[IP] Beware: Airlines lowering bag weight limits to rake in fees

[Dave Farber <dave@farber.net>]

------ Forwarded Message
From: Brett Glass <brett@lariat.org>
Date: Thu, 13 Mar 2003 00:48:51 -0700 (MST)
To: dave@farber.net
Subject: For IP: Beware: Airlines lowering bag weight limits to rake in fees

Dave:

When I traveled to the Stanford Spectrum Conference this month, I got a rude
surprise, courtesy of United Airlines. In the past, the airline had always
accepted bags up to 70 pounds, and so I and my wife packed into one suitcase
(even though we were allowed two). The bag weighed 68 pounds. On our
outbound
trip, which started on a commuter airline, we had no problems. But when we
checked in for the return trip at SFO, a United skycap refused to take the
bag, saying that it was "overweight." I pointed out that our boarding pass
envelope specified a limit of 70 pounds, but she claimed that the limit
had been lowered -- unilaterally and without warning -- sometime early this
year. She sent us to another line, which inched forward so slowly that we
nearly missed the deadline to check in. When we reached the counter, we
again pointed out the information on the envelope and also told them that
we had confirmed the 70 pound limit with our travel agent. The airline
employee at the counter said that travel agents had not been notified of
the lowered limit but that the airline was enforcing it anyway, and demanded
a $25 fee.

We removed several articles from the bag, put them into a duffel bag that
we happened to have with us, and thereby managed to get it under 50 pounds.
But we watched as others, likewise confronted by this bait and switch
tactic, were forced to pay fees to avoid missing flights and appointments.

It's sad to see that the airlines, pinched in part by travelers'
unwillingness
to put up with their poor customer service, are responding by extorting
money
from those who do fly.

--Brett Glass


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