Travel > Columns > The Sensible Traveler

Airlines lowering boom on luggage

By Bruce Mohl, Globe Staff, 12/15/02

		Sensible traveler  Destinations  Where they went  Travel gear

With Christmas 10 days away, the nation's airlines are cracking down on would-be Santas trying to cram more gifts and goodies into their luggage.

Northwest Airlines is the latest Grinch, lowering from 70 to 50 pounds the amount a checked bag can weigh before incurring an overweight charge. The change takes effect today.

Northwest's new luggage policy follows changes over the last several months by all the big airlines to start enforcing long-ignored rules on the size, weight, and number of checked bags. The new rules have taken effect amid an uptick in checked bags, as passengers have reduced their carry-ons to avoid scrutiny at airport security checkpoints.

In general, airlines allow one carry-on bag weighing no more than 40 pounds (at United, it's 50) and measuring no more than 45 linear inches — the sum of height, width, and depth.

For checked luggage, airlines typically allow a passenger only two bags, each weighing no more than 70 pounds and measuring 62 linear inches. Many bags being sold today exceed the size limit, particularly when wheels and bulging side pockets are included.

Luggage policies and fees vary on international flights, based on the destination. At Continental, the fee for an extra, oversized, or overweight checked bag on a flight to the Caribbean, Central America, Mexico, or South America is $100 per violation.

Until recently, most airlines didn't enforce their checked baggage rules. But now they are doing so with gusto, and violations can become expensive very quickly.

A passenger checking a third bag at most airlines will pay an $80 fee. (Delta charges $40.) If that bag exceeds 62 linear inches, there would be another charge of $80. If the bag also weighs more than 70 pounds, another $80 fee is assessed.

Each fee is assessed on a one-way basis, so theoretically one extra bag that also exceeds size and weight limits could cost the passenger $480 for a round trip.

Northwest is tightening its checked baggage policy even further, while lowering its fees slightly. As of today, checked bags that weigh between 50 and 70 pounds will be assessed a $25 fee, while bags over 70 pounds will be hit with a $50 fee. None of the airlines will check bags weighing more than 100 pounds.

Mary Beth Schubert, a Northwest spokeswoman, said the new baggage weight fees are expected to affect about 11 percent of those customers who check bags.

She said the airline is lowering the weight limit to protect its employees. "We're seeing an increase in injuries to our employees caused by overweight luggage," she said.

Schubert said lower back injuries are the leading cause of on-the-job injuries at Northwest, and 35 percent of those back injuries are caused by lifting bags. She was unable to supply actual injury numbers.

Bill Cippolla, the president of Virtual Bellhop, a Chicago company that provides door-to-door luggage delivery for travelers so they don't need to lug their bags to and from airports, said he thinks the new airline policies are designed to control costs and raise revenue. He said he foresees the day when a passenger will buy an airline ticket for himself and another ticket for his bags.

Schubert dismisses such talk as nonsense. "It's not realistic and it's not our intent to get out of the checked baggage business," she said.

United's troubles

Travelers need to use common sense when booking flights with United Airlines over the next 18 months. The airline entered bankruptcy protection last week.

United's claim that nothing has changed as far as passengers are concerned is partly true. Flights are still running, frequent-flier miles are still being honored, and no one is likely to be stranded.

But it's also true that United was forced to file for Chapter 11 protection because it's in terrible financial shape. The airline's corporate parent, UAL, has been losing $20 million to $22 million a day and is expected to lose $10 million to $15 million a day next month, or until it reins in its spending. Those types of losses mean the airline has to take drastic action to cut costs and reorganize. How those cuts will affect employee morale, service, and flight offerings is unknown.

Jon Douglas, news editor at Smarter Living Inc., a Cambridge travel information company, said he expects United, the nation's second-largest airline, to shrink in size and try to increase its fares. "If you see a good deal now, it might be a good time to buy," he said.

Other tips include buying your ticket by credit card for refund protection and paying the extra fee for a paper ticket, which makes transfers to another airline easier.

As United is doing now, US Airways gave comforting assurances to its customers when it entered bankruptcy protection in August. Aside from a reduction in its flight schedule, the impact on travelers has been minimal so far.

But last week there were ominous warnings from its mechanics that a lead financial sponsor of US Airways could pull its financing and force a liquidation if another $200 million in labor cuts is not secured.

Bruce Mohl can be reached at mohl@globe.com.