by Teetant

Created on: August 30, 2009

Today, when air travel has become an option used frequently by one and all, charging separately for checked in baggage is one powerful idea that will induce passengers with a sense of responsibility, and restore some of the old elegance to air travel.

Airlines, like any other business, must charge enough to recover all their costs and more, so as to make a profit, and be able to stay in business. Since carrying baggage is a service that costs the airlines, they must charge for it one way or the other. Therefore, the real question is "Should airlines charge separately for checked in baggage or include the charges in the ticket price itself." In other words, "What is the best way for the airlines to charge for checked in baggage?"

Every alternative method of charging for baggage service will have a different effect on passengers in deciding, first, whether to travel at all, and second, how to travel, that is, how much baggage to take along, and how much to check in. Consequently, the answer to the question will depend upon what passenger behavior the airlines want to encourage and what behavior they want to discourage, especially in the economy class that accounts for the largest number of total passengers.

Flying customers fall in two broad categories based on the purpose of their travel: business travelers, and personal travelers. Business travelers are most interested in speed, efficiency, and convenience. They want to get in and out of airports quickly. They travel with only the essentials, and would want to minimize the time they spend at the airports. That is why they like and try to carry all their baggage with them in to the cabin so as to avoid checking it in altogether, and save time spent on checking in and collecting it. Also, business travelers are not too concerned about the price, so long as it can be paid quickly and conveniently. Since many are not likely to have any baggage to check in, they will be the least affected by how the airlines charge for it. Moreover, since many of them travel in business class or first class, they are subject to completely different baggage rules.

Personal travelers, who constitute a bulk of the economy class, are likely to have lot more baggage. They include people traveling for personal reasons and emergencies, vacationers, excursion travelers, and one way travelers who are either moving or going away for a long stay. Their actual amount of baggage will depend upon the duration of their trip or excursion, whether

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