“seems really, dare I say it, stupid,”

American Airlines new $15.00 checked bag fee has caught the media's attention. This New York Times article predicts, and we believe rightly so, "it is also likely to make the fight for already-tight space on planes more fierce, as passengers try to stuff more carry-on luggage into overhead bins."

Or as one reader comments "it's not the fee that bothers me. ... It's the free-for-all fight that's going to break out when people start bringing on huge carry-on bags."

It is important to note that Southwest does not have plans to follow American's check bag fee.

Southwest’s Linda Rutherford comments "punitive fees don’t fly with us, so what you heard are just rumors. We are NOT thinking of gouging our Customers with such a fee to check a bag.”