Delta Passenger Abandons Luggage To Avoid $1,400 Fee

A frustrated Delta passenger thought it better to leave his bags with all their belonging inside than to face $1,400 in fees.

Have you ever thought that airlines are just ridiculous in the amount they charge for checked bags? This guy certainly did, NBC News reported on Tuesday.

The Delta Airlines passenger was en route from Seattle Tacoma International Airport to New York’s JFK Airport with seven bags and facing over $1,000 worth in fees. What a nightmare.

Ross Feinstein, a spokesman for the Transportation Security Administration, said the TSA was notified of the unattended luggage at around 1 a.m. local Seattle time near the check-in area for Delta Airlines. As a precaution and following procedures authorities responded to clear the bags.

Christina Faine, spokeswoman for the airport, said in an email that one of the bags was suspicious and it was passed through X-rays and later determined to be fine.

Feinstein added that the Delta passenger was identified and later intercepted when he arrived at his destination, but it was determined that no criminal attempt was made.

The unidentified passenger is not alone thinking that he is being charged too much for baggage.

The Bureau of Transportation Statistics found that US airlines collected around $3.5 billion in baggage fees from passengers in 2012, and Delta Air Lines has sat at the top of the list every year since 2009.

In the first quarter of 2013, Delta brought in $191 million in baggage fees, which is the highest amount for any airline, followed by United, US Airways, and American Airlines.

This is an extreme case, although Delta admits that they find unattended bags on a regular basis. This particular passenger must have been traveling with some heavy bags.

Delta currently charges $25 for the first checked bag, $35 for the second checked bag on domestic flights. Your third checked bag costs $125 and bags 4-10 are $200 each.

Would you leave your bags as the Delta passenger did if your fees went over $1,000 or should the person know better?

[Image via Erasmus Wolff / Shutterstock.com]