Posted: 93 minutes ago, when I first got into this lineFORT WORTH, Texas -- American Airlines announced this week that it would begin charging $15 for every passenger's first checked bag, in addition to the $25 fee it began charging last month for second bags checked. The airline will also cut up to 12 percent of its flights and lay off thousands of workers to combat the record-high fuel prices and incompetence plaguing the industry.
American, the nation's largest airline, has said the fee will go into effect June 15 and that it would begin implementing fees for other services, including arriving safely at one's destination; getting passengers to their connecting airport in time to make their next flight; and not losing the luggage passengers paid $40 to check. The fee for these extra services will range from $5 to $50 per service, depending on the airline's unclear, ever-changing rules and their utter inability to communicate them properly to front-line staff on any given day. The charge for a conversation with a competent staff member will be 25 cents per word.
In addition to employee layoffs, American also announced plans to again strand hundreds of thousands of passengers at airports across the country like it did in April. The move is a strategic one designed to get people to fly with other carriers so that American can ground flights and avoid paying for fuel entirely.
"Der, now the other airlines will have to pay for all the fuel," said Gerard Arpey, chairman and chief executive at American, as he clapped his hands wildly and then began coloring in his "Dora the Explorer" coloring book.
"I like pie," he added.
As of press time, no other airlines have followed suit with American's fee hike, although Southwest Airlines announced that it plans to remain perfect.
