Airline fees

Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., sent a letter to the Department of Transportation last week, asking the agency to require airlines to include carry-on baggage fees in the ticket price quoted to travelers. Officials with Las Vegas-based Allegiant Air announced days earlier they would begin charging travelers between $10 and $35 for bags that need to be stored in overhead compartments.

"The airlines are at it again, trying to see how much they can squeeze out of passengers while trying to advertise a price that is significantly lower than what the traveler will ultimately pay," Sen. Schumer said in a statement.

Washington regulars have long warned each other not to get between Sen. Schumer and a camera. This is a publicity grab, pure and simple. But this revised proposal is, at least, an improvement over Sen. Schumer's previous demand that carry-on fees be outlawed completely.

Low-cost Spirit Airlines began charging a carry-on fee in 2010. Spirit CEO Ben Baldanza says the per-bag fees allow passengers to choose which add-ons they want to pay for while keeping base fares low. He also notes that charging for checked bags but not carry-ons means loading and unloading planes today no longer involves merely watching your neighbor toss a gym bag into the overhead bin, but has instead come to resemble a village of Eastern European refugees attempting to wedge all their earthly belongings into the last train to the West.

Yes, full disclosure of prices -- including add-ons -- would be nice. But airline regulation should be limited to true health and safety issues.

Air travel is vastly less expensive today than it was 40 years ago, thanks precisely to sensible partial deregulation, especially of fares and fees. Butt out, senator. Surely the U.S. Senate has a few more pressing matters to attend to.