Breaking news air travelers!! Just announced today that American and United Airlines will now be paying their own employees to stand at the entrance to security check points to “Strictly Enforce” Carry-on Luggage. (Remember as I have stated before, when the big carriers do this, the other carriers tend to follow suit.)

With the new checked baggage fees imposed, the airlines are going to make sure they collect every fee they can for your bags that you have to check. So what does this mean to you?

If you are one of the travelers in their sights at security check point and they pull you out of line, you will have to return to their ticket counter to check and pay for the additional bags in question. Talk about increased frustrations on your part having to go through the chaos twice and then get back into the security line only to snear at the face of the person who just cost you another $25 bucks and then having them smile and tell you to have a pleasant flight :^(

Remember if this happens to you, make sure you remove any valuables that are not covered under the airlines “Contract of Carriage” a list which is already in my bookThe Empty Carousel a Consumer’s Guide to Checked and Carry-on Luggage written specifically to help you.

The security check point is not the place to become unruly either nor is there ever a place for that behavior in the airport so prepare yourself mentally and plan accordingly. You might get away with an extra tote as a carry-on bag on one leg of your travel but then only to have another agent at another airport force you to pay the money to check it!

When things like this come into play such as the new checked baggage fee, you WILL find inconsistency from one location to the next so prepare for that as well.

Prepare for a very new experience to only add to your already frustrating experience with traveling by air these days. The stage is set and I can see the storm of your frustrations building off in the distance and if we were talking weather, I would run for the basement………….

Oh, one last thing as a reminder, the airlines are charging you and keeping the fee for your checked luggage even if your luggage is delayed, lost, damaged, or pilfered.  ”Now have a nice flight and remember we value you as our customer………………………” I am not buying it are you?

Best Travels to you and yours always,

Scott T. Mueller

Author: The Empty Carousel

www.TheEmptyCarousel.com

Scott@TheEmptyCarousel.com

Your luggage and the Lemming. The Lemming is a rodent known for following the leader even to their death (Sounds Extreme? The consequenses are extreme for your checked and carry-on luggage and your reason for traveling! Read on.) Due to their association with this odd behaviour, lemming suicide is a frequently-used metaphor in reference to people who go along unquestioningly with popular opinion, with potentially dangerous (loss or theft of medications, business documents, or personal belongings)  or negative affects to their reason for being or in this case traveling by air today with your checked or carry-on luggage.

As I mentioned before in a previous post, when American Airlines imposed the new fee of $15.00 to check your first bag for a flight, my prediction was that other airlines would soon jump on board with the new fee and today this has become a reality. United Airlines and US Airways both announced they would follow suit. This is only the beginning for increased checked baggage fees for you the air travelers. When a major airline gets away with the initial attempt  to impose a new fee other airlines even the smaller ones  will follow and my prediction has become a reality. Even Midwest Airlines known as the “Best Domestic Airline” many years in a row has now added the new luggage fee for the second checked bag but not yet the first  (But I feel it coming.) This is an airline (One of the best in the industry and if you have not heard of them, check them out you might be amazed when you fly on them) that always followed the beat of its own drum but now has no problem following what the other carriers are doing for reasons of survival. You see folks, it is survival time and only the strongest airlines can survive and there are not many finacially strong airlines (meaning cash reserves in the bank) that can hold out very long before they are gone or become absorbed by another carrier.  

Please do not follow the lemmings and “Demand” your rights as an air travel consumer? This is your money, your reason for traveling, your property but like I have said before, the airlines need to held accountable for the increases of delayed, lost, pilfered, and damaged bags that has spiked dramatically over the years since 2001 and folks this is your personal property and reason for traveling by air. Now is the time to stand up for yourself. I have offered you advice in the past on what you can do but it is up to you to take preventative measures for you self now.

Charge me the money but improve your luggage handling performance; drive improvement we all know that the airlines are being crushed by the HIGH fuel prices and many hard working airline employees are losing their jobs after many years of impeccable service and they are reaching out for additional ways to bring in new untapped revenue opportunities and your luggage has become a great opportunity for additional income but then the airlines should become accountable for your Luggage handling performance.

The airlines are so brasen that they state clearly if we delay, lose, damage, or pilferage your luggage, you will still pay the new fee and we will not refund it no matter what. This is outrageous to me and it should be to you. Make them earn the money they are now charging you. If you choose not to do anything about it then you really have nothing to say about it when it happens to you.

Best Wishes for what ever reason you are traveling.

