New Baggage Handeling Policies

elissa@perfectprod.com (Event Girl) — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 13:31:00 +0000

Due to the increase in travel and fuel costs. Passengers should be aware of new baggage handling surcharges. The following is a list of some new policies:

Northwest Adds First Bag Fee and Award Ticket Fee, Increases Change Fee

Effective for domestic tickets booked on or after July 10 for travel on or after Aug. 28, Northwest will charge $15 each way ($30 roundtrip) for the first checked bag. The second bag fee is $25 each way. The fee for three or more bags is $100 per bag each way. Northwest's new fee applies to customers traveling within the United States and to/from Canada. Full-fare coach passengers and frequent flier elites are exempt from the policy. Northwest's first bag fee matches the fees charged by American Airlines, Spirit Airlines, United Airlines and US Airways.
Effective July 9, the fee for domestic non-refundable ticket changes will increase from $100 to $150. International ticket change fees will increase by an additional $50 to $150 per ticket, depending on class of service and other restrictions.
Effective for tickets issued on or after Sept. 15, 2008, Northwest will charge $25 for domestic, $50 for Trans-Atlantic and $100 for Trans-Pacific WorldPerks ® Award tickets issued in North America.

American Airlines Adds $15 Fee for First Checked Bag and Increases Exchange Fee
American Airlines (AA) has announced that customers who purchase domestic economy class tickets on or after June 15, 2008 will be charged $15 each way ($30 roundtrip) for the first checked bag. The new fee applies to customers traveling within and between the United States, U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and Canada. American's first bag fee is in addition to its previously announced $25 second bag fee ($50 roundtrip), which is valid on tickets purchased on or after May 12. After June 15, many American Airlines customers will end up paying an additional $80 for checking two bags on a simple roundtrip ticket.
Exceptions to the new baggage fees include: full-fare economy, business or first class passengers, active duty military passengers and premium frequent flyers. To see AA's checked bag policy check their website.
AA has also increased its change fee by $50. In most cases, the new domestic change fee is now $150. International change fees vary by destination. For example, the typical change fee to the Caribbean is $150 and the typical change fee to Europe is $250.

SOUTHWEST Baggage Allowance:
Beginning January 29, 2008, Southwest will allow two (2) checked pieces of baggage per ticketed Customer. Size and weight limitations apply. Excess Baggage: Effective January 29, 2008, you may check a third bag for a charge of $25. Your 4th through 9th bag or item will incur a charge of $50 per piece, and any bag or item thereafter will be $110 per piece. Weight and Size Allowance: Maximum weight is 50 pounds and maximum size is 62 inches (length + width + height) per checked piece of luggage. Effective March 1, 2005, overweight items from 51 to 70 pounds will be accepted for a charge of $25.00 per item. Items weighing from 71 to 100 pounds and oversized items in excess of 62 inches but not more than 80 inches (i.e., surfboards, bicycles, vaulting poles) will be accepted for a charge of $50.00 per item. Check website for further details.

DELTA AIRLINES New Checked Baggage policy
Currently, you can check two bags per passenger free of charge. Starting May 5, 2008 this will be reduced to one free bag per passenger traveling in the U. S., the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico Each bag must: Weigh 50 pounds (22.5 kg) or less. Not exceed 62 inches when you total length plus width plus height. Check Deltas website for further details.

JET BLUE Checked Baggage Requirements
Free Baggage Allowance Each customer may bring two bags free of charge until June 1, 2008. On or after June 1st each customer may bring only one bag free of charge. Each bag must NOT exceed 62 inches (157.48 centimeters) in overall dimensions (length + width + height) and can NOT exceed 50 pounds (22.73 kilos). Check website for further details.

Continental increases change fee
Continental Airlines has matched United_s change fee increase. Effective April 24, Continental_s domestic change fee has increased from $100 to $150. Continental_s international change fees now range from $150 to $250.

American and Air Canada to charge for second bag
According to published reports, American Airlines will begin charging most domestic passengers $25 to check a second bag. The fee will apply to domestic, economy-class tickets purchased on or after May 12. Premium frequent flyer members are exempt from the fee. American is the last major domestic carrier to adopt a fee for checking a second bag.
Effective May 15, 2008 for travel on or after July 15, 2008, Air Canada customers will charge Tango and Tango Plus customers a $25 fee to check a second bag. There is no change in the checked bag policy for customers purchasing Latitude and Executive Class tickets. As well, Air Canada Elite, Super Elite and Prestige members in addition to Star Alliance Gold and Silver members maintain their current baggage allowance when purchasing Tango and Tango Plus fares. Baggage allowance for travel to and from countries other than Canada and the United States will remain unchanged. This includes North American flights as part of international travel.

US Airways Increases Change Fee
Effective for all tickets issued on or after April 29, 2008, US Airways_ change fee for non-refundable fares will increase by $50 per ticket. US Airways_ change fee is now $150 for domestic flights, and for flights between the United States, Canada, Mexico, Caribbean and Latin America. US Airways_ change fee for transatlantic/transpacific flights is $250 unless otherwise specified in the fare rule. Tickets issued prior to April 29, 2008 are not affected by the increase and are subject to the change fee published in the fare rule at the time of ticketing. This fee increase matches previously announced change fee increases by United and Continental.

If you do not see the policies or handling fees listed above for the airline you are traveling please consult the following webpage for more comprehensive information.

http://content.travimp.com/quest/pdf/baggage_policies.pdf

Elissa

Luxury Travel and Vacations

New Baggage Handeling Policies