Airline Baggage Fees Gone Too Far

OMG !

Somebody has goofed - big time !

I never understand why, when you've made a mistake and got caught out you don't just hold up your hands and admit it. It saves time and embarrassment all round.

Someone is gonna have to walk the plank on this one.

This isn't funny, but excuse me, I've worked in the airline industry for a long time and I've met plenty of moronic goons like this fool - they do make me howl with both laughter and rage !

I had read that article earlier, and if you do Read it, youll see that they do get to check 2 FREE 190 pound bags BEFORE the airlines charge for a 3rd, 4th, etc......
Thats 380 POUNDS of luggage they get to take with NO FEES! I'll be lucky if I get to take even 50 Pounds with me on my trip with no fees! I can't even bring my coffee bean grinder! Boo Hoo! (LOL)

They're supposed to get that free but quite often they are charged. And remember, much of that stuff is standard government issue. They have no choice.

You might complain about a coffee grinder but I doubt where you're going on vacation you'll be exposed to IED's.

LOL I was joking about bringing the coffee grinder. I would also have to bring the coffee maker! I am a very light traveler. I dont even see the need to bring half the crap people bring, i.e. Electric razors, clotheslines, packing cubes, heating elements, etc...
So I suppose that if someone is taking a weeks holiday to Paris and they need more than 2 checked bags, then they Should pay for being a horrible packer!

It is an outrage if our military personnel are being charged for the luggage they carry no matter if they are going to war or coming home. They should NOT have to pay for any of this. They are defending our country and freedom for us all and we should show respect to them. I wish we could boycott the airlines to show how we think this is disgusting to even think to charge our soldiers. We should be thanking them for what they are doing and even give them "free" food on the airline. They probably have to pay for items on the plane. Where is our support for our military personnel. Thank you to any of the military personnel for defending our country and giving your life and/or service for our freedom. THANK YOU! Hopefully the airline big wigs will do something to honor our soldiers.

Tami - It's 190 pounds per person in two bags not per bag. And I don't see why you couldn't bring your coffee grinder with you.

Tami, truth be told, I'm one of those must have coffee as soon as wake up people so I carry a mug, heating coil, and plastic coffee filter--all of which weighs less than a pound. I do have to buy coffee and grind it at the store, but I get to have drip coffee in the morning.

I also use packing cubes. They weigh less than a pound but keep me organized. My entire pack is less than 15 pounds.

I've seen very lightweight manual coffee grinders at REI so you may want to give it a second thought....:)

LOL seriously, the coffee grinder thing was just a joke. if im traveling, I wont need coffee beans! I live in one of the coffee snob capitals of the US so it was mainly a joke on myself! But I seriously od hope they dont just have Nescafe in London, Id like a real cup (but i wont go to starbucks)....

How did this subject go from charging our military personnel for taking their bags to a foreign country to fight to coffee....
What could we do as a "group" of people to notify the people in charge that made up this ridiculous rule for charging for extra bags for the military to eliminate it. Who would we contact? What could we do other than go to the airport and whenever we saw a soldier, pay the extra costs for him/her going off to war. What a way for the government to treat our soldiers. Shame on you!

Miss B...I don't think you have to worry about it. The story will get media pundits going all over the place and the rules will quickly be changed. The airlines already have terrible press....this will be seen as un-American.

I'll bet in the next few days you'll see the airlines announcing a major change in policy.

But I agree with you...it's pathetic. Soldiers get charged for serving their country, yet the airline execs make millions in bonuses--for lousy management.

Read this article in the Seattle Times, which gives a clearer picture of the baggage fees. http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/travel/2008110465_webairlinerumor13.html

If you're military and you are charged extra for lugging required gear, you are reimbursed when you file your travel documents.

When I was in the Air Force we always had to carry our flight gear and a large bag with cold weather gear, chem gear, etc. (Maybe that's why I'm so determined to travel light now. I hated lugging all the extra stuff.) Some airlines charged us for the extra baggage and we were later reimbursed.

