Steamed travelers sound off

Air travelers are mad, and some of them just won't take it anymore.

After American Airlines announced Wednesday it would start charging next month for all checked luggage, Seattle Times readers unleashed their anger online.

More than 150 people posted comments in about two hours on The Times' Web site. They ranged from "I'll never fly American again" and "What kind of marketing idiots are they?" to warnings of chaos on the planes as passengers travel with supersized carry-on bags. Others wryly wondered where airline fees will end: Will passengers be charged by their weight? Will there be pay toilets on planes?

Here's a sample of their comments:

"This is absurd to charge for even one bag. If you are going on a week's vacation with a family of four, how are you not supposed to check baggage? Everyone is going to try to do carry-ons, and it's going to be chaos."

— Renee, Kent

"How much worse — more time-consuming, more crowded and more unpleasant — will this make boarding a plane? People will want to carry on steamer trunks to avoid the fees. American Airlines has never had my business very often, but that small percentage has dropped to zero."

— Jim S., Seattle

"If the ticket prices were cheaper, it would make sense to charge for checking a bag. For example in Europe, for easyJet and Ryanair, the base tickets are cheap so they charge for extra bags and food. However, the price of tickets on American is already high. ... I think it's ridiculous to charge extra for checking a bag."

— C.R., Seattle

"... If they are going to start charging for checked luggage, they better start doing a better job of not losing it!"

— Anita, Seattle

"Why not charge realistic ticket prices and kill all the extra surcharges? Why not give a $15 discount to the ticket price for someone not bringing checked luggage."

— Jason, Everett

"I think charging for even one bag is a rip-off. I will not be flying as often. ... My husband and I usually fly to see our children and grandchildren. Maybe phone calls and pictures will have to do."

— Sheril, Everett