Airlines are always trying to put forth their image as friendly in order to sell tickets to the general public. They often provide promotional pens and/or business gifts to retain the loyalty of their customers. Lately, however, they keep increasing costs, offering fewer discounts, and, most recently, they have started charging some very high fees for baggage.

The business traveler will probably not be effected by this recent change, but the leisure traveler certainly will. Who would want to go on a one or two week vacation with just a carry-on? Depending on the airline you are traveling with, these charges can be very expensive and you will have to take them into consideration when comparing costs and planning a trip. One airline charges a $100 round-trip fee for checking a second suitcase. The first one is free. The cost of each additional bag generally increases so you must be extremely careful about your packing.

Oversize and overweight bags can be extremely expensive. One airline charges $125 if your bag weighs between 51-70 lbs. Another airline will assess a fee of $150 for any piece of luggage that is oversized. Generally speaking, any bag that is more than 62 linear inches is considered to be oversized. To determine linear inches, add the length, the width and the height.

Many people are planning on shipping their clothing ahead and will be rewarded with a considerable savings if they feel that an extra bag or two is necessary for their trip. Rates for shipping are competitive and would probably be much easier to calculate than all of this insanity going on in the airport. I can see people with a bag that weighs 52 lbs. trying to empty it at the airport check-in counter and adding the extra weight to their body or their carry-on. This entire process has to be the biggest hassle imaginable for both the customers and the airline employees.

Consider this. There is still one major carrier who allows their customers to check two pieces of luggage for free and charges considerable lower fees for oversize and overweight. This would be the one to fly.