Chuckie Schumer Sees Carry-on Bags as a "Right"

Isn't it amazing how the Democrats can discover new "rights" nearly every day, such as the "right" to have your health care paid for by somebody else, while ignoring the rights that were put in our Constitution?

U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer said Sunday he's trying to get the federal government to prohibit airlines from charging a fee for carry-on baggage, calling it a "slap in the face to travelers."


The New York Democrat is making a personal plea to the Treasury Department to rule that carry-on bags are a necessity for travel, which would make them exempt from a separate fee outside the ticket price.


"Airline passengers have always had the right to bring a carry-on bag without having to worry about getting nickeled and dimed by an airline company," Schumer said. "This latest fee is a slap in the face to travelers."


Schumer said carry-on bags often contain medications and other necessities, particularly for families. Carry-on fees artificially avoid higher ticket prices and the taxes applied to tickets, Schumer said.


The fee, however, is legal. The first airline to try it, Spirit Airlines, announced last week it would charge up to $45 for a carry-on, but that it was also reducing the cost of most tickets by $40.


Spirit CEO Ben Baldanza has said having fewer carry-on bags will help empty the plane faster, and the fee is intended to get customers to pay for individual things they want, while keeping the base fare low. Charging for checked bags but not carry-ons also means many passengers lug as much as they can onto planes.


There was no immediate comment Friday from the Treasury Department, which would handle the case because it's considered a tax issue.

Watch how fast this spreads to other airlines. Since most airlines, with the notable exception of Southwest, added baggage fees for checked bags people have been getting on airliners burdened down with bags and looking like Sherpas heading up the Himalayas. Overhead bin space is jammed full, underseat storage is overflowing, and it takes forever to get people on and off the planes.  This was all very predictable.

Some travelers have also figured out that if you take an oversized bag to the gate the airline will check it for you for free, thus avoiding the charges the other schmucks are paying.  All of this makes the boarding and unloading process a real pain.

Given the new TSA requirements and all the special screening that goes on nowadays it will soon make sense and be cheaper to ship your bags ahead via UPS and have them waiting for you when you finally arrive on your flight, wearing as little clothing as possible and carrying nothing.