Looking at the chart, does it surprise you that United Airlines announced today that it was increasing its checked baggage fees from $20 to $25 for the first bag? And from $30 to $35 for the second? ($23 and $32, respectively, if you prepay online.)

In the past few days, United has joined Delta, US Airways, and Continental in raising the baggage fees. The United policy goes into effect tomorrow (Thursday, January 14) for flights on or after January 21 within region 1 (North America, Hawaii, Caribbean).

For all the public’s (and my own) bitching and whining about the proliferation of fees, this stock chart really says everything you need to know about why these fees continue to proliferate. Wall Street likes these fees, as they generate a steady stream of revenue. “Free money,” they say. Never mind that the same customers who today are coughing up the money for these fees might be migrating to another carrier (like Southwest) if they can manage it. But Wall Street short-term thinking is what’s driving this. And the increase in these airlines’ stock prices today — that’s the CEOs’ vindication.

Downgraded: Teamwork, Wine, and Cost-Savings on British Airways
Management vs. labor (or labour, if you will) on British Airways is getting nastier. Take this quote, for example: “No-one is doing anything to help save costs any more. Whereas we used to keep unfinished bottles of wine in first-class to save money, now they’re routinely poured down the sink.” Pouring good wine down the sink? That’s a sin!

Downgraded: Traveling Value, Thanks to Fees
Delta upped its checked baggage fee again. $8 more for the first bag (now $23), and $7 for the second bag (now $32). And that’s if you pay your fees online. If you wait until you show up at the airport, add another $2 ($25 total) for the first bag and another $3 ($35 total) for the second. What I don’t understand is this: The policy is effective today, January 12, for anyone who purchased tickets on or after January 5. But the policy was only announced on the 11th. How is this legal, especially in light of the DOT “crackdown” on post-purchase changes to the contract of carriage? I smell a rat.

Upgraded: Travel for People with Nut Allergies
Travelers with nut allergies may soon find a nut-free-zone on Canadian airlines. Complaints filed against Air Canada yielded the ruling, which requires the airline to create a buffer zone within 30 days of the early-January ruling. What other cordoned-off areas will we see on planes now?…

Downgraded: The One-Way Ticket Myth
Mythbusting on the details: Umar Abdulmutallab, the crotch bomber, did not travel to Detroit on Christmas Day on a one-way ticket, despite nearly every major news organization’s reports to the contrary. He might have set off a thousand other warning flags if the data mining and information sharing within the US security community were up to full speed, but a one-way ticket was not one of those flags.

Upgraded: Jokes about TSA drug use
Jimmy Fallon: “Four TSA workers at LAX were videotaped snorting drugs. It was the first time people had ever seen lines go that fast at the airport.” Hey-ohhhh…

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Who is more to blame for the recent shutdown of Newark Airport: The 28-year old graduate student who jumped a rope and entered the secure area of the airport, or the TSA agent who left his post unguarded?

Some politicians have been quick to choose sides. And friend of the blog, Robert P. — he of the world-famous “You have chunks in your beer” letter to the CEO of Midwest Airlines — calls out one particularly-vocal US Senator for playing the blame game.

The text of the letter to Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) follows in its entirety:

Dear Senator Lautenberg,

I’m not one of your constituents, but still wanted to write a note of disappointment regarding what appears to me to be your desire to publicly hang, draw and quarter Haisong Jiang, the schmuck who shut down Newark Liberty International Airport last week. While it is clear that what he did was wrong, it is wrong in the same sense that speeding or jaywalking is wrong. The terrible ramifications — shutting down the airport — speak much more to the incompetence of TSA staff and absurdity of the rules drafted by TSA leadership than to the actual violation itself.

Think about it just for a second; if Al Qaeda terrorists knew they could shut down an entire airport (and delay air traffic around the world) by skipping through a velvet rope to kiss a girl, they could save a lot of money on explosives and weapons training. Granted, they might have to spring for a dozen roses or a box of chocolates, but I suspect these might still be cheaper (and less painful) than setting ones underwear on fire.

Clearly, the problem here isn’t with Mr. Jiang but with the TSA. And your public statements that the man should face federal charges over the incident are ridiculous. Please direct your attention to the actual problem, rather than a misbehaving graduate student. Instead of absurdly saying that the man committed a “terrible terrible offense” and should turn himself in, why not ask why the TSA has a “no-fly” list that creates hassles for everyone named “John Smith” because some criminal, somewhere, used that as an alias, but nonetheless allows real, identified, terrorists with no luggage, no return ticket, and no winter coat to get on trans-Atlantic flights to Detroit in the middle of winter.

Thank you and Happy New Year.
Robert P……

Got a side to take in this debate? Hit the comments.

When you get your boarding pass, regardless of when or where, check the name.

Septuagenarian comedienne Joan Rivers got stuck in Costa Rica, blaming the Continental gate agent in Costa Rica for being “an idiot, a moron,” for not letting her on the plane. In an interview with Larry King (another septuagenarian!) on CNN, Rivers implied that the name on her passport (“Rosenberg, aka Rivers”) caused her problems. And CNN ran tickers asking “Joan Rivers: A Security Threat?” Oy. But as the interview proceeds, it’s clear that the dual name on the passport was never a problem.

Rather, she had someone else’s boarding pass. Instead of “Joan,” it was “Joseph.” And when the vigilant gate agent compared the boarding pass to the passport, there was a problem.

