It’s not like anybody didn’t see this coming, in the wake of every other US carrier raising their baggage fees, American Airlines joined the increased revenue train and pumped up their fees by $5. I can’t say nobody saw this coming as it would make them the odd man out when it comes to baggage fees. And since when have you known American Airlines to not maximize every dollar that they can make from a single person?
For American Airlines this will of course increase revenue from the already stressed passengers. While most people travel with a carry on you still see quite a few people willing to hand over the big bucks to check their bags.
It’s almost at the point where if you plan on flying American or any one of these carriers more than just a few times a year with checked bags it’d be worth it to get a credit card that reimburses you fees or the airline card to get free checked baggage.
It’s no surprise that as ticket prices stay low and fuel prices are back on the rise that they would be looking for more opportunities to increase revenue. It’s be claimed as the price of keeping up with the times but I don’t buy it for a minute. I see it as a way for these airlines to find a new way to shake out the piggy bank that is their passengers.
Especially with American they’ve been removing business class seats in favor of more premium economy seats to bring in more revenue. Plus they are retrofitting their 737 aircraft including fresh off the line 737 MAX aircraft with even more seats and less leg room so they can fit up to 9 extra seats in the plane.
At the end of the day you are the just a cash machine for airlines, they will be finding any way to extract money out of you on your way to your destination.
