Fee Alert: US Airways Hikes Overweight, Oversize Bag Fees

Contributing Editor Carl Unger believes that every trip is worth taking. He loves an extended trip to Europe as much as he enjoys exploring the towns and landscape near home. Basically, you'll find him wherever there is good food, fresh air, and plenty of stories to bring home.

Carl has been writing for SmarterTravel since 2005. His travel writing has also appeared on USA Today and the About.com Boston travel guide.

The Handy Item I Always Pack: "It's not revolutionary, but a small Moleskine notebook is my one travel must-have. It's great for noting things you want to remember and it takes up hardly any space in your bag."

Ultimate Bucket List Experience: "Japan. I'd love to take a month off and visit the cities, temples, and countryside. I'm fascinated by the country's juxtaposition of ancient traditions and modern ambitions."

Travel Motto: “Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colors. And the people there see you differently, too. Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving.” –Terry Pratchett

Aisle, Window, or Middle Seat: "Window."

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US Airways has announced major hikes to its overweight and oversize baggage fees. The new fees are effective for tickets purchased on or after February 1, for travel on or after March 1.

Here are the hikes:

Overweight bags

Formerly $50 for bags 51 to 70 lbs., hiked to $90
Formerly $100 for bags 71 to 100 lbs., hiked to $175

Oversize bags

Formerly $100 for bags 62 to 80 linear inches, hiked to $175

With these hikes, US Airways’ overweight and oversize bag fees are among the most expensive in the industry. Delta’s fees are an almost exact match, but no other airline really comes close to what US Airways now charges. Of course, that may change soon if other airlines decide to match. The sad thing is that prior to this hike, US Airways’ fees were relatively reasonable—most airlines’ fees are in the same neighborhood as US Airways’ old amounts.

For a full list of airline fees, check out our Ultimate Guide to Airline Fees, which includes the new fees from US Airways.

Readers, any tips for avoiding overweight bag charges? Any workaround for when you need to travel with an oversize bag?

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