Airlines relax baggage fees in resort towns
By Amanda H. Miller, Jackson Hole, Wyo.
October 3, 2008
Delta, United and American Airlines will not apply oversized-baggage fees to checked ski and boot bags this winter at airports in ski resort towns.
The Jackson Hole Mountain Resort issued a news release Thursday stating that the airlines will exempt ski and boot bags from their oversized luggage charges as long as they weigh less than 50 pounds.
“We’re very happy about this,” said Mike Giereau, director of Jackson Hole Air Improvement Resources. “We’re glad they saw the inequities.”
He said the Jackson Hole Airport board appealed to the airlines, which charge as much as $150 per oversized item, to make an exception for people flying into and out of winter resort destinations.
Most of the airlines have adopted new fees for checked bags. Delta has no fee for the first checked bag but charges $25 for a second bag. American and United both charge $15 for the first checked bag and $25 for a second.
Delta and United will allow both skis and boots to count as only one checked bag this winter as long as their combined weight is less than 50 pounds, according to the release from the mountain resort.
“Since it’s new, these fees vary greatly from airline to airline,” Giereau said. “When people are looking at the price for an airline ticket, they need to take those baggage fees into account.”
