Three more airlines have joined Delta in changing their checked baggage fee policies, after two soldiers made a video expressing their outrage at the fees - and that video went viral.
The Department of Defense announced today United Airlines, American Airlines, and Continental Airlines (along with Delta) are increasing the number of bags active-duty servicemembers can check without charge.
Home Post blogged yesterday about Army Staff Sgts. Fred Hilliker and Robert O'Hair, who were so angered by being charged for their fourth bag (filled with Army equipment) that they shot a video while flying from Baltimore to Atlanta. (The men were on their way home from a deployment in Afghanistan.) They posted their video on YouTube, and from there it caught fire.
According to a DoD news release, Delta, Continental, and United airlines will now allow active-duty troops to check as many as four bags without charging a fee. American Airlines' new policy allows troops to check up to five bags without fees, whether they are flying on duty or for personal reasons. American spokesman Tim Smith explains:
Pentagon officials say servicemembers are virtually always reimbursed for checked baggage fees when they fly on official business.
OK, so just in case you haven't seen the now-viral Hilliker and O'Hair YouTube video, I've posted it below:
http://youtu.be/Jy1k6XWH8y0
