Which airline makes the most from luggage fees?

This post on Tripso.com made an interesting comparison that caught my attention:

Which airline makes the most from luggage fees?
by Christopher Elliott

That would be American Airlines, according to the latest government-reported numbers for 2009.

The rest of the list may surprise you even more.

1. American Airlines – $108,117,000
2. Delta Air Lines – $102,838,000
3. US Airways – $94,227,000
4. United Airlines – $59,102,000
5. Northwest Airlines – $59,786,000
6. Continental Airlines – $55,616,000
7. AirTran Airways – $30,881,000
8. JetBlue Airways – $12,603,000
9. Frontier Airlines – $12,456,000
10. Southwest Airlines – $5,982,000

Here are the top 10 airlines by passengers:

1. Southwest Airlines
2. American Airlines
3. Delta Air Lines
4. United Airlines
5. US Airways
6. Continental Airlines
7. Northwest Airlines
8. AirTran Airways
9. JetBlue Airways
10. SkyWest

Conclusion? Southwest is the real story here. It carried the most passengers, yet charged the least in fees.

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2 Responses to Which airline makes the most from luggage fees?

  1. Heather says:
    18 July 18, 2009 at 6:36 am

    That is SO true – SWA is hands down the best airline not only in regards to fares, fees, and customer service but you also still get free peanuts & Cokes. I was on an AA flight about a month ago and when the flight attendant overheard 2 people making fun of the snack prices (a.k.a. highway robbery tactics), she politely informed them that they should just be glad that their drinks are still free because AA will begin charging for them in the near future!!!!! Can you believe that?? What's next? Pay toilets, trash surcharges, & BYOTP (bring your own toilet paper)??? Instead of being sneaky and making me wait in an additional line to check-in my bag (which I now have to pay for) & making me pay out the wazoo for toddler-size treats, just go ahead and up your fare prices and call it even. Let me go back ti curbside check-in without the line & and let me have my little bag of peanuts!

  2. Gabe Waggoner says:
    23 July 23, 2009 at 12:29 am

    A colleague I had dinner with at a conference in May told me that she had her luggage shipped to her hotel by FedEx Ground, and it was cheaper than letting the major airlines charge her a fee for it. Made me think.

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