A well planned trip made affordable with the purchase of cheap airplane tickets and discount hotel rooms or cheap vacation packages can become unnecessarily more expensive because of airline baggage charges.
A family of four, each checking a single bag, can result in baggage fees of between $160 to $200 for a single round trip flight. The countrys twenty largest airlines collected $2.6 billion in baggage fees during the first nine months of 2010. Baggage fees are expected to climb even higher in the future.
The following are suggestions as to how to avoid these fees:
Depending on the airline you will be flying on, some waive baggage fees if you hold an airline branded credit card. Delta waives fees for the first checked bag for holders of its SkyMiles card from American Express. Continental does as well for holders of its branded OnePass Plus card from Chase.
Some hotel chains have started to reimburse guests for baggage fees. Kimpton Hotels issues a room credit of up to $25 for guests who show proof of a second bag charge. InterContinental Hotels & Resorts ran a promotion earlier this year whereby guests of Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza and Candlewood Suites were eligible to receive up to $100 in checked baggage fees back for two night guest stays.
The more frequently you fly on the same airline the more likely you are to earn elite or preferred status in an airlines frequent flier programs. Often such status is earned by flying 25,000 miles per calendar year. Once you attain preferred frequent flier status you can save and often avoid baggage fees altogether.
Pack lightly and use a bag that you can carry onto the plane to avoid having to check baggage and pay a fee.
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