jasmine
12-05-2010, 08:56 AM
http://www.aolnews.com/weird-news/article/outraged-traveler-builds-calculator-to-beat-airline-baggage-fees/19740785
Outraged Traveler Builds Calculator to Beat Airline Baggage Fees
(Dec. 5) -- If you're a budget-conscious traveler planning to fly home for the holidays, chances are you're dreading those pesky airline baggage fees. Luckily, one man has created a tool to beat the baggage blues, and with his help, a flight with fewer fees is practically in the bag.
A little over a year ago, frequent flier Luke Dudley launched LuggageLimits.com (http://www.luggagelimits.com/), a website for frustrated travelers, featuring a handy-dandy, flight-specific calculator that figures out how much money different airlines charge for baggage fees.
By typing in the airline, the departure airport and the arrival airport into the calculator, users can compare and contrast baggage fees (http://www.luggagelimits.com/faq) across more than 175 airlines for free at any given time.
http://o.aolcdn.com/photo-hub/news_gallery/6/9/696689/1291321089796.JPEG Courtesy of LuggageLimits.com
LuggageLimits.com's calculator helps determine baggage fees and allowances across more than 175 airlines worldwide.
A pretty cool and helpful tool, considering airline baggage fees have continued to steadily increase since they were implemented (http://seekingalpha.com/instablog/563503-ideaworks/46247-us-airlines-will-generate-millions-from-higher-baggage-fees) a few years ago.
In fact, The New York Times reports (http://travel.nytimes.com/2010/12/05/travel/05pracfees.html) that so far this year, airlines have made $1.7 billion off baggage fees alone, since most major carriers now charge anywhere between $15 and $35 per bag.
Given those stats, Dudley told AOL News that his online baggage-fee calculator -- which is also a new iPhone app (http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/luggage-limits/id403866565?mt=8) -- may be more useful than ever these days, especially with the holiday travel season in full swing.
Dudley, a regular air traveler, doesn't want jet-setters to go through the same traumatic baggage dilemma he experienced a few years ago while trying to fly back to America from an extended stay in Australia.
When Dudley and his girlfriend tried to board their plane to come home via an Asian airline, they were unexpectedly told that they'd be charged per kilogram for their excess baggage, resulting in an extra fee of nearly $500.
"I immediately chased our friends down in the airport parking lot and begged them to ship our suitcases home for us by mail. When I worked out the math later, I figured out it would've been cheaper to buy a whole other plane ticket or upgrade to first class rather than paying the baggage fee," he recalled.
Dudley said he was caught off guard by the hefty baggage fee because when they flew to Australia, the American airline they used allowed two free bags per person. He had no idea baggage fees differed so much from airline to airline.
Frequent flier Luke Dudley was slapped with a $500 baggage fee on his way home to America from Australia. Now he's getting payback.
With that in mind, Dudley said he was inspired to create LuggageLimits so others could educate themselves about airline baggage policies in a quick, simple, user-friendly manner.
"It's an easy way to get all of the information fast and analyze your different options for airlines on the spot. I'm constantly updating the calculations to reflect changing baggage fees. It's a mammoth task, but I monitor the information continuously," he said.
As of now, Dudley said the American airline with the best baggage policy, by far, is Southwest Airlines, (http://www.southwest.com/html/customer-service/baggage/checked-bags-pol.html) since it still allows two free bags per customer. JetBlue Airways (http://help.jetblue.com/SRVS/CGI-BIN/webisapi.dll?New,Kb=askBlue,case=obj(634)) still gives travelers one bag for free.
"Those are the two airlines going against the grain right now. All other American airlines charge extra for bags," Dudley said.
For international flights, he said Arabic airlines tend to be the most generous with their baggage allowance, usually including luggage as part of the package deal.
Still, those few lenient airlines remaining aren't enough to counter the baggage fee movement as a whole.
"Every time I'm at the airport, I see someone rummaging through their bags on the floor, trying to adjust the contents so they won't be over the weight limit. Frazzled travelers are a captive audience for airline baggage fees because there's not much else they can do at that point other than pay the fee," Dudley lamented. "You can't just leave your bags behind."
With no other options, Dudley believes uninformed travelers are painted into a corner. He said it doesn't help that most airlines fail to disclose (http://www.airlinesanddestinations.com/airlines/analysis-finds-u-s-airlines-dont-disclose-most-fees-on-their-websites/) detailed information about extra baggage fees when customers buy their plane tickets, resulting in an unpleasant surprise tab at the airport.
Of course, the more resourceful travelers could pull a similar move as Dudley and find alternative ways to get their gear from point A to point B.
Dudley said savvy travelers could figure out cheap ways to ship their items (http://www.luggageforward.com/) to their destination ahead of time, especially bulkier goods like golf clubs.
"You could also wear all of your clothes on the flight instead of packing them. If you can wear three pairs of jeans and five sweaters comfortably on board, then go for it," he said with a laugh.
Hey, at least that way, you won't have to pay a fee for an airline blanket.
While Dudley would love nothing more than for airline baggage fees to go away for good, he thinks the multimillion-dollar add-on is here to stay.
At the rate things are going, he figures fees for carry-on luggage are inevitably next. That, or even more significant reductions on baggage weight limits.
But, if by some divine miracle baggage fees are eliminated and his website is rendered useless, Dudley is well-prepared with backup plans for his calculating system.
He said he's thinking about using it to figure out the costs of other in-flight ancillary fees (http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10332/1106410-28.stm), such as how much different airlines charge for meals, blankets, movies and extra leg room. He may also begin calculating baggage fees aboard trains and buses.
