Cheap fares, particularly cheap airplane tickets, are what most travelers seek, but artificially low airfares that no one can really fly on are only frustrating prospective travelers. To that end, Senator Chuck Schumer announced Monday, 4/12, that he is ready to submit legislation that would ban airlines from charging a fee for carry-on luggage.
Last week Spirit Airlines said that they would start charging a carry-on fee ranging from $30 to $45 per bag. While they are the first airline to charge such a fee, the Senators concern, as well as many airline passengers, is that other airlines will soon follow.
Spirit Airlines claims that charging a carry-on baggage fees will result in fewer carry-on bags which in turn will help empty planes faster. They say that the purpose of airline fees is to charge customers only for the services that they use, while keeping the base fare as low as possible.
Currently passengers are financially being encouraged to carry-on bags since they are only, with the exemption of Spirit Airlines, charged for checked luggage. The New York Democrat sees carry-on bags as a travel necessity and wants to exempt carry-on luggage from a separate fee outside of the ticket price.
Senator Schumer views charging customers that carry-on bags on airlines as stepping over the line and has said that if the Treasury Department does not take action to prevent this fees from being implemented he is confident that legislation forbidding such fees will easily pass the Senate and the House.
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