Jaunted

Baggage Fees / Airline News / Airlines / KLM / Europe Travel / Luggage / Baggage / Checked Baggage / → All Tags

Ugh, KLM Adds Checked Baggage Fee For European Travelers

Besides those pesky low cost carriers it seems that once you crossed the pond you were somewhat safe from the dreaded checked baggage fees and charges. For the long-haul flights you’re probably still okay checking a bag for free, but now when your fit hit the ground over in Europe you might need to take out the credit card.

It looks like KLM is going to be one of the first traditional carriers over in Europe to start charging for checked baggage for travel within Europe. The charges hit the airport ticket counters beginning on April 22, as it will be in effect for tickets booked on or after that day. It’s going to be 15 euros for those checking a bag in advance, but it doubles if you’re paying at the airport—that’s roughly $40 if we converted things correctly. Other carriers like Air France, Alitalia, and British Airways don’t seem to be interested in this kind of thing just yet, but now we’re getting a little nervous.

more ›

Jaunted Awards 2012 / Travel Awards 2012 / The Jauntys / Spirit Airilnes / Airlines / Baggage Fees / → All Tags

The Most Ridiculous Airline Idea of 2012 is...

It's that time of the year again, the time when the year just plain ends. Alas, we can't just let 2012 go that easily, especially since travelers spent it both up in the air and up in arms over a crazy range of topics. Needless to say, we're ready for 2013, but first we're taking a brief look back at the best of 2012 with the Jaunted Travel Awards,—or as we fondly refer to them—The Jauntys.

You guys, we swear weren't going to do it. We weren't going to give away this award to Spirit Airlines. The deeply hatable LCC—unaffectionately known to Jaunted readers as the Ryanair of North America—was just too predictable a choice. Also it had already won the award in 2010. Also we had spent plenty of time during the year pointing out its absurdity. Why not change things up a bit for the holiday season, we figured?

Then we flipped through Jaunted's bad ideas category. It's not even close. Spirit dominates. And since you can't argue with math, here we all are. The 2012 Jaunty for Most Ridiculous Airline Idea goes to Florida's Spirit Airlines, which this year took an approach to fees that we're pretty sure we've never seen before: openly, petulantly, explicitly telling customers that they were being punished with fees for their own good.

more ›

Baggage Fees / Spirit Airlines / Checked Baggaged Fees / Travel Rants / Airlines / Airline Industry / Airline Fees / Holiday Travel / → All Tags

New Spirit Airlines Fees Kick In Just in Time for Holiday Travel

You know, there's probably a clever way to open this post, like maybe with a reference to Christmas and the Grinch or whatever. But honestly, when it comes to Spirit Airlines, we just can't bring ourselves to give a fuck any more.

The Ryanair of North America wants to raise fees on holiday trips weeks before Thanksgiving because they know they can exploit flustered travelers? Fair enough. The airline's overarching strategy has been so successful that it's managed to recently expand into DEN and MSP? Terrific. These are the same people who make high school playground masturbation jokes about Presidential candidates? We're very happy for them. Go with God.

more ›

Airline Industry / Baggage Fees / Fees / Spirit Airlines / LCCs / Checked Baggage Fees / Carry-on Baggage Fees / Bad Ideas / → All Tags

Spirit Airlines is Kinda Torn Over Their Own New $100 Fee

We've been trying to figure out the best way to cover this news, about how Spirit Airlines is going to start charging passengers $100 each when they pay for check-in luggage at the gate. Originally we were just going to post the word "douchebags" as a link to the story, because brevity is the soul of wit and because it's fucking true.

But then we would have missed the chance to talk about the gratingly obnoxious press release that the airline issued to announce the new fee. Want to guess what they titled it?

more ›

Airline Industry / Baggage Fees / Fees / Spirit Airlines / LCCs / Checked Baggage Fees / Carry-on Baggage Fees / Bad Ideas / → All Tags

Confirmed: New Spirit Airlines Fees are Deeply Hateable

Airline industry watchers awoke Thursday to a Fox News story about the latest Spirit Airlines clusterfark, wherein the airline is refusing to refund the $197 ticket of a dying Vietnam vet who was banned by his doctor from flying. The mess involves typically grating behavior from the deeply obnoxious airline, so that's not what was notable about the writeup.

Instead what got people's attention was that Kate Hanni, executive director of Flyers Rights, has apparently chosen to inject herself into the controversy and to start throwing around language about "meat in a seat" and "history of cruelty." This is... disconcerting.

more ›

Airline News / Allegiant Air / Airline Industry / LCCs / Baggage Fees / Carry-on Baggage Fees / Baggage / Luggage / → All Tags

Allegiant Air Announces Carry-On Baggage Fees, Because They Can

2012 has been one sad disappointment after another when it comes to Allegiant Air. The Las Vegas-based LCC started the year by teasing a huge announcement that got everyone excited about potential Hawaii service, only to unveil some underwhelming routes into and out of Oakland. Then they got tagged by the Department of Transportation for cheating on DOT's new price advertising rules, which are supposed to include all government taxes and which capped years of work on, among other things, hidden baggage fees.

In what feels like kind of a petulant followup, Allegiant just announced that they're going to start charging for carry-on bags. Passengers who prepay online will have to pay $10 to use the overhead bin, while travelers who wait until the airport will get hit with a $35 charge.

more ›

Baggage Fees / Air Asia / Air Asia X / Airline News / Airlines / Checked Baggage Fees / LCCs / → All Tags

Whoa. An Airline is Actually Lowering Checked Baggage Fees

Oh wow. Get this: an airline is actually lowering checked baggage fees on both short- and long-haul routes. Are pigs flying? Did hell freeze over? We mean—for any airline to ask for less money is pretty out of this world. Alas, it's Kuala Lumpur-based low-cost carrier Air Asia doing the deal, taking fees 5 to 30 MYR (Malaysian ringgit) down from what they were, based on what exactly you're checking (see full graph of fees below).

