United, Other Airlines Consider Bag Check Fee
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United Airlines and three other large American carriers are considering whether to join American Airlines in charging travelers $15 to check one bag as fuel bills soar.
UAL Corp.’s United is “seriously studying” the fee, the first of its kind in America, spokeswoman Robin Urbanski said yesterday. Delta Air Lines Inc., Northwest Airlines Corp., and US Airways Group Inc. said they were evaluating the idea.
Those steps were set in motion after AMR Corp.’s American went beyond its competitors and said yesterday it would slash domestic flying by 12% and add or increase fees. The world’s largest airline said it will cut “thousands” of jobs amid jet fuel’s 94% surge in the past year.
Passengers probably will respond by bringing more bags into cabins, snarling security lines and jamming overhead bins, the president of consulting firm Value Creation Group Inc. in Dallas, John Antos, said. Mr. Antos has 6 million frequent-flier miles on American and travels several times a month.
