Allegiant Air charging $35 to stow bags in overhead bins

Only small bags that can fit under the seat will be free

New policy, which starts today, means passengers can’t avoid paying the airline a baggage fee unless belongings can fit under a seat.

LAS VEGAS — Starting today, Allegiant Air is charging passengers up to $35 to stow carry-on bags in its overhead storage bins.

Allegiant’s new policy, which doesn’t apply to tickets booked before today, means passengers cannot avoid paying the airline a fee for their bags unless all their belongings can fit into a small “personal item” bag that can fit under the seat in front of them.

Allegiant charges a fee for checked luggage: $35 if done at the airport or $15 to $30 if the fee is paid online, depending on the route.

The Las Vegas-based airline is the second U.S. carrier to charge fliers for carry-on bags that have to be stored in bins during flights.

Florida-based Spirit Airlines began charging passengers up to $45 for carry-ons last year. The new charge sparked protests from passengers’ rights advocates and threats of action from Congress.

Spirit’s fee remains in place, and the airline’s CEO, Ben Baldanza, has proclaimed it a success.

Allegiant says it will offer a discounted rate to passengers who pay online ahead of their flight for carry-on bags. It hasn’t announced what the discounted charge will be, but Allegiant spokesman Brian Davis said most would be $10 to $15, depending on route.

He says that the airline will monitor customer reaction to the fee but that it doesn’t expect lasting repercussions.

Davis points out that Allegiant was one of the first airlines to begin charging for soft drinks in 2005. “People told us we were crazy and that there would be a backlash from our customers,” Davis says. “But there wasn’t a backlash, because people knew they were still getting a great deal.”

Davis says the carry-on fee is being driven by a combination of factors, including rising fuel costs that are hitting all airlines, and slower boarding because more people are carrying more bags onto planes to avoid paying to check them.

Allegiant says it hopes the fee will prompt customers to reconsider their packing habits and that the fee will bring a better balance between the number of carry-on bags and the number that are checked — thereby easing the jostling between passengers for space in overhead bins.

And, Davis says, if the fee prompts some passengers to pack lighter, they can help reduce Allegiant’s fuel costs by lightening the load of its planes.

“Behavior change is an important part of it,” Davis says of the fee. “Our customers can watch their shopping cart fill up (on the airline’s booking page) and decide whether that’s a reasonable cost before they buy their ticket.”