Are airline bag fee's changing gear ownership

[Scott]

I have grown accustomed to the Caribbean restrictions, or the lack there of, that I almost had a panic attack trying to meet Fiji Airways
7 Kg (15 lbs) 55x40x23cm carry on requirement.

 

[KeithG]

One leg of our last trip to Cancun there were exit row seats empty behind us. After awhile I moved back there to stretch a little. Boy, did I get told!

Behind you? Should not have been a problem. The $$ seats are towards the front of the plane.

Recently we have seen a new pattern (United airlines?) where they have a set of "premium economy" rows after the "business class" and before the "exit rows". I am thinking less than $100 upgrade fee? I could be wrong as my divebuddy buys all the tickets. This is where we sit most times.

The key thing to understand is that exit rows are wider (more leg room) and any row IN FRONT of an exit row can not recline. Some planes have 2 exit rows in a row. So the bonus row is the last exit row. It has extra leg room and seats that will recline.Double bonus if it is row 13.

 

[DustyC]

Nope. I simply don't pay bag fees.

 

[KeithG]

Nope. I simply don't pay bag fees.

Explain?

Some people are lucky enough that they do NOT have to pay for bags. Others are cheapo enough to leave most things at home and jam their dive gear in their underwear.

Do you have an alternate solution?

 

[DustyC]

Explain?

Some people are lucky enough that they do NOT have to pay for bags. Others are cheapo enough to leave most things at home and jam their dive gear in their underwear.

Do you have an alternate solution?

luck has nothing at all to do with it. Years ago i got a Delta Amex. First bag free for each person on the itinerary is one of the benefits. I use the card for EVERYTHING i can. Resulting in enough miles for a free 1st ticket last year. That was 2 free bags instead of one.

 

[KeithG]

luck has nothing at all to do with it. Years ago i got a Delta Amex. First bag free for each person on the itinerary is one of the benefits. I use the card for EVERYTHING i can. Resulting in enough miles for a free 1st ticket last year. That was 2 free bags instead of one.

Okay. Not luck or extra smarts. Just money...I hope to spend all of mine before I die...and most of my divebuddy's

I have noted comments by a few SB travelers where they determined that the cost to upgrade their ticket to the front of the bus (and hence some free luggage) cost less than the extra bag fee. I love being aware of sneaky things like this.

I was interested to see if there was some other magic potion that we all should be aware of. Always looking for the special angle to maximize my benefit.

In my current world we also never worry about baggage fees. But that is because we spend way too much (via an airline card) and also travel way too much (mostly pleasure but some business).

With Air Canada there are 2 different things to think about:
- accumulation of areoplan flight credit miles (== $ spent on a credit card, lasts forever, spend and wait!)
- accumulation of altitude flight miles (== miles traveled on an Star Alliance plane, lasts 1 year, must travel all the time)

These 2 concepts are very different.

I can accumulate tons of areoplan flight credit miles by simply spending money on my special VISA credit cards. This gets me points to fly. I can redeem them at some point. Hopefully. So I charge a $2 chocolate bar. I never use cash.

Altitude flight miles only happen when I actually fly. These get me actual airline status points. Front of the line checkin, free baggage, lounge passes, cheaper redemption of credit miles, priority boarding,...

Flight credit miles earned via my credit card do not get me altitude status unless I cash them in for a business class ticket (which buys status for that flight only). The flip side is that with big status I can buy an elceapho ticket and then use my altitude status to get free baggage, priority checkin and early boarding. Yum!

For both of these schemes it appears that the rich get richer. Once I hit a certain threshold I started to get extra bonus areoplan points AND altitude miles.

 

[Zonicles7]

My two dive buddies always rent equipment. This makes sense to them because we typically do one or two 10 day trips per year to places that have good quality dive stuff.

I own all my equipment and have noted that the annual servicing costs about what they pay for renting. The Delta Gold Card eliminates the cost of hauling it but really, they are getting a better deal when you add up the annual cost of the Gold Card $95 to the cost of servicing BC and Regs $120 and compare it to what they pay for renting what gear they don't own. (just BC and Regs)

 

[Joneill]

Okay. Not luck or extra smarts. Just money...I hope to spend all of mine before I die...and most of my divebuddy's

I have noted comments by a few SB travelers where they determined that the cost to upgrade their ticket to the front of the bus (and hence some free luggage) cost less than the extra bag fee. I love being aware of sneaky things like this.

I was interested to see if there was some other magic potion that we all should be aware of. Always looking for the special angle to maximize my benefit.

In my current world we also never worry about baggage fees. But that is because we spend way too much (via an airline card) and also travel way too much (mostly pleasure but some business).

With Air Canada there are 2 different things to think about:
- accumulation of areoplan flight credit miles (== $ spent on a credit card, lasts forever, spend and wait!)
- accumulation of altitude flight miles (== miles traveled on an Star Alliance plane, lasts 1 year, must travel all the time)

These 2 concepts are very different.

I can accumulate tons of areoplan flight credit miles by simply spending money on my special VISA credit cards. This gets me points to fly. I can redeem them at some point. Hopefully. So I charge a $2 chocolate bar. I never use cash.

Altitude flight miles only happen when I actually fly. These get me actual airline status points. Front of the line checkin, free baggage, lounge passes, cheaper redemption of credit miles, priority boarding,...

Flight credit miles earned via my credit card do not get me altitude status unless I cash them in for a business class ticket (which buys status for that flight only). The flip side is that with big status I can buy an elceapho ticket and then use my altitude status to get free baggage, priority checkin and early boarding. Yum!

For both of these schemes it appears that the rich get richer. Once I hit a certain threshold I started to get extra bonus areoplan points AND altitude miles.

I got the United Mileage Plus Visa, which gives everyone on my reservations their 1st checked bag free and priority boarding on United Flights, among other benefits.

When we do our annual Grand Cayman trip, we fly Cayman Airways which gives everyone 2 free checked bags and the cheapest fares ($268 round trip from JFK in NY this August, for example).

However, even if I had to pay $50 to check a gear bag each trip, I'd do it (and have) - that is a small price to pay to bring my own gear compared to the typical overall cost of a dive trip!

 

[Centrals]

In our part of the world and Europe some budget airlines only allow limited free hand carry. And you have to purchase allowance for check bag.
Not being a photographer does help me not paying excessively. 15kg + 7kg is more than adequate(rec trip) for me. However, bad news if it is an technical trip!

 

[Scubamat]

In SEA the airlines that charge for checked baggage also tend to enforce carry on restrictions.