You don't get reimbursed for just bringing your stuff. You have a weight allowance that the military ships to you at your destination. If you have more stuff than your allowance you can either ship it at your own cost or store it until you return. Overall the system is more generous than most employers.

Congratulations everyone. We were sucked by another false internet story. Supported by our ever vigilant news organizations. Beginning to think that if the internet says that the sun raises in the east, I will have to double check that.

When I was just in Germany I was there because my hubby was getting ready to go to Africa. His orders said he was allowed 2 bags excess baggage. We didn't have a problem here in the US because I was flying with him and we treated one of his bags as my bag since I only had a carry on. He was charged 2xs in Europe because his flight got messed up. He was charged once leaving Stuttgart and once again leaving Brusseles. And yes, he will get reembursed with is travel claim but they messed up his orders so badly that we have no idea when we will get paid. He only had one extra bag but there was another guy with him who had even more equipment than my hubby did and he is out over $1000. The airlines used by the government sign a contract saying they will not charge the extra and then they charge it anyway. It is a pain in the butt. Once when going to south america American Airlines wouldn't let him take any extra bags eventhough he had his orders and was willing to pay. Sometimes it is cheaper for him to buy me a ticket to go with him just for the extra baggage.

Sorry, but this was not a hoax story. Yes, the GI's will eventually get reimbursed....but why are they charged in the first place when they're not supposed to be?

I suspect the story is not a hoax, but it probably does not present a clear picture of the issue. It's easy to rile people up by saying "those evil airlines, they're charging our servicemembers!" and it appears to be having an effect. American Airlines has now waived the fee for the 3rd bag (the 1st and 2nd bags having already been waived).

Given the airline's lousy reputation for keeping bag and passenger together, I'm surprised the military doesn't contract FedEx or another courier to ship its members' gear to their assigned location.

I think that for the airline to get the contract they should not charge military extra for baggage. And if they did, then the government should pick a different airline. I mean the military pays full price for a ticket. My ticket was $1500 and hubby's was over $4000.

Maybe I'm not understanding this correctly, but it seems to me that the real bad guy in this story is the government, not the airlines. The Department of Defense chooses to send military personnel by commercial carriers. Why don't they have a system whereby excess baggage is automatically charged to the army instead of making the servicemen and women front the money and get reimbursed later? It would be simple to have that kind of arrangement.

As far as asking the airlines to send excess baggage for free, why should private companies do that? Do we expect Starbucks at the airport to give military personnel free coffee while enroute to posting? Do we expect cab drivers to shuttle them to the airport for free? Then why expect airlines to subsidize excess baggage? I never thought I'd be defending the airlines (because in the last few years I've been increasingly outraged about their behavior) but it seems to me that the real problem here is that the Department of Defense ought to be arranging in advance for the full cost of military transport instead of requiring enlisted personnel to front them those expenses.

I’m uneasy commenting on this – it’s your government, not mine. They’re your armed forces not mine. That having been said, however, two things should be remembered.

The first – if it wasn’t for the government of the USA and the commitment of American servicemen and servicewomen there wouldn’t be a commercial airline operating anywhere in the world after 9/11. That day was the blackest day in the history of commercial aviation and only prompt, strong, focussed action by America stopped the commercial airlines of the world from being used as the tools of the terrorists. It’s sad, if not sickening, when aviation companies forget that.

The second – I know from first hand experience that when the US government gives a transportation contract to an airline, they do not short-change the deal. I guarantee that any airline who gets a contract to move your armed forces from point A to point B and back again will receive generous payment – very generous. For any airline to then charge for excess baggage on top of a government contract is, in my opinion, naked greed.

"For any airline to then charge for excess baggage on top of a government contract is, in my opinion, naked greed."

Welcome to corporate America in the 21st Century. It's all about greed.

CEO loses hundreds of millions of dollars. CEO is fired. CEO leaves with $50 million "golden parachute." Thousands of workers fired to pay for golden parachute.

And then it starts again....