Delta just became the last major airliner to adopt a baggage fee on the first piece of luggage. The company already had a 50 dollar charge on the second piece of luggage.
The move by Delta comes on the heels of its merger with Northwest Airlines, which already charges customers a baggage fee. The new fee structure will be 15 dollars for the first bag and 25 dollars for the second bag. But of course there is a catch. Elite customers, full-price coach, first class, and business class ticketholders will not be subject to the new fees. So basically, you pay for a crappy discounted seat with your luggage. Nice.
Here’s more, from The New York Times:
- The fee takes effect Dec. 5, and will primarily affect passengers flying on discount economy-class tickets.
- Delta said passengers who had already bought tickets for travel on or after Dec. 5 would be charged the old rate, $50, for a second bag. And those travelers would be allowed to check one bag at no charge, as Delta has been doing.
- Passengers in first or business class and those who have achieved elite status on either Delta or Northwest will be allowed to check three bags without paying a fee. Passengers flying on full coach fares and passengers on international flights can check two bags without an additional charge.
- Meanwhile, Delta said it was dropping surcharges of $25 to $100 that it had been assessing for booking frequent-flier tickets at either Delta or Northwest. The move is effective immediately. Delta had described the step as a temporary measure in the wake of record oil prices, which reached $145 a barrel in July. Oil has traded recently at half that price.
- Delta said it would also install a “coach choice” program, like the one at Northwest. It allows passengers to select seats in certain parts of the plane, like the aisle, window or exit rows, for fees of $5 to $25, depending on the location of the seats and destination of their flights.
Read the full story here.
