How airline fees have changed goods in billions

The latest airlines to charge passengers for check-in goods with Air Canada and Southwests, such assistants or balloon costs of “junk fees” are inciting anger between politicians and consumer groups. At the same time, sales of small suitcases enough for passengers are decreasing significantly to carry on the aircraft as the hand luggage is booming.

Lauren Alexander flew from Boston for the weekend, standing outside the city airport in Toronto. She describes such additional allegations as “ridiculous”.

“It sounds like a trick,” 24 -year -old says. “If you buy tickets, you think it’s going to be less expensive, so you have to pay an additional $ 200 (£ 148) [to bring a suitcase],

To avoid the fee, Ms. Alexander traveled with a small backpack as hand stuff instead.

The sage relay, who is 27 years old, agrees, saying to the BBC, “It can be expensive.”

There was a time when checked bags, seat selections and your food came as standard on all commercial flights. But all this changed with the rise of the budget airlines, says J. Sorenson of US Aviation Consultancy Idea.

It was in 2006 when the UK low-cost career flybees is believed to be considered the first airline in the world to start charging passengers. To check in the bag. If the customer was not paid advance, it charged £ 2 for the pre-book item of the goods.

Other budget carriers then quickly follow the suit, with the so -called flag bearer or installed airlines, then doing so, at least on small flights.

In 2008, American Airlines became the first US airline to charge a fee of $ 15, fee for the first checked bag on its domestic routes.

Mr. Sorenson says that such traditional airlines felt that they had no choice when they started feeling that low -cost carriers were providing very important competition “. He says: “He felt that he had to do something to meet.”

Fast for today, and American Airlines made $ 7.27BN from check-in baggage fees last year, According to federal data. It is from $ 7BN in 2023, and in 2019 is $ 5.76BN.

Slightly surprised that more of us are just trying to take Carry-on. Kirsty Glenn, managing director of Britain’s Firm Antler, confirmed that there was an increase in demand for small suitcases that meet the airline dimensions for carry-on goods.

She says, “We have seen heavy spikes online and on our website.” Talking about a new small-sub-case case that his company launched in April, Ms. Glenn says: “For the tendency to travel only with hand items, the will, it is sold like crazy.”

At the same time, travel packing “hacks” and social media content about accessories that complete the carry-on size measurement of airlines, the journey has increased according to journalist Chelsea Decanceon. She makes this material for Tiktok.

“Social media has actually inspired this idea of ​​the need for a bag that meets the goods allowance requirements, says Ms. Dicksonson.” It has become a main part of the material I make and post on social media. ,

Ms. Dickenson, whose social media has reached close to one million followers, says her luggage has become the video “the main part of the content”.

“It blows my mind,” she says. “I could spend weeks and weeks to research a large journey, and as a result the video would not come close to buying and buying a cheap suitcase with me, taking it to the airport, testing it in one of the sizes of those goods and reporting back.”

All airlines from goods to selection are overall global cost of additional fees, WiFi access, lounge access, upgrade and food and drink, This year is expected to reach $ 145BN, 14%of the total revenue of the sector. This is according to the International Air Transport Association, which represents the industry. This compares with $ 137bn last year.

These numbers have attracted the attention of some politicians in Washington, and the airline owners were grilled before the Senate Committee last December. It was a Democrat Senator who used the word “Junk fees”.

He wants the federal government to review such costs and potentially fine airlines. We asked the US Transport Department for a comment, but received no response.

But if it was not enough to pay for a check-in, then the increasing number of airlines is now charging for hand goods. For example, the Irish Budget Airline Ryanayer will only allow you to carry a small bag that fits under the seat in front of you. If you want to take a large bag or suitcase to go to the overhead locker that will spend you from £ 6.

Other European airlines that now have the same fees for hand goods are Easyzet, Norwegian Airlines, Transvia, Volotia, Vuling and Visare.

It has angered the PAN-European Consumer Group BeUC (European Consumer Organization), which filed a complaint with the European Commission last month.

The BEUC cited the 2014 EU Court of Justice Ruling, stating that “hand -by -luggage car cannot be subjected to value supplement, provided that it meets appropriate requirements in terms of its weight and dimensions, and complies with the applicable safety requirements”.

However, “appropriate requirements” determines that there is a gray area in the requirement of an official decision.

However, there may be a different way to do things, as shown by the Indian airline IndiGo. Its boss Peter Ebars says that it does not charge a check-in goods.

“The whole philosophy is different here,” they say. “We don’t want long lines, and endless debate on the gates about the weight of the goods. We have no one of it. We bend our aircraft around in 35 minutes.”