Major airlines promise not to charge carry-on fee

ATLANTA - U.S. airlines never met a fee they didn't like.

Until now, it seems.

Five major carriers Sunday agreed not to follow the lead of a small Florida airline that plans to charge for carry-on bags.

Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) said that American, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, US Airways and JetBlue Airways each have committed to him that they would not institute fees for carry-on bags.

It wasn't clear how long the five airlines pledged not to charge for carry-ons. American Airlines spokesman Roger Frizzell said he couldn't say, and a spokesman for Delta declined to comment.

The commitment comes just in time to keep travelers from running for the exits during the peak summer flying season, but it is doubtful that it marks a change in strategy.

Airlines are going to tack on every fee they feel they can get away with because it bolsters their revenue stream while allowing them to keep base fares lower. They just don't feel like passengers will tolerate losing their sacred free carry-ons.

For U.S. carriers, ancillary fees for air travel totaled $1.95 billion in the third quarter of 2009, roughly 36 percent higher than for the same period a year earlier. For 26 large U.S. airlines, those fees made up 6.9 percent of their total operating revenue in the third quarter of last year, according to the most recent government data available.

But major carriers risk alienating customers if they follow Spirit Airlines' lead and impose a fee on carry-on bags. In August, Spirit will begin charging customers up to $45 to place a bag in an overhead bin.

Schumer and five other Democratic senators support legislation that would tax airlines if they charge carry-on bag fees.

Spirit CEO Ben Baldanza told The Associated Press Sunday that his airline is moving ahead with its carry-on bag fee.

"Our plan was never predicated on anyone matching us," Baldanza said.