by Ed Wetschler
Ryanair started charging for checked luggage before American Airlines, but blame American for having made nickel-and-diming safe for other U.S.-based carriers. Today all the major U.S. carriers – Delta, Continental, United, U.S. Airlines – charge $25* for the first checked bag on domestic flights and $35 for the second (checking in online only saves a couple of dollars). And for the final insult, on August 1st Spirit Airlines initiated fees for carry-on luggage.
The major airline
