Now that Allegiant Air is the second U.S. based carrier to charge for carry-on bags—at least those that go in the overhead compartments—the talk on the internet is whether or not this will be a trend. Can we expect to see this on all airilines?
My initial response: I doubt it.
Let’s look at what’s been going on so far. Two airlines, Spirit and Allegiant Air, charge for carry-ons. Both of these airlines cater to the leisure traveler and especially those who want to buy cheap tickets.
The major airlines, the legacy carriers, rely much more on business customers, those who are willing to fly at the last minute and pay for the privilege. They want to carry on because they don’t want to waste valuable work time at the baggage carousel. They don’t want to be told they must pay to carry on their bags. Do this and these same customers may jump to another airline.
Most airlines will tell you, customer loyalty can mean the difference between profit and bankruptcy. So if not charging for carry-on bags, or even looking the other way if a carry-on is slightly too big, keeps their most loyal customers loyal, that’s the practice they’ll continue to practice under. Discount airlines, on the other hand, know their customers are buying mostly due to low ticket prices, will keep their prices low and add on as many additional fees as possible.