Why the airline industry is in really really horrendous shape. Even worse shape than you possibly imagine, except for Southwest Air. Absolutely eye-opening video (3min 56sec): Jim Jubak: Truth Behind the Airline Bag Fee. "Wanna know how desperate the US airline industry is? Well consider this. At a time when everybody's angry at the industry, for delays for bad baggage handling for cramped conditions and declining service, at this point the airline industry goes out and starts charging extra for checked baggage.
"The first domino to fall was American Airlines which decided that it was going to charge $15 for the first bag you checked. This is on top of the $25 fee you pay for the second bag you check. That $25 fee is pretty much becoming standard in the industry. Everyone in the industry knows that charging for check baggage like this, especially the first bag, is really gonna make customers, who are already angry, absolutely furious. So why do it?"