Scott T. Mueller

Author: The Empty Carousel a Consumer’s Guide to Checked and Carry-on Luggage

www.TheEmptyCarousel.com

Scott@TheEmptyCarousel.com

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We all understand the airlines are in rough shape and we know the fuel costs are crippling many airlines, many people will be put out of work because of it and I wish them well. Just hanging in there in a industry that is so volatile for so many years is a testament to their desire to do what they love doing and to serve you the customer. Trust me, working in the airline industry gets into your blood and the transition out to something less exciting is a tough one.

So the airlines are now charging you to check your bags because it is an additional way to create revenue for a struggling industry. I understand it, I don’t agree with it but would agree with it if the airlines guarantee you that your luggage arrives to your destination when you do!!!

This is the part that really ticks me off, you are paying more money for a baggage handling process that has shown no improvement for many years now. More than 8 Million bags were mishandled worldwide in 2007 (42.5 Million) than the year before. Your bags are at risk as is your entire reason for traveling yet the airlines have vehemently stated they will charge you the fee for checking your luggage but will not refund that fee even if they mishandle your luggage. This is outrageous to me and it should be to you!

Take a stand, contact your congressman or write to the airline executives and tell them that if they mishandle, delay, damage, pilfer or lose your bag, the fee for checking it is automatically refunded immediately or they can offer you a free voucher for checking your next bag, or do not charge you to check your bag on your return flight. These are some options available to the industry executives to do for you when they fail to handle your luggage properly . Trust me I have never seen a customer come out on the winning end of a mishandled bag scenario.

Doing this would put pressure on the airlines and force the airline executives to focus more on the improvement of their luggage failures which are dramatically increasing year after year. Who pays the price for their incompetence? You do. Baggage is the forgotten entity in senior management yet has increased in worldwide costs from $1.6 Billion in 2004 to exceeding $3.87 Billion in 2006, I have not seen the latest stats on this for 2007 but i guarantee you it has increased even more. Think about this?? The industry experts are saying that world airlines this year will lose an estimated $6.1 Billion dollars this year. Why do people focus on that but not on the billions of dollars being wasted on poor baggage handling. What does your bag mean to you in the purpose of your travel? I bet it means allot and it should to the airlines as well.

So how do the airlines begin to improve luggage handling for you and the purpose of your travel? It’s proven and it works!

• To begin to fix a problem you need to talk about it and focus on it.
• Too many luggage handlers view luggage as nothing more than a bag, a hassle and a job, I know I was a luggage handler at one time many years ago but one who cared very much even then.
• Put the human and customer factor and your ultimate travel experience and attach it to the bag.
• A person/customer is part of the bag as one they are not separate identities, what happens to a bag also happens to the customer in the form of lost  time, money, business, frustration and more.
• Meet with all new hire groups regardless of the job they are hired to do, meet with all current ramp (Baggage handlers) and ticket counter agents and do this with every group in their company orientation or through a series of meetings with current staff and do it continuosly.
• Tell the stories of those customers you have helped with their luggage woes and  what the airlines baggage mishandling caused or cost the customer attached to the bag.
• Explain the process to your employees for settling a baggage claim.
• Talk about the cost to the airline, customers and what eliminating or greatly reducing the baggage associated costs would mean to the airlines bottom line and survival.
• By putting a face and an experience to the bag itself creates the emotional ties of what a bag means to the customer and the outcome of their travel.
• Reward baggage handling improvement with insentives to win a trophy to display to that stations customers showing them that the employees there know the value of their luggage. Offer a certificate showing that mishandled luggage goals were met or exceeded and stations can frame it and display it to their customers. Offer a station feast for the station with the most improvement in luggage mishandle reductions.
• People like rewards and they work hard to get them. Employees who care about the rewards and recognition get on their own team members to make sure they do their best.
• Now watch the luggage performance greatly improve and your travel experience will benefit for it.

Folks, I guarantee this works and with very little cost or effort to improve the handling of your luggage. I did this with my own former airline. People I spoke to in orientation a year ago would see me in the airport or a hallway and stop me to tell me what a difference I made by sharing your experiences with them and also what they personally do to take better care of your luggage. My former airline went to #1 in the industry domestically for the least number of baggage mishandles and stayed there year after year.

Make them earn the new fee! In the end it will be worth it and you will save money, and that folks I guarantee. The choice is up to you, do what you always do and get what you have always gotten and then don’t complain when your travel plans abruptly change because your luggage did not make it with you. The choice is yours. I cannot be anymore clear on what action you and the airlines need to take now! Blessings and safe travels always.

