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Beware: Airlines lowering bag weight limits to rake in fees
From: Dave Farber <dave () farber net>
Date: Thu, 13 Mar 2003 08:54:04 -0500
------ Forwarded Message From: Brett Glass <brett () lariat org> Date: Thu, 13 Mar 2003 00:48:51 -0700 (MST) To: dave () farber net Subject: For IP: Beware: Airlines lowering bag weight limits to rake in fees Dave: When I traveled to the Stanford Spectrum Conference this month, I got a rude surprise, courtesy of United Airlines. In the past, the airline had always accepted bags up to 70 pounds, and so I and my wife packed into one suitcase (even though we were allowed two). The bag weighed 68 pounds. On our outbound trip, which started on a commuter airline, we had no problems. But when we checked in for the return trip at SFO, a United skycap refused to take the bag, saying that it was "overweight." I pointed out that our boarding pass envelope specified a limit of 70 pounds, but she claimed that the limit had been lowered -- unilaterally and without warning -- sometime early this year. She sent us to another line, which inched forward so slowly that we nearly missed the deadline to check in. When we reached the counter, we again pointed out the information on the envelope and also told them that we had confirmed the 70 pound limit with our travel agent. The airline employee at the counter said that travel agents had not been notified of the lowered limit but that the airline was enforcing it anyway, and demanded a $25 fee. We removed several articles from the bag, put them into a duffel bag that we happened to have with us, and thereby managed to get it under 50 pounds. But we watched as others, likewise confronted by this bait and switch tactic, were forced to pay fees to avoid missing flights and appointments. It's sad to see that the airlines, pinched in part by travelers' unwillingness to put up with their poor customer service, are responding by extorting money from those who do fly. --Brett Glass ------ End of Forwarded Message ------------------------------------- You are subscribed as interesting-people () lists elistx com To manage your subscription, go to http://v2.listbox.com/member/?listname=ip Archives at: http://www.interesting-people.org/archives/interesting-people/
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- Beware: Airlines lowering bag weight limits to rake in fees Dave Farber (Mar 13)