I've been doing laundry the past 2 days, after this last load is done in the dryer every piece of clothing, towels, etc. in our entire house will be clean! That will probably last a few hours until one of the kids spill something or get their clothes dirty. It still feels good to be down at the "bottom of the barrel" so to speak! So I'm trying to pack lite. Every time we travel it seems our bags just go over the 50lb. weight limit to get charged for an oversize luggage. Since gas prices have been on the rise many airlines are starting to charge for your checked luggage, crazy huh. My mom did say that non-revenue passengers (which is us when we fly stand-by) are not subject to this fee (hopefully, mom is double checking it for me!). But a few weeks ago I read this hilarious article in the Austin Statesman on this topic, thought I'd copy and paste it here for my blog readers to see. It is pretty funny...
COMMENTARY: John Kelso
With new fees, why not just send bags on vacation?
With new fees, why not just send bags on vacation?
Tuesday, June 03, 2008
One way Americans can save money on travel this summer? How about we stay home and send our luggage on vacation instead?
Because of a new fee schedule at American Airlines, for a mere $80 two suitcases will be able to fly round trip to the destination of their choice.
Starting June 15, American will charge $15 each way for the first checked bag, or $30 for the round trip. The airline has already started charging $25 for the second checked bag on each leg of the journey.
What this mean is that for $80, a two-bag set of luggage can have a pretty good time going to, say, Cape Cod for the summer.
Of course, if you want to go along with the bags, it'll cost extra.
The good thing about sending your bags in your place is that you won't have to put up with all that garbage at the airport. Ever since air travel became worse than a trip to the gum surgeon, with all those security guards yapping at you about taking off your shoes, I've come up with a new travel rule: If it ain't more than 500 miles away, I'm not flying. And I might bump that to 800 miles.
But what I can't understand is why the $15 charge is the same for every bag. Shouldn't a fancy Louis Vuitton bag have to pay more to get on the plane than a regular old piece of Samsonite?
I think it should be $15 for Samsonite and $150 for Louis Vuitton. And speaking of bags, the old bag with the Louis Vuitton bag can afford it.
For those rednecks who use a Styrofoam cooler as luggage, it should be just $2.99.
And there are all sorts of moves the airlines could make to raise money to keep up with rising fuel costs.
How about punishing bad airline travelers who have it coming?
Instead of frequent flier mileage, I'm calling for frequent flier faux pas fees.
Why not charge extra for those idiots who bring all of their household belongings on board, then hold up everybody lined up behind them by trying stuff a bag the size of a rhinoceros in the overhead bin? This could be a timed fee. Every 30 seconds the clown spends trying to cram the giant bag in the overhead costs him another $5.
There would be another fee for these knuckleheads who crowd the Jetway entrance before their row is called. You've seen them. The airline attendant gets on the microphone and tells everybody in rows 22-30 to board the airplane, and for everybody else to stay seated.
This is a cue for everybody in rows 33-40 to charge the gate.
I get sick of watching this herd. And I think everybody who does this should get stuck with a $25 fine.
Meanwhile, if I see your bags at Disney World, I'll tell them to send you a card.
One way Americans can save money on travel this summer? How about we stay home and send our luggage on vacation instead?
Because of a new fee schedule at American Airlines, for a mere $80 two suitcases will be able to fly round trip to the destination of their choice.
Starting June 15, American will charge $15 each way for the first checked bag, or $30 for the round trip. The airline has already started charging $25 for the second checked bag on each leg of the journey.
What this mean is that for $80, a two-bag set of luggage can have a pretty good time going to, say, Cape Cod for the summer.
Of course, if you want to go along with the bags, it'll cost extra.
The good thing about sending your bags in your place is that you won't have to put up with all that garbage at the airport. Ever since air travel became worse than a trip to the gum surgeon, with all those security guards yapping at you about taking off your shoes, I've come up with a new travel rule: If it ain't more than 500 miles away, I'm not flying. And I might bump that to 800 miles.
But what I can't understand is why the $15 charge is the same for every bag. Shouldn't a fancy Louis Vuitton bag have to pay more to get on the plane than a regular old piece of Samsonite?
I think it should be $15 for Samsonite and $150 for Louis Vuitton. And speaking of bags, the old bag with the Louis Vuitton bag can afford it.
For those rednecks who use a Styrofoam cooler as luggage, it should be just $2.99.
And there are all sorts of moves the airlines could make to raise money to keep up with rising fuel costs.
How about punishing bad airline travelers who have it coming?
Instead of frequent flier mileage, I'm calling for frequent flier faux pas fees.
Why not charge extra for those idiots who bring all of their household belongings on board, then hold up everybody lined up behind them by trying stuff a bag the size of a rhinoceros in the overhead bin? This could be a timed fee. Every 30 seconds the clown spends trying to cram the giant bag in the overhead costs him another $5.
There would be another fee for these knuckleheads who crowd the Jetway entrance before their row is called. You've seen them. The airline attendant gets on the microphone and tells everybody in rows 22-30 to board the airplane, and for everybody else to stay seated.
This is a cue for everybody in rows 33-40 to charge the gate.
I get sick of watching this herd. And I think everybody who does this should get stuck with a $25 fine.
Meanwhile, if I see your bags at Disney World, I'll tell them to send you a card.
4 comments:
That is too stinkin funny!Can't wait to see you guys. Lets meet up on the 4th for sure.
I agree. Way to funny. But for those of us that don't know, where are you flying to? Any particular reason?
I'm glad you enjoyed my husband's column! He'd be proud to know that a fellow Red Sox lover posted his story! Go Sox!
I think it is nuts that they are charging for bags now. Come on tack it on the price of the ticket and don't tell us. I think it is crazy with how much it all costs to fly now days.
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