Scott T. Mueller

Author The Empty Carousel a Consumer’s Guide to Checked and Carry-on Luggage

www.TheEmptyCarousel.com

scott@theemptycarousel.com

As a former system manager of baggage services for more than 50 cities, author, consultant to air travelers, speaker, and veteran of the airlines for almost 20 years, I can assure you your attempts to carry your luggage on board a flight is not an end all cure all anymore to your luggage woes. Are you at risk? You bet you are!

Carry-on bags are fast becoming a risk no less than checking your luggage with your valuables. Let me explain.

So you say you are a savvy traveler?  I have helped many a savvy “self proclaimed” traveler who found themselves in a situation of luggage perils and losses.

The added baggage fee that is now being imposed by most airlines is only going to complicate an already frustrating problem of loss, damage, delay, and pilferage of your luggage and the entire air traveling experience in today’s world.

You will see longer waits in check-in lines due to the processing of the checked baggage fees by credit card or cash, heated arguments in the fairness of the new fee and why as your customer I should not have to pay this fee. I can see the mayhem now, can you?

More and more un-savvy travelers or once a year travelers will be packing bags full to try to carry-on and avoid the checked baggage fees.

Next you will see the airlines charge a fee if you want to board before everyone else (I think some airlines are already offering this option) as overhead space will now become a baggage real estate commodity rather than a perk for savvy travelers.

More and more of you will have your carry-on bags taken from you by irritated, underpaid, overworked, airline crews who deal with an irritated traveling public and who probably received a note in their work mailbox announcing another lost benefit or a pay cut that day.

Weight and balance folks, ever hear of it? How does it impact you and your bags? Airlines are talking about reinstating the turbo prop aircraft as opposed to the newer RJ’s (regional jets) some of you have seen come into replace turbo prop aircraft in the recent past. Why you ask? The turbo prop aircraft is more fuel efficient than the RJ yet this problem still affects RJ’s and all aircraft regardless of size.

This is relevant to you because in the recent years do you remember the crash of the commuter flight in the Carolinas where 19 passengers and crew of 3 lost their lives? The investigation into the cause of the crash determined the aircraft was overweight and the weight and balance was off. This prompted the FAA to impose a new rule for bag weight documenting for all flights. This is why every bag is now weighed upon check-in and documented.

Any aircraft has to be within weight and balance limits. Let’s put this into perspective for you. Weight and balance of an aircraft is like a teeter totter if you remember as a kid. We all tried to balance our weight so the board stayed even and we did not have to sit high up in the air while our obnoxious friend kept us in high up limbo because he or she had a few pound advantages over us making them tail heavy…..

Airplanes are the same; they have to be balanced for all things to work on take-off.

More and more travelers are trying to carry their bags on jet and commuter flights (large jets do have more capacity than small aircraft) and the trend has now turned to the airlines bumping bags to accommodate paying customers with a seat and “promise” to send your bag on the next flight to reunite it with you at your destination but they do not tell you when the next flight to accommodate your bag will be.

With fuller flights on commuter aircraft these days, I have seen bags sit in your departure city for days before a flight came along with fewer passengers than bags and now your bag can be accommodated well after you have been at your destination without your bag.

The reality of the problem is to understand all that YOU CAN DO to protect yourself and how? This is where I come in. I am an expert on this subject and the first in my industry to realize that if travelers are truly educated with the inside knowledge on how to protect themselves and their luggage, then and only then can you become a truly savvy air travel consumer. 

So what should you do to protect yourself if this happens to you and it will in time if you travel by air?

You can remove your valuables from your bag if there is time to do so, if not, ask the flight attendant for their name and also ask that the gate agent put a comment in your PNR or personal name record in the computer stating that you were forced to check your carry-on against your will and ask for a printed copy of this for your records, it only takes a minute to do this. Do this with calmness and resolve in your voice as not to be labeled an unruly passenger to only become a target for the airport police and possibly be detained for questioning.

Be prepared and have a plan to protect yourself and your property. Doing the above will provide you with a possible case in the eyes of the CBS manager (Central baggage services manager) who will be in charge of compensating you for your losses. Doing this can also give you leverage in a court of law. Yet no guarantees apply. Prepare yourself for the scenario when you face it and forget about if I face it. No longer is it a question of will this happen to me? The reality is what I should do when it DOES happen to me.

If you really need your bag and your belongings in tact when you arrive to your destination, ship it via FedEx, UPS, DHL, or the U.S. Postal service and pay the price then and not after you arrive to our destination or home again.

