With airline baggage fees going up should you look into sending your luggage by FedEx or UPS ?

Last week American and United Airlines both raised the price of checking in luggage for a domestic flight at the airport from $35 to $40 for the first bag and $50 for the second bag ($5 less if paying online).  This is just about the same price that you would pay if you shipped your luggage using FedEx or UPS. Think about it. How much easier travel would be if you could travel without the hassle of schlepping your luggage through the airport and have you luggage already at your hotel when you arrive?  I think the airlines are getting close to the limit of how much they can charge to check on your luggage. CLICK HERE

Now is the year that you need to take only a carry-on for your next trip – Years ago I decided I no longer wanted the hassle of checking luggage for my travels 99% of the time I only take a Samsonite carry-on luggage for trips of up to 10 days. This might be easier for guys than ladies. I am finding that I can usually get laundry service for my shirts and pants for a lot less than the cost and hassle of checking in a bag. Basically, for an eight day trip  I take 4 pairs of pants and 5 shirts plus 8 pieces of underwear and socks.  At the halfway point of my trip I have laundry done and everything is easy peasy. Give this a try on your next trip. CLICK HERE

Here are the easiest ways to get around paying for baggage fees if you are stubborn and want to check in a bag – One of the reasons that airlines keep raising baggage fees is that they make a lot of money with those fees. In 2023 it is estimated the major U.S. airlines made over $7 billion on baggage fees. The airlines are also secretly trying to get you to apply for one of their credit cards. Often getting an airline branded credit card includes free luggage if you purchase your ticket using the airline branded credit card. Also if you fly enough and become an elite member of the airlines’ frequent flyer club you get free checked baggage waivers. Your best bet is to simply travel light and take only a carry-on. Finally, if you fly on Southwest Airlines your bags fly free. That is a giant marketing advantage that other airlines have refused to follow. CLICK HERE

Warning! Buying the lowest priced basic economy seat for an international flight to Europe could cost you a bundle – The airlines today will hit your wallet hard if you buy the cheapest basic economy flights to Europe. The cost to check your first bag is $75 and your second bag is $100 each way.  So let’s say you buy a roundtrip ticket to Paris and fly basic economy for $1,000. You check on two bags and you just added $350 to the price of your trip. That means you will pay 35% more for your trip for buying the lowest basic economy ticket. Plus you have to pay to get assigned seats. Not a great deal. CLICK HERE

Never, never, never check on a bag that weighs over 50 pounds – The airlines will zing you $100 for bags between 51 and 70 pounds and a whopping $200 for bags from 71 to 100 pounds. It is much cheaper to simply check another bag than an overweight bag. If you fly internationally the overweight bags will cost you $200 each. If you travel internationally some airlines allow you to have up to 70 pounds for those flying in business class or members with elite status in their frequent flyer programs. CLICK HERE

Watch out for over-sized  bag fees  which will also cost you $200 each way – One area that I think airlines will start enforcing much more in the future is oversized bags. Most airlines will limit your luggage to 63 to 115 linear inches. The airlines invented the idea of linear inches so they could limit the size of your luggage. To calculate linear inches add the total length plus the width plus the height of your luggage. It doesn’t take much for a x-large bag to surpass the 63 inches to qualify for oversized luggage fees. CLICK HERE  

Here are the major airline baggage calculator web sites: Have fun!

United: https://www.united.com/en/us/baggage-calculator/any-flights

American: https://www.aa.com/i18n/travel-info/baggage/checked-baggage-policy.jsp (

Delta: https://www.delta.com/us/en/baggage/overview 

Check out our Weekly Travel Alert Podcast – Did you know our Weekly Travel Alert Video Podcast is available on YouTube plus all your favorite podcast stations, Spotify, Google Podcast, Apple Podcast ? Each week we are adding new and upgraded features. Please jump on board. CLICK HERE to see the Weekly Travel Alert podcast that is hot off the presses.