Outraged Traveler Builds Calculator to Beat Airline Baggage Fees
(Dec. 5) -- If you're a budget-conscious traveler planning to fly home for the holidays, chances are you're dreading those pesky airline baggage fees. Luckily, one man has created a tool to beat the baggage blues, and with his help, a flight with fewer fees is practically in the bag.
A little over a year ago, frequent flier Luke Dudley launched LuggageLimits.com (http://www.luggagelimits.com/), a website for frustrated travelers, featuring a handy-dandy, flight-specific calculator that figures out how much money different airlines charge for baggage fees.
By typing in the airline, the departure airport and the arrival airport into the calculator, users can compare and contrast baggage fees (http://www.luggagelimits.com/faq) across more than 175 airlines for free at any given time.
http://o.aolcdn.com/photo-hub/news_gallery/6/9/696689/1291321089796.JPEG Courtesy of LuggageLimits.com
LuggageLimits.com's calculator helps determine baggage fees and allowances across more than 175 airlines worldwide.
A pretty cool and helpful tool, considering airline baggage fees have continued to steadily increase since they were implemented (http://seekingalpha.com/instablog/563503-ideaworks/46247-us-airlines-will-generate-millions-from-higher-baggage-fees) a few years ago.
In fact, The New York Times reports (http://travel.nytimes.com/2010/12/05/travel/05pracfees.html) that so far this year, airlines have made $1.7 billion off baggage fees alone, since most major carriers now charge anywhere between $15 and $35 per bag.
Given those stats, Dudley told AOL News that his online baggage-fee calculator -- which is also a new iPhone app (http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/luggage-limits/id403866565?mt=8) -- may be more useful than ever these days, especially with the holiday travel season in full swing.
Dudley, a regular air traveler, doesn't want jet-setters to go through the same traumatic baggage dilemma he experienced a few years ago while trying to fly back to America from an extended stay in Australia.
When Dudley and his girlfriend tried to board their plane to come home via an Asian airline, they were unexpectedly told that they'd be charged per kilogram for their excess baggage, resulting in an extra fee of nearly $500.
"I immediately chased our friends down in the airport parking lot and begged them to ship our suitcases home for us by mail. When I worked out the math later, I figured out it would've been cheaper to buy a whole other plane ticket or upgrade to first class rather than paying the baggage fee," he recalled.
Dudley said he was caught off guard by the hefty baggage fee because when they flew to Australia, the American airline they used allowed two free bags per person. He had no idea baggage fees differed so much from airline to airline.
Frequent flier Luke Dudley was slapped with a $500 baggage fee on his way home to America from Australia. Now he's getting payback.
With that in mind, Dudley said he was inspired to create LuggageLimits so others could educate themselves about airline baggage policies in a quick, simple, user-friendly manner.
"It's an easy way to get all of the information fast and analyze your different options for airlines on the spot. I'm constantly updating the calculations to reflect changing baggage fees. It's a mammoth task, but I monitor the information continuously," he said.
As of now, Dudley said the American airline with the best baggage policy, by far, is Southwest Airlines, (http://www.southwest.com/html/customer-service/baggage/checked-bags-pol.html) since it still allows two free bags per customer. JetBlue Airways (http://help.jetblue.com/SRVS/CGI-BIN/webisapi.dll?New,Kb=askBlue,case=obj(634)) still gives travelers one bag for free.
"Those are the two airlines going against the grain right now. All other American airlines charge extra for bags," Dudley said.
For international flights, he said Arabic airlines tend to be the most generous with their baggage allowance, usually including luggage as part of the package deal.
Still, those few lenient airlines remaining aren't enough to counter the baggage fee movement as a whole.
"Every time I'm at the airport, I see someone rummaging through their bags on the floor, trying to adjust the contents so they won't be over the weight limit. Frazzled travelers are a captive audience for airline baggage fees because there's not much else they can do at that point other than pay the fee," Dudley lamented. "You can't just leave your bags behind."
With no other options, Dudley believes uninformed travelers are painted into a corner. He said it doesn't help that most airlines fail to disclose (http://www.airlinesanddestinations.com/airlines/analysis-finds-u-s-airlines-dont-disclose-most-fees-on-their-websites/) detailed information about extra baggage fees when customers buy their plane tickets, resulting in an unpleasant surprise tab at the airport.
Of course, the more resourceful travelers could pull a similar move as Dudley and find alternative ways to get their gear from point A to point B.
Dudley said savvy travelers could figure out cheap ways to ship their items (http://www.luggageforward.com/) to their destination ahead of time, especially bulkier goods like golf clubs.
"You could also wear all of your clothes on the flight instead of packing them. If you can wear three pairs of jeans and five sweaters comfortably on board, then go for it," he said with a laugh.
Hey, at least that way, you won't have to pay a fee for an airline blanket.
While Dudley would love nothing more than for airline baggage fees to go away for good, he thinks the multimillion-dollar add-on is here to stay.
At the rate things are going, he figures fees for carry-on luggage are inevitably next. That, or even more significant reductions on baggage weight limits.
But, if by some divine miracle baggage fees are eliminated and his website is rendered useless, Dudley is well-prepared with backup plans for his calculating system.
He said he's thinking about using it to figure out the costs of other in-flight ancillary fees (http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10332/1106410-28.stm), such as how much different airlines charge for meals, blankets, movies and extra leg room. He may also begin calculating baggage fees aboard trains and buses.