Travel

NWA Charging To Check Bags, Is It Cheaper To Ship?

(WCCO) Northwest Airlines announced Wednesday it plans to charge $15 to check one bag of luggage and up to $100 to redeem a frequent flier award ticket.

For a ticket bought after July 9 for travel after Aug. 27, passengers will have to pay $15 to check their first bag. The second bag will continue to be $25 and third bag will be $100. To cash in on frequent flier tickets Northwest will charge $25 to issue a domestic ticket, $50 for a trans-Atlantic ticket and $100 for trans-Pacific tickets.

The airline expects these fees to add $250 to $300 million a year in revenue.

That has some customers considering other options. Northwest passenger Kristi Reis might try to carry-on more of her luggage, knowing many other will likely do the same.

"Hopefully, people will be considerate and just put the smaller things underneath like they try to explain, but it doesn't always happen," she said.

Others may try to ship their luggage to avoid the lines.

Zeke Adkins of the luggage delivery company, Luggage Forward, said he's seen more businesses as fees have gone up. He's heard from customers that say introducing a money transaction during check-in makes check-in lines longer and the check-in process more inconvenient.

His company charges between $250 and $300 to ship a bag overnight within the U.S. For two-day service, it can run between $80 to $150.

"Airlines are in the business of moving people. We're in the business of moving luggage," he said. "We've never lost a bag.

A check of similar luggage delivery services like Luggage Concierge and Luggage Free have similar prices.

For shipping, the U.S. Post Office is the cheapest option. To ship one 30 pound bag overnight costs $106; two-day shipping is $31.

At FedEx, the overnight option is $170. Two-day is around $90.

At UPS, the overnight option is $167. Two-day is around $100.

The luggage fees do not affect elite frequent fliers or passengers who pay full-price for their coach tickets.

 

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