What are they thinking?

In a response to increasing complaints from customers on only being able to take one bag, Air Jamaica came up with a brilliant new scheme. See the press release below.


Kingston, Jamaica May 8, 2009 –Air Jamaica will implement a new policy for checked baggage on flights between New York and Grenada and New York and Barbados. Passengers travelling on these routes in Lovebird Economy class may now check one bag free of charge, and pay US$25 to check a second bag. Lovebird Executive Class passengers may check two bags free of charge, with a US$25 fee for a third checked bag. The new policy comes into effect May 11, 2009 for New York/Grenada and July 2, 2009 for New York/Barbados, subject to the approval of the government of Barbados.
Passengers are guaranteed delivery of the free baggage allowance on the same flight on which they travel. All other bags will be transported within seven days, and must be collected from the airport. The status of these bags may be tracked online at www.AirJamaica.com/baggage to determine when they may be collected.

So, firstly, the name Lovebird Economy class cracks me up. Never having flown Air Jamaica, I can just imagine what the benefits of this upgraded class might be. Trying to keep my blog clean and kid friendly, I will not pass on my thoughts.

Second, what happens if you are only traveling for 6 days? Just pick up your free luggage at the airport for the return flight? Or what if you are traveling and not staying in one destination? Amazing that someone came up with this.

As an aside, I traveled through Charles de Gaulle airport twice in the past few weeks. One of the things I have noticed about european airports is that the security check is much more efficient than the US. The bins are returned on a conveyor so you don't have to wait for the brain surgeon manning the line to bring them to you. Typically no long lines at all. However, at CDG, in each security line I went through you had to pick up your packed bins not once, not twice, but three times to move them from table to table to conveyor belt as there were gaps between each one. And 3 times I have seen people dump their whole bins as they try to do all this quickly with hands full so as not to provide a delay to others. How hard would it be to push the tables together or put a connecting piece of sheet metal between them so people can just push their bins and heavy carry-ons? Good lord....Perhaps this is just meant to provide comic relief to the TSA agents