Readers respond to American’s new charge

“It's malarkey! Their management is so poor they can't come up with anything reasonable. Pretty soon they'll charge for the air you breathe. Yes the airlines will follow suit.”
— Debbie, Westminister, Colo.

“I'm not really surprised by this move and I'm guessing other airlines will follow suit. I do think this will breed a new annoyance, more and more people struggling with carry-on luggage. This will create more of a hassle to passengers when they board the plane and raises the additional question of whether the airline will charge for gate-checked baggage because there is no overhead storage room available.”
— Christopher, Jackson, Miss.

“I will definitely look to other airlines that don't charge this fee. There are plenty of other ways American can cut costs. It's just so easy for them to go after their customers … again.”
— Dan, San Diego, Calif.

“I think American Airlines has just cut their own throat with the flying public. I'll never fly that airline again. If it's that bad they need to shut down and go out of business.”
— Steve, Wetumpka, Ala.

“It's asinine and [American has] to remember there are still a lot of other choices out there for flying.”
— Diana, Herndon, Va.

“I wouldn't do business with American if I can get flights with its competitors and not have to pay to check my luggage. This is a very bad business move on their part. I understand that airlines need to start charging more — that's economics. They haven't substantially raised fares in years despite economic changes, but charging money for a service that cannot be avoided is a bad move.”
— Peter, Charlotte, Mich.

“I'd rather the price of a ticket be raised by $15. That would be more transparent; this just comes across as nickel-and-diming the customer. I'm regretting purchasing tickets on AA for a pending trip this summer!
— Angela, Colorado

“That is insane! They say they are trying to get us to pay for services we ‘want,’ but since you can't carry much of anything ON the plane anymore you have no choice but to check bags. I hope the other airlines do not follow suit and American loses enough business to drop this ridiculous charge.
— Alonzo, Brooklyn, N.Y.

“This will be a nightmare for anyone trying to find space for their carry-on bag. I will definitely NOT fly AA while this rule is in effect.”
— Diane

“I do not think that a fee should be applied to the first bag. They have people over a barrel, and they are using that to their advantage. They know that people need clothing and other incidentals to travel and they are just going to dig the airline into a deeper hole since people will be so resentful, they will not travel on them if at all possible. I am a travel agent and I will not travel on them for that reason.
— Mike, Hutchinson, Kansas

“All they are doing is forcing more people to carry on luggage, [w]hich makes boarding longer and more troublesome. I fly mainly American, but will start using other carriers.”
— Michael, New York, N.Y.

Video   American cuts back on flights May 21: American Airlines is cutting flights, laying off workers and adding new fees as it grapples with surging fuel costs. CNBC’s Phil LeBeau reports. CNBC

“I have no problem with a fee for a second bag (raise that to $40 if you want), but charging me to check one piece of luggage? Well, the fee to me just became $0 because I will not be flying on their airline.”
— Lucrezia, Berkely, Calif.

“This is outrageous. They are a large-scale, global-size company: They need to deal with this type of ‘contingencies’ (rising fuel prices) in their financial planning ahead of time — NOT trying to compensate every ‘cut’ in revenue with spiking and inadmissible fees to customers. A $15 fee for the FIRST bag? I fly San Francisco-Washington-Barcelona often — always with AA. I will NOT do that ever again. And they should be more cautious about passing inadmissible fees on to customers: The offer for long-distance flights to Europe is never-ending. We certainly have options, so they should know better.”
— Gretchen, Wisconsin

“I am not shocked at anything in our economic crisis. What I am surprised about, though, is the huge amount of money the executives of American Airlines are taking home, and the huge bonuses they have chosen to give themselves, along with letting their own employees go. If they have any integrity, they will vote to decrease their own pay and refuse to take any bonuses during this difficult time.”
— James, Emporia, Kansas

“This is the worst year for airline travel in most of our lifetimes! Grounded planes, canceled flights, the FAA's lax oversight and sweeping reports under the rug and then the FAA goes overboard in the opposite direction because wire clamps are [a quarter-inch] too far apart. Baggage is lost or damaged. Forget about writing the company for a refund or a replacement ticket. Now this! What are we supposed to do, wear all our clothes on top of each other?
— Jeremy, Las Vegas

“I'm a bit torn on the recent announcement by AA. On one hand, I understand the need to recoup monies lost due to extremely high oil prices. On the other hand, I believe that this surprising move is only going to alienate travelers and push them to utilize other airlines. I don't foresee the other airlines following suit; smarter airlines will capitalize by not charging the baggage fee and make up for losses with the increase in business.
— Nodarei, Tacoma, Wash.

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