You can now add United to the list of airlines that charge passengers to check a single piece of baggage on domestic flights. The carrier announced that they'll begin hitting travelers with a $15 fee to bring even one piece of checked luggage on board. The fee matches American Airlines' controversial baggage charge, which was the first of it's kind when it debuted three weeks ago.
United is already well-established as a pioneer when it comes to finding new fees. According to Reuters, they were the "first legacy carrier to implement a $25 fee to check a second bag." Airlines have been going fee crazy of late because, they say, it's the only way they can survive rising fuel costs.
The $15 first bag fee isn't the only charge that United cooked up for their customers. The airline also raised the fees charged for overweight bags and luggage requiring special handling by $25-50 depending on the item. It undoubtedly won't be long before other major carriers follow suit.
Yesterday, we were a little miffed by the packing tips of One Bag that came off as a bit sexist. (Asking ladies to pack one ugly pair of shoes and to use a bathing suit tankini top under suits? As if! Should men wear their speedos as an alternative to briefs at a big meeting?)
Thus we were spurred to create our list of packing tips for the ladies. We travel quite a bit and we never check a bag. These are some of the little things we do to make sure all our stuff fits into one stylish green Kipling carry-on suitcase.
Since we're now living in the age where having extra baggage can cost you a pretty penny, we've decided to revisit an old site called One Bag which offers tips on how to pack light. The site is extremely in-depth--we didn't know you could write so much about one bag!--and there's a lot of text. Truthfully, it's almost too much text to get through.
What we did find useful was the section on bundle wrapping, above, a technique that allows you to minimize the creases in your clothes and maximize the space in your carry-on. Also, the wardrobe packing list is pretty helpful though there are some tips that will have the fashion police chasing you down the jetbridge:
Several companies make pants with zip-off or roll-up legs (which convert them to shorts, capris, etc.)
The packing list won't make any fans with women, either. How could it possibly recommend that ladies bring just one pair of lace-up shoes for business meetings, daytime walks and hiking. We're not sure such a shoe even exists.
And don't even get us started on using our bathing suit tankini top as a body suit under a skirt or jacket. We'd rather pay the checked bag charge!
While most of the world is slowing lifting restrictions on cabin baggage, over in China they're just getting started. Last month the Chinese authorities added matches and lighters to a growing list of banned items. And as of May 1, they've also restricted the amount of cabin baggage you can carry on.
With the Olympics around the corner and plenty of tourists getting ready to make domestic flights across China, it doesn't seem like a great time to start changing the rules. But for the record, the rules now say that you can only take one piece of baggage on board, and it has to weigh less than 5kg (11 pounds); first class passengers get two bags.
This applies to international passengers who get a connecting flight within China, too. If you're Olympics-bound, this might be a good time to repack your bag.
Back in February, British Airways was hyping its fancy baggage handling system at the new Terminal 5:
The 11 miles of conveyor belts and intelligent baggage carts running on almost 3 miles of rails mean your bag can reach your gate in 15 minutes.
Ha! Tell that to the 15,000 suitcases BA mishandled this weekend. Airline CEO Willie Walsh just sent out yet another apology specifically addressed to the people who are still waiting for their luggage:
A backlog of undelivered bags has built up. This backlog is not affecting the day-to-day operation of the baggage system, and we are making every effort to reunite delayed bags with their owners. We have more than 400 volunteers from across the airline supporting this effort.
That may be, but BA won't make any promises as to when the T5 shitshow will be sorted out. That includes the baggage problems--and the fact that 54 of today's 394 flights have already been cancelled.
Love ain't so grand after all for Carrie and Big... errr, Sarah Jessica Parker and Chris Noth in these promo shots for the upcoming "Sex and the City" movie. What, Bradshaw couldn't get hold of the "Darjeeling Limited" suitcases?
The film's trailer and spoilers posted on the Internet suggest that Carrie and Big--uh, big spoiler alert!--get married, or close to the altar at least.
Also, Carrie takes a tropical trip with Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda. No wonder she needs so much luggage! Good thing she has Big around to haul it all--keeps her looking way more classy than notorious over-packer Paris Hilton.
Another British Airways lost luggage story? They seem never ending. So too, it seems, is British Airways' ability to lose our luggage.
With final 2007 luggage handling statistics being released this week, we can see that BA really went above and beyond this past year, losing 26.5 bags per 1,000 during 2007, three and a half bags more per 1000 than in 2006. To be fair, British Airways wasn't the worst offender--TAP Air Portugal lost 27.8 bags per 1000--but if you look at passenger numbers, BA certainly did the worst of all, mishandling a massive total of more than a million bags.
BA spokesbots had all kinds of excuses for their poor performance. Problems at Heathrow airport that were out of their control and the regulations on carry-on luggage share the blame, they say. Whatever the excuses, the odds of British Airways losing your bag are considerably higher than those of winning the lottery, so don't pack your scratchers ticket in your checked baggage.
"Grey's Anatomy" cast member T. R. Knight pushed a giant package through customs at LAX late Wednesday night. He had been in Paris with coworker and bestie Katherine Heigl while she promoted her movie "27 Dresses." Looks like he could fit about all of them in this box.
Don't be a George! Mail your valuables, whatever they are, with these tips from USA Today on finding an shipping company. That way you can still buy 27 bespoke suits on vacation without worrying about how your gonna schlep 'em home.
