Flyway Robbery

The other day Northwest Airlines announced that they are going to charge $15.00 for the 1st checked bag. This is in addition to an increase in ticket prices and a $25.00 second bag fee and $50.00 oversize/heavy fee. If you want a special seat that's a charge. Pretty soon they will probably want to charge me for actually making a reservation.

In addition to the new rule of 3 oz. ziplocked baggies holding every small liquid (which I know isn't their rule but a homeland security rule), I think the airlines are being ridiculously absurd with this new $15.00 baggage rule.

I have the pleasure of flying at least six or seven times a year. Not a lot by most standards but I still squeeze myself into coach and hope for the best. This new rule pretty much will guarantee everyone will be pushing the limit to the number of rolling cases they bring on the plane. It's already obnoxious what people call "carry on" luggage however with this new charge - who the heck wants to pay an extra $15.00 just to not have the hassle of going to baggage claim and hoping that somewhere between dropping off your luggage at the ticketing counter and baggage claim at your destination - that somehow your luggage has managed to make it to your destination.

It's ridiculous that they are penalizing people for being good stewards of cabin space. Sure it's expensive to fly and they claim this will help them offset rising fuel costs however I thought that the spike of a ticket to Chicago from $100 to almost $400 was ridiculous enough of a price increase.

I'm going to complain and probably still check my bag because I really hate trying lug luggage around an airport and as a short person it's even more difficult to try and get a bag up into an overhead bin. I'll pay the money. I won't be happy about it...especially if they lose my luggage which they are known to do. (over the last 5 years airlines have lost my luggage six times.)

There have been two separate instances where my baggage was delayed by two days (ending up somehow in Dulles Airport when I was flying instead to Chicago and New Orleans)

Someone else recently mentioned their bag ended up at Dulles. I think Washington DC is the airport where lost luggage tends to go...which gives me a whole lot of faith that they are also matching luggage to the name of the individual on the plane too.

When I get back from vacation in a week and a half I have a two-day trip to Georgia. It kills me to think of paying the $15.00 for such a quick trip. I don't look forward to finding 3 oz. bottles of product or a ziplock baggie. Of course I think I'm flying Delta and hopefully they will not have passed that law yet. However with the Northwest/Delta merge on the horizon - I'd doubt it.