American Airlines announced it will charge for checking your first bag, and Air Canada announced it will offer insurance for extra costs caused by its delays.
American made the following announcement:
- Customers who purchase domestic economy class tickets on or after May 12, 2008 but before June 15, 2008 may check one bag for free and check a second bag for $25 each way. Customers who purchase domestic economy class tickets on or after June 15, 2008 will be charged $15 each way for the first checked bag and $25 each way for the second checked bag. Our carry-on policy of one personal item (such as a purse or laptop bag) plus one bag remains in place.
There are some exceptions; see Updated Checked Bag Policies for more information. The price increase is in bags instead of tickets, the airline says, because some people can choose not to check bags, saving themselves the fee. Shrug - I figure the airlines need money because of increased fuel costs, so they’ll do whatever it takes to get it out of their passengers. If you can avoid checking a bag, you save $15. My theory is that this will make more people pack more stuff in their carryons, making life on board even worse than now as the bins fill up even faster on full flights.
Meanwhile, Air Canada announced that it is offering ”On my way,” a fee-based service that gives you complimentary accommodations, car rentals or other ground transportation, and meals if your flight is delayed. The amount of the fee depends on length of flight, and there are restrictions, terms, and conditions, so read their Travel Info - On My Way page. Now we get to pay extra for the airline to take care of us.
Other airlines offer protection, too, so when you make your reservation check to see if delay insurance if offered, at what cost, and with what limits. There are maximum benefits and maximum days. If you are flying to a cruise or nonrefundable package tour, I recommend reading up on travel insurance (see the next paragraph for a link to our trip insurance info) and giving it careful consideration. Pay careful attention throughout, but if you choose to buy insurance pay especial attention to what you need to prove your claim, how you document your expenses, and what your maximum coverage is. You may also find that bankrupt airlines cannot pay off on their own insurance.
I suggest still considering flight insurance, as On My Way has a list of exclusions - basically it covers only delays that are the fault of Air Canada and not weather-related delays and other causes outside the control of the airline. See our trip insurance section of ”Adventure Kits” for some companies that offer trip insurance. (And be sure to read all the terms and conditions there, too - some insurance covers war but not insurgency, hurricanes that actually hit your destination but not hurricanes that threaten, bankruptcy of your carrier or ticket agent, and so on.)
1 month ago