Bee Travel
Beware extra, overweight bags
CHRISTINE HICKS- USTA Travel
Yesterday's flurry of unsolicited e-mail included the usual male enhancement products and USAirways' announcement that it is joining the ranks of those charging for second (and third, etc.) checked bags. Because I am a (nonelite) member of its mileage program, I was among the first to get the irksome news. The airline joins United in this latest endeavor to cull greater profits with a prayerful hope for reduction in weight, thereby fuel usage. It generated several stray thoughts.

One of those was how much things have changed in the world of travel. Where once steamer trunks were filled with wardrobes necessary for long trips, now we are reduced to 3-ounce toiletry containers filled with detergent to wash out clothes on the road. A century ago, you didn't visit anywhere for less than a month. Now we "weekend" to New York, New Orleans, New Mexico.

USAirways joins United in this revenue-generating/ cost-cutting strategy, an interesting alliance of so-called legacy carriers. So far, those "young, upstart" airlines - Southwest, Jet Blue, etc. - haven't jumped on board. When such new measures are floated out in the airline business, I'm reminded of the People Express experiment and just how much it shook up the business model. While that particular airline experiment "crashed," it left in its wash an altered air travel landscape, turning air travel into a means within reach of a far broader audience, a neighborhood of carriage trade turned to something more transient.

Another thought is about the paradigm shift in how we handle personal effects and packing in general. We have gone from checking everything in bathtub-sized suitcases to carrying everything in lightweight rolling totes or backpacks. We don't always pack everything we need, knowing we can usually get more of it at our destination. If you haven't already adopted the one-week packing model (never take more than a week's worth), you're in the Stone Age. And jeans and sneakers are acceptable (if with a gulp and a sneer) just about anywhere. Over-packers beware. You'll need $25 extra to check that second bag, and $100 to check the third. And if any of these - including the first one - weighs more than 50 pounds, keep your wallet open. Overweight bags can cost $50 or $100 more. A friend said her traveling companion paid more on a return flight for essentially the same bag and effects she left with. When she questioned how that was possible, she was told that dirty clothes weigh more. Where is the science behind that? Well, anyway, be prepared to go inside the terminal if you have two bags, for curbside can't help you. Blessedly, wheelchairs, crutches and walkers are exempt. If you are a mileage member, you have to be more than a mileage rookie to have the fee waived, but if you're an elite member, you can waiver yourself and your travel party with you. Of course, I'm still waiting on someone to perfect the "beam me up" technology, so we wouldn't have to fuss with any of this. (Christine Hicks-Usta has enjoyed more than 30 years of globe-trotting as a member of the travel industry. Direct questions to her at Bee Group Newspapers, P.O. Box 150, Buffalo, NY 14231-0150.)