Six Democratic senators, bravely responding to the looming threat of carry-on baggage fees as high as $45, moved to ban the practice with soaring rhetoric yesterday, John Hughes reports. Spirit
announced the fees last week as part of a fare and fee restructuring.
"Let my briefcase go!," New Jersey Sen. Frank Lautenberg proclaimed at a Washington media event.
"We're going from the sublime to the ridiculous with airlines." Declared New York's indomitable Sen. Charles Schumer: "It's a slap for anyone who flies. It's time to
draw the line." And New Hampshire's Jeanne Shaheen called the fees "skyway robbery."
On the other hand, Ben Baldanza, president and CEO of Spirit Airlines,
maintains that baggage fees are "a win for everybody" in an op-ed piece published in yesterday's USA Today. He is, as my judicial father-in-law used to say with an arched eyebrow, entitled to his
opinion -- as are the 78 people who commented on the article as of this morning. Would it surprise you to hear that they seem more inclined to agree with senators screaming "skyway robbery"?
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