Articles tagged “checked bags”

JetBlue was all about giving passengers more choice when the airline introduced new fare families in June. But It came as a surprise to JetBlue that passengers decided to check more first bags than the airline predicted.

The rate of delayed and lost luggage is dropping as passenger numbers rise, but it's necessary to remember that those passengers may also be checking fewer bags due to an increase in fees over the past decade.

At a time when U.S. airlines are talking about new bag-tracking technologies and other improvements, they collectively let an uptick in checked bags ruin several years of strides in their mishandled bags' numbers.

Some pundits favorite sport -- speculating that Southwest will scrap Bags Fly Free -- can end right now. Southwest makes a lot of money in the form of customer retention and growth by not charging fees for first and second checked bags, as well as for changing flights, and there won't be any changes in these signature policies in 2014. So ruled CEO Gary Kelly.

OK, these baby steps are the easy part in the integration of American Airlines and US Airways. Game on.

The rate of innovation in mobile technology suggests that even if security still takes too long and seats are too small, flyers can at least rely on updated flight statuses and hassle-free check-ins.

The launch will be well-received by flyers looking to cut a few more minutes off the increasingly expedited airport check-in, and shows there are still ways to shave time without launching yet another mobile app.

The airlines created boarding chaos, with passengers trying to stuff bags in overhead bins to avoid checked-bag fees, and now they are trying to figure a way out of the mess (while keeping the fees, of course).

EasyJet isn't -- yet -- going the Ryanair route of charging exorbitant fees for airport check-ins, but it is doing everything it can to force passengers to check-in online so the airline can cut costs.

If your checked bag isn't on your flight, at least you can start borrowing clothes or plotting strategy early, and you won't be waiting for disappointment around the luggage carousel at the airport when you land.