An airline's plan to charge up to $45 for passengers to store carry-on luggage in overhead bins has riled two Democratic senators enough for them to write legislation banning such a practice.
Democratic Sen. Ben Cardin of Maryland and Sen. Mary Landrieu of Louisiana introduced the bill, dubbed the "Free of Fees for Carry-On Act," Tuesday.
"Unlike heavy suitcases, that belong down in an aircraft's hold, carry-on luggage is where people keep items essential to their health, work and safety like laptop computers, medications, food to eat on the plane, baby formula, eye glasses and other essentials that need to be kept close at hand," Cardin said in a statement.
Spirit Airlines announced April 6 it will charge passengers $45 at the airport to store baggage in overhead bins. Customers can pay a reduced $30 fee in advance.
"I understand that at this point only one airline has announced plans to charge for carry-on item fees, but we cannot allow these flood gates to open," Cardin said in the statement.
The Cardin-Landrieu bill comes after fellow Democrat Sen. Charles Schumer of New York called the fees a "slap in the face to travelers" Sunday and said he had asked the Treasury Department to rule that carry-on bags are a necessity for travel, which would make them exempt from a separate fee outside the ticket price, the Associated Press reports. - CBS News Story
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