Why do Low Cost Airlines charge for checked baggage? [closed]
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I understand that most LCCs base their business model on the assumption that they will accommodate as many traveller budgets as possible by providing everyone with a "pay only for what you need" option and that they profit largely from ancillary services, but in reality, do they actually save money when most passengers on a fairly busy flight are hand-baggage only, or do they rather lose money?
Also, do they incur any charges from airport baggage handling companies on a per bag basis?
How much fuel cost is added by a heavily-loaded cargo hold and is it really offset by baggage fees considering that a passenger who is hand baggage only can be twice as heavy as another passenger with two checked bags?
Best Answer
Charges associated to checked baggages come not only from fuel and airport handling but also from time spent to load and unload baggages to and from the plane.
Airlines loose money for every minute that theirs planes are not flying.
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Why do airlines charge for checked bags now?
Checked Bag Fees Come At a Big Cost to the Airlines Passengers carry on more bags because they'd have to pay to check them. That slows down the boarding process. Slower boarding means less efficient use of aircraft and more delays, which can cost airlines nearly as much as they're taking in in bag fees.How can I get out of paying my baggage fees?
The 6 Best Ways To Avoid Checked Bag FeesWhich airlines do not charge for checked bags?
It's rare to find U.S. airlines with free checked baggage. Southwest Airlines is the only airline without any bag fees. For other airlines, you'll need to earn elite status or book your tickets with an airline credit card.Do you have to pay for a checked bag there and back?
One important thing to remember when flying is that airline baggage fees are charged both ways. So, if your outbound flight charges you $30 for your first standard checked bag, expect to pay another $30 for that same bag on your return flight back home (that's $60 bucks, roundtrip).How to avoid baggage fees at the airport
More answers regarding why do Low Cost Airlines charge for checked baggage? [closed]
Answer 2
It also was the main idea of low-coast flights (war for the first time discovered by Southwest Airlines). They save huge money not bacause lonely luggage, but whole buisness model which includes (this model doesn't include resources as fuel (I do not thing they save so much, but they save something) or airports agreements (but I guess it is the reason for them to use just a few airports for low-coast flights) ):
- Just some routes, not from everywhere, not to anywhere
- No food included
- No luggage included
- No place when you chek-in online for free (random place privides for example fueling)
And may be a list of other things which wasn't included in the book I have read where this buisness model was the example.
And in this book said that the model when you exclude from coast everything but just a fligth, you make your product extremely cheap and easy to sell, so such airlines will win with the number of tickets they sold and number of flights they made.
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