Many major airlines (Continental, Delta, Northwest, United, and US Airways) are limiting the number of bags you can check free to one per coach passenger, effective May 5, 2008. UPDATE: American Airlines just announced it will limit the free allowance to one bag for tickets purchased on or after May 12, 2008.

Some people will be exempt from the new charges. As one example, here is who gets a free pass at Delta:

*MOUSE PRINT: “Business Elite® and First Class passengers are allowed 3 checked bags at no charge up to 70 lbs. ” [see checked baggage rule]

What are the fees if you go over the limit at Delta for coach passengers?

*MOUSE PRINT:

So the first extra bag is $25 each way, but additional bags can be as high as $180 each way. And if you are flying overseas, forget it. They could ding you for as much $600 each way.

To add insult to injury, Delta still maintains other baggage rules that must be complied with, or you will be assessed an additional penalty:

*MOUSE PRINT:

*MOUSE PRINT: Delta actual says:

You’ll be charged an excess baggage fee each time you go over any one of the free allowances.

For example, if you have an extra piece of baggage that goes over the weight limit and the size limit, then you’ll be charged 3 times:

• once for the extra bag,
• once for going over the size limit, and
• once for going over the weight limit.

Fees are for each additional bag, each way.

In other words, you will be triple surcharged. If that was your second bag, it would cost you $25 for going over the limit, plus $80 more because it was too heavy, plus $150 more because it was oversized. That is $255 in all. And the charge is each way.

The rules vary airline to airline. Here is a summary of airline baggage policies with links to the actual policy detail.

The friendly skies are looking anything but friendly these days.