How airline fees turned baggage into billions

Business Daily

BBC

News, Business

4.4 • 796 Ratings

🗓️ 14 May 2025

⏱️ 18 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

From extra bags to choosing a seat, airline passengers are faced with an array of extras, for a fee.

And stricter limits for luggage in particular have turned 'compatible' suitcases and bags into big business.

From bag manufacturers, racing to design the next travel bag innovation, to the travel influencers building audiences by sharing money-saving packing hacks.

But what do passengers think about it all?

Presenter: Sam Gruet

Producer: Megan Lawton

(Image: A woman packing a suitcase. Credit: Getty Images)

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello and welcome to Business Daily on the BBC World Service.
0:05.5	I'm Sam Gruet.
0:06.6	Today, we're in the airport departure lounge, unpacking and repacking your luggage,
0:12.5	and rummaging through the world of optional extras.
0:16.1	All airlines have begun to embrace these fees.
0:19.9	It is big, big business.
0:22.8	From additional luggage to choosing seats, passengers spent 150 billion US dollars on flight extras
0:29.7	last year, according to recent estimates, up a quarter on 2023.
0:34.8	We'll meet some of the businesses cashing in.
0:36.7	You know, we've seen huge spikes in consumer searches online in our website, for example.
0:42.5	The passengers pushing back.
0:44.2	Yeah, I usually try to travel as light as I can, so I stuff everything into a small backpack.
0:48.6	It gets a little bit too full.
0:50.2	And get the inside scoop from the boss of one of the world's biggest airlines.
0:54.9	Some of the European operators, they charge for the baggage,
0:57.9	and the result is that everyone wants to take its baggage on board, right?
1:01.3	You've got long lines, a long queue up, and endless debates at gates with luggage and all.
1:05.8	How airline fees turn baggage into billions, coming up on business daily.
1:13.2	We're starting outside this downtown airport in Toronto, where there's a steady stream of
1:18.8	travellers, not to mention wheelie suitcases coming and going.
1:22.6	Where are you flying in from?
1:23.8	Boston.
	...

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