NY Senator Schumer calls for carry-on bag fee legislation

Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) addresses the gala banquet of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) annual policy conference in Washington, March 22, 2010. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) addresses the gala banquet of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) annual policy conference in Washington, March 22, 2010.

Credit: Reuters/Jonathan Ernst

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NEW YORK | Mon Apr 12, 2010 9:43am EDT

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Senator Charles Schumer said he would introduce legislation that would prevent airlines from charging a fee for carry-on bags.

Schumer, a New York Democrat, said he would press the Treasury Department to issue an administrative rule that would define carry-on bags as a "reasonable necessity" to prevent airlines from imposing such charges, calling them a "slap in the face to travelers."

Schumer said if the Treasury Department cannot close what he dubbed a loophole in the law, he will introduce legislation that would mandate carry-on bags as reasonably necessary for air travel.

"Airline passengers have absorbed fees upon new fees over the last several years and they are hitting the boiling point," Schumer said in an e-mail Sunday.

Last week, privately held Spirit Airlines announced it would charge up to $45 for carry-on luggage, and would lower the base fares of its flights. Schumer said Spirit's move could spur other airlines to impose similar fees.

(Reporting by Deepa Seetharaman, editing by Maureen Bavdek)
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Comments (20)
wrote:
Typical liberal! Sticking his nose where it doesn’t belong! Another attempt at Federal control of free markets. Can it! Will you, Schumer?

Apr 12, 2010 10:16am EDT  --  Report as abuse
udchuck wrote:
Given the opportunity, consumers will decide and dictate the feasibility of these types of fees. They will either choose to pay, or choose an alternative carrier. Has Chuckie seen the Southwest commercials?

This is the Obama mindset – the government can fix everything when the free market has proven very capable of doing so.

Apr 12, 2010 10:23am EDT  --  Report as abuse
Dr_Nex wrote:
Yes but the difference is that this is a fee that consumer can’t avoid – e.g. if you are charging them a fee for a carry on AND a fee for luggage, there’s no way to avoid fees. So the fee really ought to be included in the base price. The other problem is that consumers are usually unaware of these types of fees – a carry on fee AND a checked luggage fee is unheard of.

Apr 12, 2010 11:02am EDT  --  Report as abuse
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