Continental adds $15 first bag charge effective immediately

Continental Airlines made an announcement on Friday that it would begin to charge some customers traveling in economy class $15 for their first checked bag, which follows the policy that has been instituted by most of the other major airlines in the U.S.

A spokesperson for the company explained that the new fee would help the carrier offset the high cost of fuel, which has been causing Continental, and many other airlines, financial difficulty this year.

The baggage fee was put into effect immediately on reservations for flights in the U.S. and Canada, as well as Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands – for travel starting from October 7.

Additional fees will also be applied for bags that exceed weight and size requirements, the airline added.

The new fees will not apply to elite-level members of its frequent flier program, to premium-class passengers, to passengers traveling on full-fare tickets in economy class or to military personnel and their families flying on official military business, the Houston-based carrier said.

Among the major U.S. carriers, American Airlines, the largest carrier in the country, was the first to begin charging for the first checked back, starting in June. The chairman and CEO of American’s parent company, Gerard Arpey, admitted that the airline took “a little bit of flack” for introducing the fee.

With Continental adding a first-bag fee, Delta Air Lines is now the only holdout in the six “legacy” carriers.

www.continental.com