While there are plenty of cheap traveloptions, such as cheapairplane tickets, cheapdeals, discount hotel rooms, discounttravel deals, and cheap vacation packages,airline luggage fees often end up taking a big bite out of a familys vacationbudget.
Not paying airline luggage fees is becoming increasinglymore difficult. American Airlines wasthe first airline to introduce checked baggage fees in 2008 and the practicewas quickly imitated by almost every major U.S. airline, as well as manyinternational airlines. Checked luggagefees have become the industry norm. Recently JetBlue changed its policy and added the dreaded surcharge.
The following are suggestions on how to check a bag forfree, according to Carl Unger:
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Be avery frequent flier. Travelers who fly25,000 or miles a year on an individual airline are provided a variety ofattractive perks that usually include one free checked bag, access to upgrades,reduced fees, priority boarding, and more. Unfortunately the reality is that 25,000 miles of flying each year isunattainable for most leisure travelers.
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Lookinto the different fare tiers offered by airlines. There is a natural tendency for travelers ona budget to simply purchase the cheapest ticket available which tend to benonrefundable base fares that provide a seat and nothing else. Higher priced tickets are often refundableand offer additional perks such as free checked luggage.
JetBlue has come out with a new ticketingsystem whereby its BluePlus and BlueFlex prices include one and two free checkedbags respectively, as well as reduced change and cancellation fees. Other airlines, including Virgin America andFrontier, offer similar pricing tiers. Youwill have to do the math to determine if the additional cost is worth thesavings of no baggage fees.
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Travelminimalist and only take what you can carry-on the plane. Most major airlines today do not chargecarry-on fees, with the exceptions being self-proclaimed low cost operatorsAllegiant, Frontier, and Spirit. Traveling light not only avoids paying baggage fees but also ensuresthat your bag will not get lost in transit.
There are many ways to get the most out ofyour carry-on, including vacuum bags that compress clothes to inventiveorganization solutions for your electronics as well as the bag you travelwith. Do not forget that you are allowedone carry-on and a personal item with most airlines so select your second bagwisely.
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Lookinto signing up for an airline affiliated credit card. Many airline credit cards provide cardholdersfree checked luggage in additional to other perks as well as a way to earnmiles. The catch though is that mostairline credit cards come with annual fees of about $100, which are oftenwaived for the first year. Airlineaffiliated cards tend to lock participants into a particular airline so you shouldtry to select an airline that you will by flying on the most frequently.
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If youare willing to gamble, play the gate check game whereby your airline will oftenannounce that it will check passengers luggage for free at the gate. The risk you face is that airlines are crackingdown on oversized carry-ons which can result in you paying a baggage fee in theend.
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Considershipping your bags in advance of your trip. You will need to weigh the cost of shipping, and the number of days itwill take for your belongings to arrive vs. what your airline charges forchecked bags. Remember, if you are goingto ship your belongings, you may want to leave your bag at home since then theweight of your shipment, and presumably its cost, will be reduced.
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