Headline News
Delta, Northwest and Continental:
Be Ready to Pay $25 for Second Checked Bag
Three more U.S. legacy carriers have jumped on the bandwagon to charge passengers $25 for their second checked bag, which used to be free: Delta, Northwest and Continental. It's not too risky to bet that American Airlines will follow suit soon enough.
Here's the "fine print" for each of the airlines:
Delta Air Lines
• Takes effect May 5, 2008, and applies each way.
• Applies to travel in the U.S., U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. Passengers are still allowed two free checked bags when flying outside of the U.S.
• Fees do not apply to business elite, first-class passengers and Delta SkyMiles Medallion members. U.S. military personnel on active duty with travel orders can check two pieces of luggage up to 70 lbs. each at no extra charge.
For more information, visit the "Baggage" section on delta.com.
Northwest Airlines
• Takes effect May 5, 2008, and applies each way. Passengers flying on tickets issued before March 29, 2008, are exempt and can still check two free pieces of luggage.
• Applies to travel in North America (U.S./Canada), Mexico and the Caribbean.
• Applies to coach-class travel. Northwest Airlines’ Silver, Gold and Platinum WorldPerks® Elite customers, SkyTeam Elite customers and passengers booked in full-fare classes (Y or B) can still check two bags free of charge. Customers booked in first class can continue to check up to three bags free of charge. Passengers flying on military and government fares also are exempt.
• Other changes include an increase from $80 to $100 for three or more checked bags, and an increase from $25 to $50 for overweight bags greater than 50 pounds.
• These policies also apply to Northwest Airlink customers flying on Mesaba, Pinnacle or Compass Airlines.
For more information, check the "Luggage FAQs" section on www.nwa.com.
Continental Airlines
• Takes effect May 5, 2008, and applies each way. Passengers flying on tickets issued before April 5, 2008, are exempt and can still check two free pieces of luggage.
• Applies to travel in the U.S., U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and Canada.
• Applies to economy-class tickets. Continental's premium travelers in economy class—Elite OnePass members, SkyTeam Elite and Elite Plus members, Continental Airlines Presidential Plus credit card holders, any customer who purchases a Y-class fare and military personnel traveling on orders —can check two bags at no charge. First Class and BusinessFirst passengers are exempt.
• These policies apply to all Continental Express flights, which are operated by ExpressJet and Chautauqua Airlines; and all Continental Connection flights, which are operated by Gulfstream International, CommutAir, Colgan Air and Cape Air.
For more information, visit the "Baggage Information" section on www.continental.com.