Schumer seeks lost luggage refunds

United States Senator Charles E. Schumer proposed new legislation earlier this week that would prevent airline customers from being charged unfair baggage fees.
With the new legislation, airline companies would be required to reimburse customers if their luggage did not arrive at their destination in a timely fashion.
The price to bring luggage on a trip used to be included in the price of a plane ticket. Now most airlines are charging customers who bring extra luggage and for luggage that is over the weight limit.
Along with excessive fees, the airlines have also been known to not put the luggage on the same flight as its owner, therefore creating stress and inconvenience for the customer, according to Schumer. In those cases, airlines are not required to refund the customers once the bag is eventually returned.
While exact figures for the number of bags lost in the U.S. are not available, USA Today reports that American Airlines says the number of lost bags by American Airlines is much less than one-tenth of 1 percent of total bags handled. In addition, according to SITA, an aviation technology provider, globally the world’s airlines last year mishandled 12.07 bags for every 1,000 passengers and only lost .43 bags for every 1,000 fliers.
“Unless airlines do the job they are paid to do and return bags in a timely fashion, passengers shouldn’t have to pay a dime,” said Schumer. “It boggles the mind that airlines can lose your bags for days on end and still stick you with the bill. Passengers deserve better, and I urge the airlines to begin refunding these baggage fees ASAP. If there is not positive progress on this front, I will introduce legislation that protects air travelers from unjustified fees.”
Schumer has always been a strong advocate against airlines overcharging in baggage fees. Last year, Schumer led the successful effort to stop airlines from introducing carry-on baggage fees that would have forced passengers to pay for bringing a bag on board.
Checked-baggage fees began appearing just four years ago, and are now a major, growing source of income for airlines. In 2010, 20 U.S. airlines took in $3.4 billion in baggage fees – a dramatic increase from 2007, when 22 U.S. carriers took in $464 million.
The Department of Transportation (DOT) is reluctant to agree to the terms because it is their belief that once the airlines return the bags to the customers, no matter how long it takes, they have performed the their services.
While DOT is against the new legislation, Schumer said that if the airlines refuse to willingly adopt the new requirements he is prepared to introduce a legislation that would force them to do so.