Airlines Introduce Baggage Check Fees at Houston Airport

Houston Airport Implements Baggage Check Fees

Recently, Delta Air Lines and JetBlue have started charging passengers who wish to check their luggage at the curbside at Houston's Bush Intercontinental Airport. They join the ranks of airlines like American Airlines and Southwest Airlines, which have outsourced this service to Bags, Inc. and introduced service fees, as noted on the airport signage.

The system that American and, more recently, Southwest have adopted replaces high-cost staff with lower-paid contractors. This model not only saves money but also turns the service into a revenue source by charging for checked baggage.

New Operating Model at the Airport

The new baggage check model at Houston Airport has been established, with American Airlines sharing the queue area with Delta, JetBlue, Spirit Airlines, and Frontier. Charging for a service that was previously free, while having passengers wait in line alongside Spirit, doesn’t exactly project a premium image—this seems to reflect a decline in Delta's brand reputation.

Delta's website describes baggage check services at most U.S. airports as free and managed by "service partners." In reality, Delta has outsourced more services than other airlines. Currently, they use BAGS, Inc. at airports such as Tampa, Houston Hobby, New Orleans, Las Vegas, San Francisco, Charleston, and Phoenix.

Customer Confusion Over Service Fees

At some airports, like Phoenix, this baggage check service is part of a free program provided by the airport. However, when customers are faced with additional charges for this service on top of checked baggage fees, as experienced by a Delta passenger in Tampa, they find it confusing.

Southwest Airlines might have made a significant mistake by laying off baggage check staff and outsourcing this service. While the airline saves on labor costs, it could be losing substantial revenue from baggage fees, at least from my perspective.

Additional Fees at Southwest

Currently, Southwest is charging for agent assistance during curbside check-in at Dallas Love Field. Interestingly, tipping the contractor's staff can lead to passengers getting free baggage check. A mere $5 tip to a Bags, Inc. employee at the counter is much more appealing than the $45 fee for Southwest.

Both American and Southwest have clearly turned outsourced services into a source of additional revenue. Delta and JetBlue have also become noticeable with their airport-sponsored remote baggage services using the same provider, but there are still many instances that fail to meet passenger expectations.

Free Services and Staffing

When services are airport-sponsored and free, they are fantastic offerings, although I still prefer the model that includes airline staff empowered to address booking and baggage issues rather than relying solely on what the computer dictates. American Airlines still operates this service in-house (through its subsidiary Envoy Air) in Miami, where the service remains free.

However, when an airline outsources to a contractor and turns a service they once offered as part of the ticket into a new fee (which can vary), it’s unfortunate, but this is the direction that non-premium airlines are heading.

The Bitter Truth

Charging extra fees even for passengers who have paid for premium services is entirely contrary to American's efforts to move towards more premium services. Unfortunately, this is what we have started to expect from Delta, an airline once regarded as premium.

Ironically, while the pay for contracted staff is lower, passengers tend to tip less frequently and less generously when they are paying for the service.