Travel - How to Avoid Checked Baggage Fees

Fall weather always inspires me to make travel plans. Between now and the first part of December, there are quite a few weeks when you can visit excellent destinations at economy prices and also avoid heavy crowds in the airports. Unfortunately, that travel is now marred by the hefty fees people have to pay to check their luggage with most airlines.

Southwest Airlines and Jet Blue are making a lot of friends with their policies of letting bags fly free. That's two free bags on Southwest and one on Jet Blue. Southwest is making the most of its policy with an ad I've seen run over and over the past few days on TV.

According to a segment on the CBS Early Show this morning, frequent fliers who travel with some of the major airlines can qualify for free checked baggage. I believe they mentioned fliers with 25,000 miles. However, when I spoke to someone in the airline industry she thought the frequent flier would need to be at a higher mileage level than that to qualify. It's worth checking into.

I still believe that traveling light with one carry-on bag and a personal item is the best way to go. It's still free (except for Spirit Airlines) and you know where to find your luggage!

 Mary Montague Sikes