American Airlines said Wednesday that it would soon start charging passengers $15 to check their first bag each way, or $30 round-trip, if they are flying on a discounted fare.

The airline’s new policy — to take effect June 15 — comes only two weeks after many major carriers, including American, began charging $25 each way for checking a second bag.

United Airlines and three other large U.S. carriers are considering whether to join American Airlines in charging travelers $15 to check one bag as fuel bills soar.

UAL Corp.'s United is ``seriously studying'' the fee, the first of its kind in the U.S., spokeswoman Robin Urbanski said today. Delta Air Lines Inc., Northwest Airlines Corp. and US Airways Group Inc. said they were evaluating the idea.

The bag charge at Fort Worth, Texas-based American applies to tickets purchased starting June 15. A $25 fee for a second piece of luggage became the U.S. industry's standard this year

Summary: Airlines are completely screwed.

I would love high-speed rail, but the US is so big and the political will to invest in rail is so small. Look a the subsidy that Amtrak gets, which is small by our national budget standards, and how it is threatened every year. There's just so little interest in it.

discount carrier Southwest Airlines Inc. (LUV), which has remained profitable amid the most-recent turbulence, is trumpeting the fact that it isn't nickel-and-diming customers.

UAL Corp.'s (UAUA) United and US Airways Group Inc. (LCC) announced Thursday they would charge $15 on the first checked bag for many buyers of its cheaper tickets. UAL said the fee would hit about one in three of its domestic fliers.

But free checked baggage isn't the only thing disappearing. US Airways said it will begin charging $2 for non-alcoholic drinks, including bottled water and coffee. The booze price is being raised $2 to $7. The carrier will also start charging customers for redeeming frequent-flier miles.

For its part, United is hiking the fees on checking three or more bags, overweight bags or items that require special handling by 25% to as much as $ 250.

The service-cost increases are coming at a time that airlines are increasing fares with regularly, though there are signs that could be hitting resistance levels. Earlier this week several carriers raised fares only to roll them back shortly thereafter.

And along with those service cuts are coming the likelihood of even-more cramped planes. Airlines will be significantly cutting domestic flights starting in September, grounding their older fuel-guzzling planes in the process.

Free Checked Bags Going The Way Of Dinosaurs At Airlines

Article Excerpt:

Says charge will apply to customers buying tickets on or after Aug. 5

Also, airlines are going to start cracking down on carry-on luggage, as this is now a revenue sorce for them. Expect to see people questioned about the size of their bags at boarding!

Keep your status at airlines. In the case of American, no charge if you have status or are travelling with someone who has status. Also, airlines are going to start cracking down on carry-on luggage, as this is now a revenue sorce for them. Expect to see people questioned about the size of their bags at boarding!

Airlines and surfers must be involved in some secret war, because how else can you explain why airlines are targeting them so savagely right now? Sure, snacks cost us $9, bags are $50 each, and seat belts will probably soon be auctioned off during the preflight check—but if you're a surfer, you can expect to pay up to $200 each way to bring along your board, pretty much blowing out the budget of any surfer who isn't Patrick Swayze.

Based on the chart provided at Surfline.com, the U.S. carriers are some of the worst culprits. Delta charges $150 each way, United charges between $100-$200 each way depending on board length, American charges $100 each way, and Continental charges $95 each way. (As you might expect, Jet Blue and Southwest are both more affordable, at $25 and $50 each way respectively.)

According to the Los Angeles Times, Delta says surfboards require too much special handling, and of course they blame fuel prices: