The overhead compartment has been a place to stow your "normal" carry-on items and, space permitting, an additional laptop case or jacket or duty free items. With airlines fees for checked baggage causing a surge in the sizes and numbers of carry-on items, some flyers have grumbled that airlines instead should charge for the bags on board, not the ones in the cargo hold. Be careful what you wish for.

U.S. deep-discount carrier Spirit Airlines is about to go where no airline has dared to go. They will begin charging up to US$45 each way for carry-on luggage from 1 August. Carry-on items paid for in advance will be charged $30 each way. Spirit says that there will only be a charge for items stowed in the overhead compartments. Small personal items that can fit underneath the seat in front of a passenger will be free. The airline says it will have measuring devices to determine which carry-on items will merit a charge.

The airline claims that it has lowered its cheapest fares by $40 on average, so it does not see its customers paying a great deal more to fly. Spirit CEO Ben Bladanza states that having fewer carry-on bags will empty the planes faster. This brings a question to mind: would removing the overhead compartments achieve the same goal?

In a recent survey of 1300 IAPA members, 29% said that airlines should charge for carry-on baggage instead of checked bags as long as a small purse or briefcase is permitted for free. While 65% disagreed with a carry-on fee, airlines will surely be watching to see if Spirit succeeds in going where no airline has gone before.

Source: Associated Press (AP)