This is good news of course, but even better news is that Air Asia aren't the first to do something like this in recent months. Actually it was Frontier Airlines who began what is hopefully a trend, when they dropped both baggage and change fees $5 here and there in May 2011.

more ›

British Airways / Airline Industry / Baggage Fees / Checked Baggage / → All Tags

Something's Not Quite Right with British Airways' Online Check-in

This screenshot will not go far in dispelling the rumor that what passes as British circumspection is just their passive-aggressive way of insisting that you do things their way.

What you're looking at is Step 2 of the 5-step online check-in process for British Airways. It appears that something is missing, but no worries. It's not as if you'd want to give travelers as many relevant options as possible, what with how we're living in an era of reduced baggage allowances and heightened baggage fees even on international flights.

Keep in mind that there was a person, presumably with a background in programming in mathematics and programming, who created this. Then there was a person, undoubtedly with experience in the airline industry, who approved it. At some point wouldn't you think that someone would, you know, say something?

UPDATE: The kind folks at BA emailed us to say they're on it...

[Screenshot: Jaunted]

Baggage Fees / Checked Baggage / Airline News / Alaska Travel / Alaska Airlines / Baggage / Luggage / → All Tags

If You Can Handle Living in Alaska, You Get Free Checked Bags on Alaska Airlines

Do you live in Alaska or are you moving there? Winter may be descending and bringing the cold and darkness along with it, but there's light for travelers! Alaska Airlines wants residents of the state to only think of them when it comes to booking flights, and so the airlines has just announced a new set of Alaskans-only perks.

It's called "Club 49," and members of Alaska's Mileage Plan frequent flyer program with an AK state code in their address can join it for free—right here. So what is Alaska Airlines giving to those who live way up north? Well, for starters, two free checked bags on each flight. That's pretty sweet and you save $20 per bag, sure, but we're also jealous of an annual gift of two certificates for 30% off one-way, full flex Y base fares, bookable within four days of the flight for last-minute getaways. The winter giving you seasonal depression? Time to use those passes for a long weekend in California.

Finally, Club 49 members will enjoy weekly fare sales to and from Alaska, specifically targeted at them. Again we're jealous, but not jealous enough to move across the country and northwards. Now if only JetBlue started a club just for New Yorkers...

[Photo: Pylon757]

Airline Fees / Checked Baggage Fees / Baggage / Luggage / Baggage Fees / Airlines / Airline News / Air Canada / → All Tags

Air Canada Adds First Bag Fee for Flyers Between the US and Canada

At this point it seems like pretty much every carrier that could has already added a checked baggage fee, but there are a few more that haven’t yet betrayed global flyers. Remove Air Canada from that list, as it looks like they’re slapping flyers with a first checked bag fee as of October 11.

Our airline buddies north of the border will begin to charge $25 for the first checked bag for all tickets bought on or after September 7 for travel from Canada into the United States, and like we said, it’s for travel beginning October 11. If you’re checking two bags, things will at least remain the same, as it’s going to be $35 for the second bag.

Just in case you don’t have any scrap paper handy we’ll do the math for you—that’s $120 per person for a roundtrip flight when you check two bags like in the good ol’ days.

more ›

Baggage Fees / Royal Brunei Airlines / Checked Baggage Fees / Luggage / Airlines / → All Tags

Thought You'd Never Loathe An Airline More Than Ryanair? Meet Royal Brunei

No wonder the baggage handlers have nothing to do

If, like us, you’re, ahem, not one of those pack lightly types, then you’ll know the little shrinking feeling you get in your stomach when you need to pack a suitcase. In fact, you’re probably so prone to going over the limit that you can tell at one lift whether a case weighs in at under 50lb, and your storage space is crammed with cheap Walmart holdalls bought when you got just one too many BBQ sauces/Elvis clocks/random bags of Egyptian tea.

As a sufferer of this affliction, you already fly JetBlue or Southwest over the legacy carriers. You know BA often works out than Ryanair when across the pond. You know when it’s worth attempting the crouch of shame, and when to admit defeat.

So it’s for you people that we’re adding another airline to the no-fly list: Royal Brunei.

more ›

Checked Baggage / Baggage / Luggage / Baggage Fees / Airlines / Airline News / Europe Travel / → All Tags

Delta and United Will Make You Pay for That Second Checked Bag to Europe

Ugh—stupid baggage fees. Since charging for checked baggage is following an upward trend right along with summer travel, it only makes sense that some airlines are raising their fees. To be specific, it's United and Delta making the move on their US flight to Europe.

Hold the phone for a second—the first checked bag is still free (for now); these fee hikes only apply to second checked bags. For Delta, the fee goes from $50 up to $60 if paid online, $75 at the airport. Delta will also begin charging $30 for a second checked bag between the US and Latin America. The only good news? The previous extortionate fee of $150 for an overweight bag on Europe flights drops (drops!) to $75.

Meanwhile, United/Continental is going from $50 for the second bag on Europe flights, to $70 no matter whether it's online or at the airport. Who wants to venture a guess as to next summer's hike? We're putting our money on a round $100 for second bag fees in 2012.

[Photos: Payton Chung]