 bucks!) So, they are probably doing the same w /. overweight luggage. Remember, gas is so expensive, if the bags weigh alot, the more weight in the plane = more gas it uses and faster...tahts probably why..

such a rip off :*(

Answer 8

Yes, they do charge big fees for oversized bags.  As of yesterday, they are also controlling  how much you can carry in your carry-on

http://www.nbc4.com/traffic/16750364/det...

You need to  take less clothes , mix and match.. Do not take what you can get at your destination.

Answer 9

No. This is the latest round of passing on the gouge due to high fuel prices and low ridership.

Think of it as like the food you buy at the supermarket. It used to come in 16 oz boxes, now the box is 12 oz but its the same size. You get less for the same price or more.

Answer 10

no airlines are trying to find some way to turn a profit with such high fuel prices so they are beginning to charge for check luggage and sometimes for carry ons, their theory is that more weight means you are using more fuel so if they make you pay for it they don't have to,

Answer 11

no. since the september 11th incident, security and precautions in airports have been extremely multiplied

Answer 12

They have just started doing this.

I actually read a month ago that they are thinking about weighing each passenger before boarding in order to charge them additional fees for weighing down the plane because of gas prices..

Seriously...google it.

I really hope that they don't do that because that will be sooo ridiculous.

You remember the peanuts that you used to get for free? Well, I'm not sure the airline you were on, but I just came back from a trip last week and was charged $2 for a bag of freakin peanuts. geesh!!!!

Answer 13

I've had United almost charge me for my overweight luggage once, so I started to throw everything into my carry-on to avoid the fee.  It worked.