I hope you find this information valuable to your travel in today’s complicated and frustrating world of air travel. But make no mistake, do travel and make the best of your reason for traveling, just be safe and protect the very essence of your reason for traveling.

Keep in mind, my mission is to help you the air traveler with this growing problem and I will answer your luggage question for free through my website at scott@TheEmptyCarousel.com

May you and your bags always end up in the same destination at the same time and both in tact and happy, sigh, you can now enjoy being one of the few travelers who made it to your higher purpose, what’s that? Oh #@%!*%# now I have to go back from hence I came and face the same complicated, irritating challenge! Darn!!

Scott T. Mueller
Author, The Empty Carousel a Consumer’s Guide to Checked and Carry-on Luggage

www.TheEmptyCarousel.com

Scott@TheEmptyCarousel.com

Howdy fellow air travelers and vacationers who no doubt will be heading out to warm destinations especially after the brutal winter and severe weather many of you have experienced this past Winter and Spring. First I would like to take a moment to think of all the people who have suffered losses during these terrible spring storms recently in the U.S. not to mention the devastating events which have recently happened over seas. You and they are all in my thoughts and prayers as I sit and face another uncertain hurricane season here in what is now sunny hot, fire stricken with more losses of property happening as I write this. WOW what is going on in the world? I guess some idiots thought it would be funny and caused these fires in  Florida that have already claimed more than 100 homes and forced so many into an uncertain future with losses that cannot be replaced.

As mentioned above in this blog’s title, what do the airlines and TSA cover in your checked or carry-on luggage in the event your luggage suffers, loss, damage, or pilferage when you travel this summer? Well the easiest way to answer this question for you is to list all or most of the items as listed in the airline’s Contract of Carriage which states what they do not cover  which is certainly more than what they do cover. The problem is by the time you travel, you have not seen this information and most have no idea of the mistakes they are making when packing their luggage.

As the airlines state: The following is a list of what airlines will not cover in checked  luggage with or without the knowledge of the airline. Carry-on luggage is considered in the possession of the owner so airlines will not cover any of these listed contents in your carry-on luggage either. Even if they force you to check your carry-on bag due to lack of overhead storage space in the aircraft cabin, your carry-on bag is now subject to the same rules as if you checked your bag at the counter.

• irreplaceable items
• One-of-a-kind items
• Money
• Negotiable papers
• Jewelry
• Securities
• Precious Metals
• Business documents
• Software and electronically stored data
• Books
• Manuscripts
• Publications
• Medications
• Silverware
• Keys
• Artifacts and antiques
• Paintings and other works of art
• Samples
• Photographic and electronic equipment (which includes PDA’s computers, camcorders, and digital cameras)
• Animals
• Fragile articles
• And other similar valuable items and commercial effects.

As a summary of the items listed above, the only items generally covered to any extent in your luggage is clothing, toiletries, cosmetics, linens such as towels, sheets, pillow covers. If you have a doubt and are thinking about packing something, I would suggest carrying it on or checking with me or your airline before you do check  the item.

Expect another very busy summer travel season which will no less suffer more of the same problems from the past summer i.e. delays, weather, cancellations, crowded flights, and more. Plan for the worst and hope for the best. You can always email me for free advice through my website at any time and I will do my best to help you http://TheEmptyCarousel.com This is just a small part of the information my book will provide you to help you make sense of this system of unknown obstacles for you and your luggage.

Also remember that the TSA (Transportation Security Administration) adopted from the airlines pretty much the same rules covering what they will pay you for lost, stolen, or damaged  items in your luggage as well.

One thing to keep in perspective is my recent blog regarding TSA theft and the report that they released recently stating that over 42,000 travelers in the last 3 years reported items missing from their luggage at a cost exceeding 30 million dollars. TSA calls this a small number of travelers opposed to the number of bags they process each year.  Let me ask you this, since most of the items claimed as missing forever are not covered by the TSAor airlines, who do you think had to replace the missing items valued at over 30 million dollars????? Your right if you guested the air traveler who suffered the loss. With Fuel and food costs skyrocketing out of control, how much more unessary financial woes are you willing to accept in your life?

If the TSA had to repay the 30 million dollars plus cost of the alleged missing items out of their pockets, I highly doubt they would be calling this report insignificant or small!!

One of your losses is too many for me.

I hope you find this helpful and please pass this along to your friends, families, co-workers and anyone who you think would benefit from this post.

Happy travels to you and yours and may your luggage always arrive with you and intact.

