[stevicus]

I notice a lot of complaints here seem to revolve around baggage issues, mainly the surprise fees and other unexpected maladies that come with trying to load one's baggage on a plane. It seems that airlines are adding new fees to baggage, presumably because the cost of the service exceeds whatever benefit it may provide.

Also, I could be wrong, but I get the impression that airlines are required to transport baggage on the exact same plane the passenger is traveling on.

Would it be cheaper and more efficient if the airlines contracted that service out? Or, better still, is it possible for passengers to choose to have their luggage shipped some other way, via FedEx or UPS or some other overnight carrier? I'm not sure that FedEx or UPS even wants that kind of business, but it might be a way for them to pick up an extra few bucks, since they have those big cargo planes going all over the place anyway.