Just Plumb Tacky!

If you read Airport Business Today late last week (www.airportbusiness.com), you may have noticed that the guvmint may force airlines to refund the baggage fee when the bag doesn’t arrive as scheduled. My reaction to this is one of amazement. Think about it—you know the routine. The airline charges you for checking a bag on your flight to Denver. You get to Denver, wait at baggage claim, and wait. Finally, you accept the fact that your bag did not arrive. You did not make the error—the airline did. But you are the one who must take the time to find the airline’s (secretly located) lost-baggage counter. There you stand in line, fill out forms and describe your bag. Nobody really sees this as a serious problem except you. The people dealing with you seem to accept this is a perfectly routine matter. You arrive at home or hotel late. Eventually, your bag arrives, delivered by a driver who obviously expects a tip. Now comes the unbelievable, astounding shock—the airline will not refund the fee you paid to check that bag. Can you imagine any other industry that would treat a customer that way? Can you believe that airlines are defending this practice? As my mother would have said, “That’s just plumb tacky.†We’d love to post your comments. Please click the comment tab at the top.