Best Regards,

Scott

Author The Empty Carousel a Consumer’s Guide to Checked and Carry-on Luggage

http://TheEmptyCarousel.com

Scott@TheEmptyCarousel.com

Air Travelers, you have seen my blog on “Security of Your Luggage at the Baggage Carousel” now see for yourself what reporter Peter Thorne found regarding your property being at risk.  I commend Peter and the entire gang at CW 11 News for bringing this story to your attention; they did a great job on this report because it matters to you. Thanks CW 11 News in NY and Peter!! 

Here is the link and please do pass this along to your friends, business colleagues, and family so everyone is aware of this problem.  Why the airlines do not want to talk about this is amazing to me, after all when your bag is stolen, the airlines pay your claim minus depreciation of the value of your contents of the bag if they even cover everything you had in your bag! Who pays the ultimate price? You do.  Click on the story with the roller bag and Enjoy.

http://cw11.trb.com/news/local/eveningnews/wpix-factfinderhome,0,6551865.htmlstory

Best Travels to you,

Scott T. Mueller

Author The Empty Carousel a Consumer’s Guide to Checked and Carry-on Luggage

http://TheEmptyCarousel.com

scott@TheEmptyCarousel.com

Putting this problem into perspective for you; 5 Million people is more than the entire city limit population  of Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Antonio, Dallas, and San Jose (Not total of all cities combined but populations of each city listed according to the U.S. Census Bureau is less than number of travelers affected by mishandled luggage in 2007).

Imagine those cities completely vacant; where did all the people go, where is Oprah? (Well Oprah probably does not fly commercial airlines so we won’t count her) But all the other equally important people in these cities are at the airport looking for their missing luggage and filing lost luggage claims and suffering this major inconvenience!

Why do bags go missing you might ask? Are you at risk? Absolutely!! Let me explain.

Bags are lost for due to many different reasons and not because some distracted baggage handler makes a mistake, the scope is so much larger than that and the following bullet points will explain what can happen to cause your luggage to go missing:

• Agent error in tagging your luggage.
• Skycap errors in tagging your luggage.
• Not tipping a skycap has purposefully caused your bags to not make your flight.
• Inadequate airport baggage conveyor systems that can no longer handle the masses of luggage being moved these days. Example witnessed by myself, Orlando, FL International Airport and its baggage system was designed to process approximately 22 million travelers a year and now moves 250,000 bags per day, or  about 92 million bags per year and the systems cannot handle it and break down constantly. Unless millions of dollars in upgrades and redesigns are done, the problem will grow worse before it gets better and this means your bags become more likely to be in this mess and you will suffer for it.
• Baggage handler error and loading your bag on the Columbus OH, cart instead of your destination in NY.
• How about an entire cart of bags missing the intended flight! It happens every day around this country and the world. The U.S. is not the only problem area in this world of travel these days.
• Weather can cause mishandled luggage, aircraft down grades in equipment (going from a large aircraft to a smaller available aircraft.)
• Cancelled flights
• Aircraft swaps, when you are ready to get on one airplane and then the gate changes to another aircraft and gate.
• Commuter flights or regional jets have extreme weight and balance issues and many times bags are bumped to accommodate passengers and the you have no control over whether your bag is one of the bags taken off to accommodate another passenger. Your bag will not follow you until another airplane can carry your bag to reunite with you. This problem is growing as more carriers are looking to replace large jets in certain markets to maintain cost effective.
• Weather can play a major role in whether your luggage makes it with you or not because of the complications it can cause for an airline.
• TSA has also added to the problem, short staffing will delay the processing of your bags even if you arrive to the airport on time and your bag can and will miss your flight.
• How about this reality, you the traveler cause problems for your self and your fellow travelers by taking the wrong bag with you off the baggage carousel! I have had customers contact their attorney to file a law suit against the person who took their bag by mistake and held it hostage until the airlines footed the bill to pick up the mistaken bag and deliver the passenger’s bag who was at fault. Then the airline has to get the bag and pay for delivery to the customer who innocent in all this and it is not the airlines doing but your mistake. This is not rare folks, it happens every week and every day in this country.
• How about theft at the baggage carousel? The airlines do not tell you about this but I will in my next blog and I will let you see for yourself what the news media discovered and why they came to me!!
• There are more reasons why your luggage goes missing but I think you have an idea now.

Everyone thinks the know what to do with their luggage when they travel until I start to talk to them and then they are amazed and fascinated at what they don’t know.  The Empty Carousel a Consumer’s Guide to Checked and Carry-on Luggage  will provide all the answers you need to make your travel experience the best it can be. http://theemptycarousel.comThe website will be redone soon with more features and more informative information. Please take time to look through the website as there are links to help you see which airline is working the hardest for your luggage to be with you when you arrive and on the downside, the airlines who you have the most to worry about with regards to your luggage.

