Airlines Toying With Idea of Oversized Carry-On Fees

Carry-ons are causing chaos. Most airlines charge for checked bags nowadays. As a response, people started bringing larger carry-ons to avoid paying a checked luggage fee. Now more and more airlines are considering ways to fight back by adding an extra fee for carry-ons that exceed limits.

Boarding a plane has become a battle. People line up early in hopes of boarding sooner so that they can stuff their large carry-ons into overhead bins. This leaves less available room for the passengers who board later on. Carry-ons are growing in size and number, causing chaos for flight attendants and passengers.

Airlines are looking for ways to fight back and in typical airline fashion; they're considering adding even more fees to put an end to the carry-on conundrum. Airlines are toying with the idea of charging a $25 fee at the gate for carry-on bags that exceed the posted limits, as reported by Joe Sharkey of the New York Times. He says that Alaska Airlines, one of the top domestic carriers, has already been implementing this fee program.

This fee is mild compared to the drastic actions that some other airlines have taken to put an end to the carry-ons wars. Almost two years ago, Spirit Airlines started charging passenger $45 for carry-ons, regardless of the size. This fall, that fee is shooting up to $100 per carry-on.

Spirit Airlines initiated a major new approach to carry-on bags almost two years ago when it began charging passengers $45 to stash carry-ons in overhead bins. Spirit plans to raise that fee at the gate this fall to $100 per bag. But Spirit's success in discouraging carry-ons has evidently resonated with the bigger airlines, at least on the subject of passengers who now gate-check oversize bags free.

The overhead bin problems started around 2008, when airlines started charging fees for checked luggage. This fee has been beneficial to airlines that are trying to keep up with high fuel costs. In 2007, checked bag fees brought in $464.3 million in revenue. With more airlines charging for checked bags, the revenue jumped to $3.34 billion last year.

Alaska Airlines has admitted to charging $25 per item that exceeds their free carry-on bag limit of 10 by 17 by 24 inches. Other airlines refused to disclose possibly fee charges, but they are looking for ways to put an end to the carry-on war. Sharkey believes that it is quite possible that other airlines will follow suit and start charging for large carry-ons in the future.