Have you traveled with me?

Spirit Airlines will start charging $45 for carry-on baggage. You can bet your left gonad that every other airline will follow right along.

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Do you know how much I have to pack for 3 weeks in Europe?

Mrs. F, who flies every-fucking-place on business, has condensed her shit to one carry on when she goes away. It seems like the airlines only want you to fly, sans luggage. It's one thing when somebody goes on a 3-day business trip and can generally pack what they need into a carry on or a valet, but what do folks do when they, and their kids, go on vacation? It's getting to the point where they have to plan to buy an extra ticket for their luggage, a cost that's prohibitive to many people.

Do the airlines think this is gonna make them money? Sure, there are folks who have to fly (Mrs. F for one) but a lot of families will opt to load up the car with their kids and their stuff and hit the road. The business travelers, like the Mrs., will adjust and travel as lightly as possible.

Our deal, when we go to Europe in late summer, is to use the airlines to our favor, mainly a Delta Airlines American Express card. We get points for every purchase with the card and the Mrs. gets double when she buys her business travel tickets with it. With the points we accrue in a year, we upgrade to first class at no charge for the sole reason of being allowed to take 3 bags each, up to 70lbs each without fees. Since we enjoy cruising so much, we also try and arrange trips that end up in New York so we only have to fly one way; one of those perks that only comes with living in an area that has 3 cruise ports within driving distance (we'll be leaving and returning to Pier 92 on Manhattan's West Side when we go to Bermuda in a few weeks).

Air travel has become more hassle than it's worth. After all we've done in the way of bailouts and tax breaks for this industry, you'd think they could make the experience a little more bearable. They are only screwing themselves in the long term by increasing fees and downgrading service. The flying public has enough to deal with going through the security nightmare just getting to their flight and it doesn't get any better from there out.

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So, if you check your baggage, you'll pay a fee. If you carry it on, you'll pay a fee. Oh, you could send your shit by UPS, but when you show up at the airport with no luggage, the happy fuckers working for the TSA will give you a free colonoscopy.

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People are going to avoid flying as much as possible and it will eventually kill the airlines' bottom line. Be prepared to hear calls for financial help in the next few years. Hopefully, when they do come crying with their hands out, our elected representatives will say no.

Update:

More here:

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One more thing - aren't you glad that American, Spirit, United and all the rest phased out those extra baggage charges when gas prices went down over the past year? Remember those were extra charges meant to make up for the surge in gas prices ...

Yeah, I'm doing the Dance of Joy!