As always best travels to you and your bags, may you both arrive together where ever you may be going.

Scott T. Mueller

Author The Empty Carousel a Consumer’s Guide to Checked and Carry-on Luggage

scott@TheEmptyCarousel.com

The more and more I think about his fee that is being imposed on you to check a second bag, the angrier I get. I am actually a very gentle man with a very hard to pull trigger to set me off. I can even have someone cut me off on the road and not get upset but just wave and say “hey no problem.” This fee has me feeling very flushed and angry for you the air traveler.

This fee is something that can allow your trigger to be pulled and upset you. Let me explain my position once again to reiterate my stance on this fee.

First of all, baggage mishandles which means your luggage has been on the rise every year to new record levels since 2001. What does this mean to you? More time lost, more frustrations to you and your family, more of the purpose of your trip ruined, lost property, business deals, frustrations, money lost, vacations upset and more.

Folks, I did not write my book The Empty Carousel a Consumer’s Guide to Checked and Carry-on Luggage about this topic with the intention of making tons of money from it, but in fact wrote the book to turn the tide of this problem for so many. Now onto the $25 fee and why you have the right to be angry about this fee.

The airlines have to offset the soaring fuel prices and that is not an easy thing to do. If they raise ticket prices, those increases are less likely to stay in affect. The markets airlines fly into are very competitive. If one competitor does not match the inrease into a particular market the airline that attempted the fare increase will most likely retract that increase to remain competitive and this happens all too often.

The baggage fee is a fee that will and can stick for good and every other day another airline is following suit and charging you the fee.

What frustrates and angers me is simple and if you’re a traveler who is facing this fee, you should be angry too. Now I know that “shoulds” are not a word we need to be using whether it is our loved one, family, friends, or co-workers, it is offensive to “should” anyone.

But this fee is offensive especially when the airlines state “Even if we mishandle your luggage, we will not refund the $25 fee” That is the same as saying we can CONTINUE to do a poor job with your luggage handing which ultimately affects your purpose for traveling and we don’t care, no one is holding us accountable to do a better job with your luggage on behalf of you and your purpose for buying a ticket on us. We simply do not care about you the traveler, our customer who pays our costs to operate as an airline. This to me is outrageous and I have worked for 17 years for the airlines, if it makes me furious, it is OK for you to demand the level of service you deserve especially if you are now being forced to pay another fee. If I was still the system manager of baggage, I would talk to my senior leadership to tell them we need to be held accounatble because that is what will seperate us from the competition.

WHY NOT REFUND THE FEE? You are paying a new fee that never existed before until now. That is the same thing as any other business you deal with saying “oh we made a mistake and you will pay for it” how fair is that???? Lets say you ordered lobster and they served you crayfish instead and the restaurant said crayfish is the same as lobster so deal with it. Would you lay down for that response and pay the price for what you did not get? Or would you fight for your rights as a consumer who is paying for a service and deserves the best service for your dollar and gets what you paid for? Come on air travel consumers, it is time to take a stand for you and your rights!

The airlines should hold themselves accountable, they need to step up their level of service and earn that new fee that you are paying for to help keep them afloat and in business. If an airline truly cared about you they would add a disclaimer to that $25 fee that states, if we mishandle your luggage, we will refund your $25 fee. This would for the first time have airline executives put more emphasis on doing a better job with handling your luggage and make your luggage a priority. Why not! After all you deserve it.

I challenge any airline today to take this stance and I will praise them and honor them as an airline that truly cares about you. I will sing their praises for years to come. Come on airlines, if you’re not a part of this fee now, I guarantee you will adopt the fee sooner than later as most airlines do. If you do not adopt this fee as an airline, I commend you but you still need to focus more effort on your baggage handling. One customer who suffers loss, damage, delay, or pilfered bags is too many in my book.

What can you do? their is a group of politicians who make up the Congressional Aviation Subcommittee and this group has called for a meeting in the past with the Air Transportation Association (ATA) to discuss this rapidly growing problem regarding your checked luggage and in the end of the meeting on May 3, 2006 after the senior VP of ATA John Meenan addressed the congressional panel; it was the Congressional panel that said we are sympathetic to the problem but it is clear that no help is on the horizon to fix this problem.

