[Travelandtourism] Senate Bill Aims to Block Airline BaggageFees

Wed Nov 23 19:00:35 UTC 2011

I bet they will just apply the charges to the ticket price and will continue 
to kill our wallets.  It would be funny if all airline passengers got the 
American Express card which waves the luggage fee.  heh heh heh!
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Peter Donahue" <pdonahue2 at satx.rr.com>
To: "NFB Travel and Tourism Division List" <travelandtourism at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Wednesday, November 23, 2011 12:11 PM
Subject: Re: [Travelandtourism] Senate Bill Aims to Block Airline 
BaggageFees


> Hello Cheryl and everyone,
>
>    Good! It's about time! Perhaps this sentiment is the sign of a new air
> travel model readying to replace the old broken system.
>
> Peter Donahue
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "cheryl echevarria" <cherylandmaxx at hotmail.com>
> To: "travelandtourism" <travelandtourism at nfbnet.org>; "Echevarria
> Travelblog" <nera563pipu at post.wordpress.com>
> Sent: Wednesday, November 23, 2011 11:36 AM
> Subject: [Travelandtourism] Senate Bill Aims to Block Airline Baggage Fees
>
>
>
> By Judson Berger
>
> Published November 22, 2011
>
> FoxNews.com
>
> Airlines would no longer be allowed to charge passengers for their first
> checked bag under a bill being introduced in Congress ahead of the holiday
> travel season.
>
> Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., announced the legislation Tuesday, describing 
> it
> as way spare passengers from "unfair fees" while encouraging them to ease 
> up
> a bit on the carry-on bags.
>
> "Air travel can be a stressful experience for many reasons, but unfair 
> fees
> for basic amenities should not be one of them," Landrieu said in a
> statement. "Passengers have been nickeled and dimed for far too long and
> something has to be done about it."
>
>
> Avoid Holiday Air Travel Stress
>
> Travel experts offer ways to make airline travel less stressful and even
> enjoyable
>
>
> Under the proposal, passengers would be allowed one checked and one 
> carry-on
> bag free of charge, provided the bags are within the size limits. Airlines
> would also be required to provide free access to drinking water and
> toilets -- the senator wants to impose penalties on any airline that fails
> to comply.
>
> But the industry described the proposal as a step backward. Steve Lott,
> spokesman for the Air Transport Association, said banning baggage fees 
> would
> actually be less fair to customers, as it could result in higher ticket
> costs that all passengers would bear as opposed to just those who are
> checking bags.
>
> "Most in Congress understand that the airline industry was deregulated 
> more
> than 30 years ago and the government should not mandate what products and
> services a deregulated industry should offer customers," Lott said.
>
> The industry started charging for checked bags to deal with rising jet 
> fuel
> costs and a weak economy. According to industry estimates released this
> month, the average price of a gallon of jet fuel rose from just over $1
> between 2001 and 2005 to more than $3 in late 2011. According to the Air
> Transport Association, airfare alone does not cover the operating cost of 
> a
> flight.
>
> Lott questioned why Congress would target the kind of fee systems that are
> "common practice" in other industries.
>
> "You don't get one free Coke at your hotel when you check in," Lott told
> FoxNews.com.
>
> In arguing for the bill, Landrieu cited a recent survey by the U.S. Travel
> Association that listed the glut of carry-on bags as the top concern of
> travelers.
>
> The survey found more than 72 percent of travelers surveyed said people 
> are
> bringing too many carry-on bags through security. The trend is likely a
> product of the costly fees for checked baggage. Not only do the extra
> carry-on bags clog the space in the overhead bins and lead to long lines 
> at
> security checkpoints, they result in added cost for the Transportation
> Security Administration.
>
> A Landrieu aide said the security costs are a top issue the senator is
> trying to address with the legislation.
>
> "There's an increased cost because of this, for security to scan all these
> bags," the aide said.
>
> Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano told Landrieu during a Senate
> hearing this past March that the extra carry-on bags translate to about 
> $260
> million in added security costs.
>
> But Lott, while acknowledging more customers are bringing carry-on bags,
> said TSA was dealing with long lines well before airlines started charging
> for checked bags -- thanks to requirements that passengers remove their
> shoes and other items at the checkpoints
>
>
>
> Read more:
> http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/11/22/senate-bill-aims-to-block-airline-baggage-fees/#ixzz1eYEDnqkB
>
>
>
> Leading the Way in Independent Travel!
>
> Cheryl Echevarria
> http://www.echevarriatravel.com
> 631-456-5394
> reservations at echevarriatravel.com
>
> For daily updates read our blog at
> http://www.echevarriatravel.wordpress.com
>
>
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