Things in the Sky

Hawaiian’s now charging $15 for the first checked bag. Hey, where’d they get that idea from?

I can definitely understand why other airlines have enjoyed the extra fees. They produce a bit of extra revenue, but they have also significantly reduced the number of bags on the plane (less weight, quicker turning time, and less lost bags). Continental was very excited about this on their conference call, according to Mark Ashley’s recent post that has a good discussion on luggage fees.

I don’t think an airline like Hawaiian is a good one to add baggage fees, though (they already charge $25 for the second). A large number of its passengers (especially on the longer flights) are tourists who will probably be staying a few days. For them, sure, it’s possible to cut down to one checked bag, but charging for the first one? Really? Maybe the checked bag fees can encourage some passengers on other airline to go carry-on only, but not Hawaiian, and the airlines are still split on the issue. Continental and Delta, for example, still allows one free checked bag (though it is cheaper to pay $15 and $25 for two bags on Northwest, for example, than pay $50 for the second bag on Delta).

Anyways, I’m not a fan.

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