Please contact any member of the Congressional panel to voice your feelings on this matter, I know (through correspondence only) the Chairman of the subaviation committee and I sent him a copy of my book and he called me on a Saturday morning after he read my book and said he thoroughly enjoyed it and felt it was important to get my information into the hands of the air travel consumers. He also asked me to send a copy to Kip Hawley the head of the TSA (Transportation Security Administration) for his thoughts on mass distribution for the air travelers (you) at airports nation wide. I sent Kip Hawley a book and a letter and I have not heard back yet and this was about 3 months ago. I hope to hear from him but I am not holding my breath. I could not even get a telephone number to his office as it is guarded information according to one Congressman’s assistant and she made the call to his office to let his staff know about my book coming their way. Now is the time to take a stand on this issue, after all it only affects you when you travel. I wish you luck and am always here to guide you with my advice if I can help.

Trust me on this one, my little baggage guide book I wrote could have been hundreds of pages to tell the stories and losses of so many travelers just like you but I wrote what you need to know now when you travel, it is my gift to providing you a better travel experience. Regardless of what you think you may know about your luggage, I guarantee you there is information in my book that you will not know that can help you! I encourage you to leave your comments on your luggage experience so you can help each other.

Best Travels to you and yours,

Scott T. Mueller
Author The Empty Carouse a Consumer’s Guide to Checked and Carry-on Luggage.
www.TheEmptyCarousel.com
Scott@TheEmptyCarousel.com

Dear Air Traveler,

Just back from NY where I had an Emmy award winning reporter Peter Thorne at CW 11 News interview me for their wonderful ”Factfinder” report about the book I wrote for you The Empty Carousel  and a topic I have discussed here on this blog. I will provide the link for you to view the news report when it comes out in the first week of May. Peter and the entire staff at CW 11 News treated me and my wife like family, Thank you Peter and CW 11 News in NY and thank you for the difference you are making every day in the lives of your viewers!!

Now onto tonight’s topic the addition of more airlines signing onto the new $25 fee for a second checked bag.  This is a double edged sword for you the air traveler. As mentioned in a previous post, even if your bag is mishandled the airlines will not refund the fee. Why you ask is this fair? It is not fair in my opinion but it is a way to add a fee that sticks to offset dramatically rising fuel costs. Let me explain further. The airlines, if they cared about you, your luggage and the fee would add a disclaimer that states, if you pay the fee and your bag or bags are mishandled, we will refund the $25 fee you paid in the least. You see this would help hold the airlines accountable to make sure they are doing the best baggage handling their company can do. This would force airlines to work to earn that fee but the way they are doing it to you the air traveler states that we can continue to fail on behalf of you our customer (AKA our bread and butter) and your luggage and not be held accountable but you will still pay us the additional fee. What other business is so brazen to do this I ask? You be the judge.

The airlines are an extremely volatile and competitive business. Every now and again airlines will test the waters and attempt a fare increase. When other airlines do not jump on board with the fare increase, many times the airline that initiated the increase will retract the increase to remain competitive in the markets they serve, it is all about beating the competition. These days there is not much difference in any airline as you all know, amenities are falling to the wayside and one airline pretty much is no different than the next. What matters in a society feeling the biggest financial pinch since the Great Depression is value for our dollar and cost of traveling for us or our family is our primary concern as it should be. Lets face it what control do we have anymore over fuel costs, food costs, living expenses, etc. Our current salaries no longer have the same value in the quality of life we live.

What used to make airlines stand out from the rest and have a consumer pay more is the level of service they provide, we all have spent a bit more because we wanted the best and were willing to pay the extra dollar to get it. With so many airline employees facing the loss of their jobs, loss of benefits and pay, we as human beings cannot help but let these life crisis affect our service to our customers. We can try to hide it but it does come out in the end in the level of service we provide our customers as it is our nature as people who have families to take care of and bills to pay to support our own families and lives we live. You can see it in the faces of everyone these days and especially those who work for the airlines.

Let me give you an example of what fuel costs mean to an airline. My company was not a major U.S. airline but was the number one airline for customer service and level of service it provided. Many awards including “Wolds Best Domestic Airline” was bestowed on my company many years in a row. But every penny increase in fuel prices, (Let me reiterate, every penny in increased fuel prices) equated to $1 Million in fuel costs per year added to the bottom line for my airline.

The airlines say that their business travelers will not be affected by this increased cost of checking a bag but that you the leisure traveler will burden the costs for checking a second bag. This is not necessarily a true statement. Many business travelers will be forced to check a second bag as their business materials, samples, products, etc. need to go with them on their business trip to make a sale and the airlines in general according to their Contracts of Carriage do not cover these items if lost, damaged, pilfered, or delayed. The choice is no longer available to the air traveler and rest assured if the airlines are successful in implementing these new charges which they will be; the fees will never go away but become a part of our travel experience to come.

