Demasocialists Look To Regulate Airline Bag Fees

22 Nov, 2011 by William Teach

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What is socialism truly about? It is one of the three Democracy models, along with (classical) Liberalism and (classical) Conservatism. What distinguishes and makes the Socialism model is that the government is heavily involved in the private sector, from regulation all the way up to owning businesses. Our government model has already moved heavily into socialism, and Democrats want to move it further, and dictate even more to the airlines how they can run their businesses

(Washington Post) Too much carry-on luggage toted by other passengers recently emerged as the No. 1 complaint of air travelers, and with the Thanksgiving travel crush underway, Congress might consider limiting the bag fees that airlines can charge.

Those per-bag fees that airlines have been charging for checked luggage have led passengers to push the carry-on limits, slowing down airport security checkpoints and creating a mad scramble to lay claim to overhead bins once people board.

“Many airlines consider checking a bag not to be a right, but a privilege – and one with a hefty fee attached,” said Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.), who has introduced legislation that would “guarantee passengers one checked bag without the financial burden of paying a fee, or the headache of trying to fit everything into a carry-on.”

The bill, co-sponsored by Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin (D-Md.), would allow passengers to check one bag for free and prohibit fees for regular-size carry-on bags. It also requires that airlines tell passengers about restrictions on size, weight and number of bags before they arrive at the airport. And it mandates that airlines make public their fees for all types of baggage and for preferred seating.

So, because some people have complained about the baggage fees, members of the United States Senate will attempt to tell the airlines what, how, and when they can charge for those fees? That, my friends, is socialism, pure and simply. They are private companies, and the federal government should not interfere. Sure, some regulations, when applied across all business, make sense, such as anti-discrimination laws (though, if a company was discriminatory in today’s marketplace, they’d find themselves boycotted heavily and closing their doors). Regulations designed to stop planes sitting on the tarmac with captive passengers for hour after hour make sense. Bag fees? That goes way to far, way to far. What’s next, regulating how much they can charge for drinks and snacks?

In a sane world, this would not be something that government would consider getting involved in, especially when there are more important things to do, like finally passing a budget in the Senate. Alas, Democrats feel that it’s more important for Los Federales to tell private businesses how they must operate.

Crossed at Pirate’s Cove. Follow me on Twitter @WilliamTeach.