Wall Street Journal article on the cost of taking luggage

The Wall Street Journal has a new article out today called “What It Costs An Airline to Fly Your Luggage,” which concludes that it costs the airlines about $15 to carry your check-in luggage for you. However, it’s not until you scroll well into the article that you see a couple of whoppers. First, take …

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Just how light is “ultra-light luggage,” anyway?

I opened my inbox this morning and discovered email from travel supplier Magellan’s (one of my favorite) with the following subject: “Ultra-Light Luggage! Check it in, or carry it on.” Ooooooh, I thought. Just what me and Virgin Atlantic check-in crew were looking for! I excitedly went to read the mailer, and I see that …

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Clear Pass data takes off

This is just a short post for anyone who paid their $100 to the TSA to get a Clear registered traveler card that lets you go through an express line at the airport security checkpoint. A laptop containing uncrypted data for 33,000 customers (of 200,000 applicants) of the program was stolen from a locked office …

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Delta announces doubling of fees for second checked bag

The news isn’t particularly relevant for people who can travel without checking any bags, but Delta has just announced that those purchasing coach tickets for domestic flights on or after July 31 or traveling on or after August 5 (so buying your tickets a year in advance won’t help here) will have their fees doubled …

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Rolling Uprights: Behemoth SUVs of 2008

I was going through my morning e-mail and noticed a summer luggage sale announcement from an online bag seller. The e-mail’s subject title said something like, “Save Big for Summer Travel,” enticing me to see what sort of wonderful bargains I could find. The e-mail listed the seller’s top recommendations for bags for summer travel. …

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Welcome to the updated Travelite FAQ!

If you’re visiting here now (as in, mid-2008), it’s probably because you’ve been hearing about all the new rules the airlines have started implementing for charging us a fee for our first piece of checked luggage. While I normally don’t check in any luggage myself, I think this policy is preposterous, and I think airlines …

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