Granted, Rivers (or Rosenberg) has a point that there were other points along the way when this could have been caught. At the check-in counter. Or at security. But if I dare use a phrase that’s gotten others into trouble of late, “the system worked.” The gate agent was there to do a final check, and she caught it. She was right to raise a flag, especially given the hypersensitive security environment we’re in.

Should Rivers have been stranded in Costa Rica? Probably not. I’m sure there is some way the airline could have handled this in a way that didn’t create a ruckus, and that verified that Joan, not Joseph, should have been traveling. But I am not privy to the details of her ticket PNR.

The bottom line, and the lesson here: Check the name on your boarding pass. Mistakes happen. And you don’t want to be caught at the gate, trying to fix it. Check the documents as soon as you receive them, and verify things immediately.

Here’s the whole insufferable interview, if you feel like torturing yourself. Masochistic? Well, alright: Around 2:19 is where she is asked about the name on the boarding pass.

Japan’s most famous (and, recently, most beleaguered) airline, JAL, has apparently opted to leave the oneWorld alliance for SkyTeam. Viewed through an USA-based frequent flyer lens, that’s a win for Delta (and potentially those who hold Delta miles), and a definite blow for American Airlines and their mileage addicts.

Delta and its SkyTeam partners didn’t just win this on their good looks and winning personality. They are offering a bailout package of nearly $1 billion. (American and Texas Pacific Group offered to invest $1.1B; I’m not familiar with the details of the deals, and that’s not my concern here. And nothing is signed yet — AA says they’re still negotiating.)

The combination of JAL and Delta would be a formidable force, if traffic remains at current levels. One report estimates the JAL-enhanced Skyteam market share at 62% of traffic between the US and Japan. Star Alliance (United, ANA, and Singapore) hold 31%, leaving a mere 9% in oneworld (entirely AA).

But JAL has signaled that it would drop 30 (or even all) of its international routes, ceding that traffic to alliance partners and codesharing instead. And Japan’s other major airline, ANA, is looking to snap up routes and landing rights which JAL gives up. So those market share percentages are far from set in stone.

In the long run, the decrease in competition is bound to exert upward pressure on trans-Pacific fares. The deal will need to undergo antitrust scrutiny, of course.

Intermediate-term losers here are American Airlines’ loyal customers who use their miles to fly to Asia. A major mileage redemption opportunity for AAdvantage mileage holders is about to disappear, either through JAL’s switch to SkyTeam, or their erosion/implosion. If you’ve got American miles, your currency is about to lose value, as you’re about to lose some redemption opportunities.

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Upgraded: Some clarity for travelers
Downgraded: 14 countries’ citizens
The TSA has issued new rules (and an accompanying statement) regarding international travel to the United States. The centerpiece: If you are from — or traveled through — Afghanistan, Algeria, Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Somalia, or Yemen, you will be subject to pat-downs and carry-on bag checks. But we didn’t hear the actual policy or the list of affected countries from the TSA. Oh no. The official line only specifies that security will be higher for passengers who come from (or through) “nations that are state sponsors of terrorism or other countries of interest.” The details of who that affects were provided (leaked?) by an unnamed TSA official to the media.

Downgraded, again: TSA’s mad Adobe Acrobat skillz
Seth at Wandering Aramean has uncovered yet another TSA redaction error, with the agency this time exposing explosives detection procedures because they can’t properly edit a PDF.

Downgraded: The next generation of airport scanners, before they’re even installed
Full-body scans would not have detected the Christmas Day crotch-bomber, because the explosive powder packets in his underwear weren’t dense enough. In the UK, the Independent on Sunday labeled the push for more full-body scanners “a scam.” And al Qaeda has reportedly already been practicing ways of beating the body scanners, allegedly on scanners they’ve purchased.
Update: And now the Guardian reports that these scanners could be in violation of British child pornography laws, as they create “indecent images” of children. The hits just keep on a-comin’!

Enough with airport security and the TSA! On to lighter fare:

Upgraded: Argentine tit-for-tat
If you are a citizen of a country that charges Argentines an entry fee or visa charge, then prepare to pay that same exact fee when you enter Argentina. For Americans, that means paying US$131. Only Buenos Aires (EZE) is charging the fee for now, but that will expand to other locations.

Downgraded: Hotel descriptions and accompanying photos
This hotel’s five-star description doesn’t match the imagery. WhereToStay.com’s description of the Hotel Nikko Saipan in the Northern Mariana Islands takes the reader to a tropical paradise… until you look at the photo. First, here’s the description — painful in its own right, thanks to a misguided obsession with capitalization:

Set Amidst Crystal Clear Pacific Waters Surrounded By Lush Palm Trees, White Sand Beaches, And Alive With Outdoor Fun And Activities Such As Snorkeling, Diving And Water craft Rides, The Hotel Nikko Saipan With Its 14 Floors And 313 Guest Rooms And Suites Provide A Truly Relaxing Ambience For An Unforgettable Experience. Combined With State of The art Facilities And Gracious Hospitality In A Truly 5 Star Deluxe Setting, The Hotel Nikko Saipan Guarantees All Of Their Guests An Ideal Stay. And With Golf Courses Near By As Well As Racketball, Tennis, Scuba Diving And A Host Of Other Outdoor Activities, Saipan Proves To Be A Truly Memorable And Brilliant Destination.

And here’s the photo they put with it:

I’ve heard of hotels changing hands and rebranding, but this isn’t quite what the Nikko is expecting…

The hotel page is here. A screenshot, in case they take it down to make corrections, is here.

Happy New Year!