I am tired of Chuck Schumer (Senator NY) and the media beating up on Spirit Airline’s new carry-on baggage charge. The concept is called unbundling. Reduce overall rates and let the customer select the services he is willing to pay for.
When carry-on or checked-in luggage is free, travelers use much more of it and this extra expense gets passed on to everybody else. When airlines started charging for checked-in luggage guess what? Travelers used less of it.
Southwest started it all when they eliminated meals and gave us peanuts instead. They eliminated reserved seats and as a result they found ways to reduce the idle time at airports when they were loading up passengers. They drove down the cost of flying with these innovations. But guess what, they still don’t have reserved seats although they are one of the few that does not charge for checked-in luggage.
If Chuck Schumer and the media were running the airlines, we would have travel costs that are twice as much and virtually no choice or competition.
Get off Spirit’s back and while you are at it get off my back.
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