I have an unusual subject today: bag fees imposed by airlines. I suspect that even though most people pass it off today as an attempt to milk passengers for more of their money, that may not be the only case.

The fee I am referring to here is the one imposed by airlines when a passenger tries to check a bag which weighs more than 50 pounds (23 kg). Although this was likely introduced along with some of the other fees when fuel was expensive and the airlines had to scramble to make money, I suspect there are multiple reasons for it.

The most obvious explanation for this fee is because heavier suitcases require more fuel to transport, and that fuel costs money. One airline supposedly even experimented with a policy in which people were charged fares proportional to their weight, treating people as cargo (though I believe this practice has been discontinued). On the surface, this makes sense.

However, there is a significant catch in that most airlines do not charge for carry-on luggage. This introduces a loophole to the fuel explanation in that a 55 pound suitcase plus 5 pound carry-on will weigh the same amount as a 45 pound suitcase and a 15 pound carry-on. Since both have to be transported on the same aircraft, the most obvious solution for a fuel-based fee would be to weigh all the suitcases together and charge the passenger by their total weight. The current protocol allows people to evade the fee by moving some of their gear into the carry-on.

Had the fee been introduced explicitly for fuel prices, one would have expected airlines to phase out the fee once fuel prices dropped. They may not have wanted to at first, but all that would have had to happen would be for one airline to remove its bag fees. This would give it a competitive advantage among its peers, which would have to follow suit. Soon, there would be no bag fees left. Currently, the only airline I know of which does not impose bag fees is Southwest, and from what I know their service is relatively basic so their costs are unusually low.

This means that there must be a reason for weight limits other than fuel. And I have a suspicion I know what it is: medical issues due to wear and tear on the human employees who have to carry the suitcases between the terminal and the aircraft.

If my theory is right, it is much more dangerous for an employee to carry a 55 pound suitcase than a 30 pound suitcase, especially if the suitcase is bulky. The employee can get injured in the process of transporting the load, so the airline would have to pay medical bills. Naturally, the same amount of weight has to be borne regardless of whether one has two 30 pound suitcases or two suitcases weighing 55 pounds and 5 pounds. However, one must keep in mind that different employees will lift the two suitcases. The two employees which lift the 30 pound suitcases may be able to get away with it without hurting themselves, especially if they transport 30 pound suitcases several times per flight. The 55 pound one, however, could be trickier.

In a nutshell, a baggage handler cannot be hurt carrying a 30 pound suitcase or a 5 pound suitcase. The only way an employee can injure himself or herself would be with a heavy suitcase. And the fees for that injury are what the airline is trying to have the customer pay for.

To be fair, it may make more sense to go back to the old days where all the services were free, especially prior to September 11. Food was good, there were no baggage fees, and so forth. However, one thing to keep in mind that before 9/11 (especially in the 80’s and earlier) fare prices were much higher than they are today. In effect, air travel was a form of luxury travel. People were willing to spend more money for the opportunity to fly. This led to a natural complaint that most people could not afford to fly, so the age of the budget airline began. The lower fares forced the airlines to either go out of business, cut service, or make up the difference with various fees, leaving us where we are today.

I suspect that one can still fly the way one used in the 70’s. However, in order to do so today one must use business class. The higher fares for that class seem jarring to the modern pocketbook, but they likely are just a commentary on how expensive air travel was in those days.

As far as photos go, I do not have any good photos from airplanes. However, the photo above was taken at 13,000 feet…on the ground. It shows the shadow of Mauna Kea at sunset, taken from the top of the mountain. This photo was taken only a couple of days before the one in the prior post. If you have a chance to go up there, do so, especially when you are able to climb over a bank of clouds. Be advised, however, that it routinely falls into the 20’s and 30’s and you may find it difficult to breathe up there.