When a New York senator calls airline baggage fees "a slap in the face to travelers," you know prices are escalating to an unprecedented amount. Senator Charles Schumer is seeking to have the government prohibit airlines from instating a fee for carry-on baggage since Spirit Airlines announced that it will charge $20 to $45 for a carry-on bag. If Schumer's actions fail, will other U.S. airlines follow Spirit's lead?
While the carry-on luggage fee is legal, Schumer argues that carry-on bags are a necessity for travel and should not warrant a separate fee outside of the airline ticket price. His argument also applies to Ryanair's recent announcement that it plans to charge for the use of their airplane bathrooms. Airline baggage fees are one thing, but you walk a slippery slope when travelers' basic rights, such as the use of a bathroom, seem to be easily disregarded. Ryanair also wants to remove some bathrooms from their planes to add more rows of seats.
As the debate of new fees carries on, certain airline fees are already a standard part of air travel. Here are the costs of the top 10 airlines' baggage fees.
Air France
One item can be checked free of charge on international flights between Canada, the U.S., and Europe. A second checked bag costs $50 USD. If you pay the baggage fee online, you receive a 20% discount.
All Nippon Airways
Two items can be checked free of charge on international flights. A carry-on bag that is less than 22 pounds is allowed on your person. Additional luggage fees range from $34 to $130 USD.
American Airlines
The first checked bag costs $25; the second bag costs $35. One carry-on is permitted at no charge. On international flights, one carry-on and two checked bags are both allowed for free.
China Southern Airlines
Free baggage depends on the price of your ticket. For first class, up to 40kg is free. For business class, up to 30kg is free. For economy class, up to 20kg is free.
Continental Airlines
One checked bag in economy class is $25 USD, and the second bag costs $35. International travelers get to check one bag at no charge and a second bag costs $27 to $45 USD.
Delta Airlines
Similarly to Continental, one bag is $25 and a second bag is $35. You're eligible for a $2 to $3 discount when you pay the fee online. A second checked bag, if you're traveling from the U.S. or Canada to Europe, is $50.
Hawaiian Airlines
The first and second bags cost $25 and $35, respectively, within the Continental U.S. and Hawaii. Three through six bags cost $125 each.
Japan Airlines
Two free checked bags under 70 pounds are allowed per passenger. One free carry-on is also permitted.
Lufthansa
Each passenger is allowed two checked bags that weigh 23 to 32kg.
United Airlines
If you check your bags online, the first bag costs $25 and the second costs $35. An additional fee of $5 is applied if you use any other method to check your bags. Bags that exceed 50 pounds incur a $175 fee.
Shipping companies, such as UPS and FedEx, may use the outrage about airline fees to their advantage--promoting their services as an alternative to checking baggage. However, it seems that shipping luggage, in general, still costs more than standard airline baggage fees.
