Hand baggage fees

Following on from our recent story about Wizz Air, a new survey has asked people what their attitude is to paying extra for hand baggage. Needless to say, people are deeply anti the idea. What a surprise!
The research was commissioned as part of World Travel Market, the annual travel trade jamboree in London where travel destinations and companies from around the world meet to talk and forecast what might happen.
88% of those questioned said that charges would deter them from using an airline but we know that this reluctance will be short lived. In a little while passengers will view it as being another of those nasty little hiccups that mean you are fleeced of more money by the airlines. As I said in my previous story, the issue for us travellers will be if other airlines follow suit.
Yet WTM’s analysis is that the airlines are in a head-on collision with travellers.
What rubbish!
We will harrumph over breakfast and moan to friends. We will complain at the time that we book but just like hold baggage charges and confirmed seats on low cost airlines I anticipate that we will weakly learn to accept it. We’ll say we’ll switch airlines and we might go to the trouble of searching elsewhere. We may even take less cabin luggage so that we don’t have to pay but sooner or later we will accept it. I cannot see us not flying. What may happen in time is that we will fly less. But if the high APD charges that we pay don’t deter us will another much smaller one? I think readers can answer that question themselves!