Pack light, come early and bring extra cash

The rules are unchanged for travelers ticketed in first or business class, as well as those with elite status on that carrier's frequent flier program, unaccompanied minors and military personnel traveling on active duty. The checked bag allowances also stay the same for passengers taking international flights, usually two free pieces of checked luggage, but US Airways is applying the new one-free-bag rule to its flights to the Caribbean and Mexico.

If you're boarding a domestic flight at Pittsburgh International to make an international connection with the same carrier at another airport, the allowance will apply. If you're either interrupting your journey at the connection city or flying internationally on a different carrier, you may still be charged for that second checked bag on the domestic leg of that trip.

The charges are per bag each way for domestic flights, so a second bag to check will cost at least $50 extra round trip. All additional baggage charges are due on the spot and must be paid with a credit or debit card, cash or check. And since it's not possible to pay the extra bag fee in advance, be prepared to have to go through the process both ways.

Additional bag fees also apply to sports equipment, so if you want to take your skis or golf clubs on your trip, plan to pay $50 for the privilege, unless you have no other luggage to check. Larger items are even more problematic.

That's why US Airways now recommends that passengers consider using alternative shipping services such as Sports Express (www.sportsexpress.com) to transport their equipment to their vacation destination, albeit at considerable extra cost. For example, Sports Express quotes a charge of $193.29 each way to transport a large golf bag between Pittsburgh and Phoenix.

But don't think about getting around the limitation on the number of bags by packing one bigger one. Carriers around the globe have begun enforcing their limits on bags that are heavier than 50 pounds or whose cumulative dimensions (height, width and length) measure more than 62 inches.

Charges for luggage exceeding those specifications can range up to $100 per piece each way. Luggage size and weight limitations can be even tighter for both smaller planes and on international flights.

Curbside check-ins are another consideration.

For US Airways, new rules applying to curbside check-ins begin tomorrow, a spokesman said. Passengers will now be able to check only one bag at the curb. If you have more bags per passenger, or a single bag which is either oversize or overweight, you'll have to check in at the counter inside. The same goes if your journey will be taking you out of the country, even if you'll actually be departing from another international gateway.

Also know that if you have only one bag to check US Airways now charges $2 for the convenience of using the curbside service. That $2 is in addition to any tip you'd normally give to skycaps who actually handle the bags, who get no part of that fee. (In fact, skycaps have lost so many tips since the fees were imposed lawsuits have been filed against several airlines, including US Airways, to end the fees and provide reimbursement to skycaps for lost income. A Boston jury already has awarded $325,000 in lost tips to nine skycaps who sued United Airlines.)

Other carrier's curbside policies differ. Continental and Delta still check more than one bag at the curb, but skycaps can only take cash for extra charges.

The new rules are sure change how people pack vacation, but they will also affect business travelers who regularly take sample cases, merchandise displays or other bulky items on their trips. At the very least, the rules provides extra incentive for them to keep elite flier status.

And the change will undoubtedly motivate more passengers to carry more onto the plane, further clogging the process of clearing security.

Will these extra fees improve either the airlines' reliability of baggage handling or the timeliness with which it is delivered at the journey's end?

Somehow, when carriers are scrabbling for every penny of revenue they can squeeze out of each paying passenger, we doubt it.

What's next, a seat belt usage charge at $1 per click?