A woman who couldn’t pay her baggage fees who was leaving California for Idaho ended up stuck in San Francisco airport for days. The last time she flew, five years ago, checking a bag was still free. Most travelers are aware of the fees, but so she was shocked when she got up to the ticket counter. U.S. Airways said she had to pay an extra $60.
After living in the airport for eight days and being treated for anxiety in the airport clinic, she was eventually rescued by donations from “The Airport Church of Christ.” They paid her $60 in baggage fees and the $150 change fee with donations.
Why? All because airlines are still keeping their baggage fees separate from their airfares and not revealing them to allow total transportation cost comparisons when airline tickets are being sold.
Her story might happen to anyone. Statistics that I have heard show that 70 percent of airline passengers only fly once a year. There is no way they can know all of the ins and outs of baggage fees and other ancillary charges.
Charlie Leocha is the President of Travelers United. He has been working in Washington, DC, for the past 14 years with Congress, the Department of Transportation, and industry stakeholders on travel issues. He was the first consumer representative to the Advisory Committee for Aviation Consumer Protections appointed by the Secretary of Transportation from 2012 through 2018.
I’ve flown twice in the last 25 years. The most recent time was this September. Guess what, I made sure to know all the restrictions & fees before I even left for the airport, cause I know better than getting stuck at an airport for 8 days because I didn’t do my research. There’s these neat objects called computers & telephones these days that allow you find out answers to questions like these. No excuse for ignorance.
Exactly. She was not “stuck” in the airport…she wasn’t allowed to get on a flight & leave one bag behind for security reasons, but nothing kept her from leaving the airport except maybe a desire for attention…well, that and maybe horrible people skills, since she must have alienated any friends & family who lived in the area if nobody would help her come up with the rest of the money she needed OR let her come stay with them instead of the airport.