Another reason to understand the process and know your rights. Please take measures to protect yourself and your best interests whether pleasure or business, you have a great deal to do with the outcome of your travel experience.

As always, safe and happy travels to you no matter the purpose of your travel.

Best Regards and stay tuned for my next post for a better air travel experience for you and yours.

Scott T. Mueller

Author: The Empty Carousel a Consumer’s Guide to Checked and Carry-on Luggage

www.TheEmptyCarousel.com

Scott@TheEmptyCarousel.com

Air travelers, a lot has changed since 9/11.  Do you remember some airports before 9/11 had those “security” people who checked your luggage claim checks against the bags you were taking with you? Where are they now? Who is watching out for your luggage until you claim it at the carousel?

The answer is NOONE is watching out for your luggage anymore or anywhere that I have heard of!! This means your bags are at risk until you pick them up yourself………. Why you ask? and what should you do? Allow me to offer some expert advise and clarification of what changed and why.

First of all, the airlines paid for the security companies that checked baggage checks against your luggage. After 9/11 the government abolished privotized security companies.

Two things came into play in 2001, the crash of the tech market and the terrorist attacks against our nation and the commercial airlines.  The airlines were already suffering financially due to the loss of a great deal of business travelers from the tech market crash. Business travelers are the bread and butter to the airlines because they pay the last minute higher priced air fare. Second was the entire nations aviation was halted for the first time in our nations history for 3 days before the first flight resumed.

Costs had to be evaluated and money had to be saved now. One of the first things to go was the baggage ID checkers. Then many airline employees lost their jobs as well due to reductions in force (RIF)

Baggage could stand on its own. Also the luggage security people did not exist at all airports nationwide. Many baggage claim areas at many airports did not have the design to coral so many travelers in a baggage area becuase there also had to be appropriate fire exits etc. There were certain safety criteria that had to be in place for the coral system to effectively work.

There was one airport that had security inspectors in place and a theft ring evloved within the baggage check ID inspectors and they were targeting golf clubs.

I highly doubt you will see this type of security return as airlines are focused mainly on their two highest costs, fuel and labor. And that is why you have to take control and responsiblity for your luggage when you travel. Noone has your best interest at hand with your luggage except you.

What can you do to protect yourself?

• Don’t pack anything you cannot afford to lose, live without, or seal the deal without it!
• When you exit the aircraft, make a mad dash to the baggage carousel.
• If you have to make a restroom stop, do it quickly and preferably once you arrive to the baggage carousel, or take turns if you are with your family, group, or travel companion.
• Most off-loads of baggage take about 20-25 minutes to arrive to the baggage carousel depending on how many passengers and bags are on your flight will determine more or less time as will the size of the airport and distance from the gate to the terminal.  Small airports take less time to get your bags to the carousel than larger airports will.
• Mark your luggage so it stands out from the crowd, secure ribbons, colored tape etc. to help you identify it quickly.
• Stand at the beginning area of the baggage carousel where the bags come out so your luggage does not get caught up traveling around the carousel where others may get to it before you do.
• If you have an oversize bag such as golf clubs, bikes, surfboards, or other such oversized checked items, ask your airline representative where you can retrieve your item as in most cases a different location for delivery of your item will bu used to drop the items than the carousel where regular sized bags are off-loaded.
• DO NOT stop to eat, have a meeting, wait for a friend to arrive on their flight, shop, get coffee etc.
• Hesitation on your part leaves an open opportunity to would be petty thieves to roll off with your luggage and personal property.
• Maintain vigilance at all times while waiting for your luggage to arrive.
• When you have your luggage, do not leave it unattended or turn your back on it.  I did that once when I had the old heavy camcorder in the large metal case and set it at my feet then turned my back to it without thinking in a small airport, when I turned around, it was gone, stolen while just inches away from me while I had my back turned. Don’t let it happen to you.

Doing these things will certainly enhance your luggage safety at the carousel. You can read more about these valauble tips and more information you should know when you travel at www.TheEmptyCarousel.com

Safe and happy travels where ever they take you and remember you can always post a comment here or at the website listed above. My advice is always free through these venues and by educating youself on what you can do to protect your property and understanding the entire baggage process will not only benefit you but the entire system of air travel and all parties involved.

Scott T. Mueller

Author The Empty Carousel a Consumer’s Gide to Checked and Carry-on Luggage

www.TheEmptyCarousel.com