Hawaiian Air Adds $10 First Bag Fee, Tells Customers 'Fees Here To Stay'

September 4, 2009 at 2:01 PM | by Omri | Comment (1)

We're running out of sarcastic ways to blog about new airline fees. The latest comes from low-cost carrier Hawaiian Airlines, which announced yesterday that they're adding a $10 fee for the first checked bag on interisland flights. It is what it is. And look how charmingly the announcement was made:

Mark Dunkerley, president and chief executive officer of Hawaiian, said the airline makes $20 million to $30 million a year from ancillary revenue � mostly from checked bags � and that baggage fees are here to stay as long as airlines need that revenue.

On the plus side, that leaves open the possibility that airlines will one day go back to the normal system where airlines charged customers for a "flight ticket" so they can just "fly." Apparently that will happen just as soon as the airlines decide they no longer need revenue.

Hawaiian Airlines runs flights mainly between the west coast on one side and Australia on the other, and of course between Hawaii's various islands. They usually have relatively good service on flights to and from the state, with things like complimentary meals and beverages, and almost completely sparse service for interisland flights. In the past their fees have lined up accordingly, with lower baggage fees for those interisland flights. Now, less so.

This new fee isn't going to do much to Hawaiian Air's business. They're Hawaii's largest and longest-serving airline, and their routes into and out of the islands are well-established. They've already been charging $17 for a second bag and $25 for a third bag. Competitors like IslandAir basically have the same fee structure, including charging for the first bag.

So they know they can get away with it. And even worse, they know we know they can get away with it, which is why they're not bashful about how much ancillary cash their opaque fees bring in.

[Photo: Musashi1600 / Wiki Commons]

Related Stories:
· Airline to impose first checked bag fee [AP]
· Hawaiian decides to match competitors on baggage fee [Sun Bulletin]
· Hawaiian Airlines Coverage [Jaunted]
· Airline News Coverage [Jaunted]

Comment (1)

Return to » Hawaiian Air Adds $10 First Bag Fee, Tells Customers 'Fees Here To Stay'

Well, people are complaining that this First Bag fee is outrageous and that the cost for baggage should be included in the ticket. Yet, people get upset if the price of the ticket gets to what they consider too high. Airlines have been adding these extra costs only because the price of the ticket has decreased due to fare wars. For example, for the month of September to fly interisland, fares are starting from $24.99 + taxes One-way. If you break down what it actually costs to transport that one passenger, the total cost is far above what that passenger has paid. This also goes for our West-Coast and International Flights. If the airlines were to include again all the fees that are now being charged, the price of the ticket would be what they were before. Then, passengers would then complain that ticket prices are far too expensive. Another thing, when you refer to Hawaiian Airlines as a "low-cost carrier", I feel that is an incorrect statement. Hawaiian Airlines is considered a "Destination Carrier."

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