I didn’t have to pay the new $15 first bag fee that American Airlines will be imposing soon. I feel lucky. However, this is just a temporary bit of good fortune.

I sympathize with the pain of high fuel prices. We all feel it every time we fuel up at a gas station.

However, the idea of trying to offset it with a bag charge seems to be like a restaurant charging extra for a knife and fork. It is something you don’t expect an additional charge for.

I do a lot of traveling, though not enough on American to avoid the domestic bag charge, and I imagine in future the overhead bins will be overfilled by people trying to avoid it.

Why don’t they just call it the “Saudi Arabia wishes you a good day charge?” That seems more logical.