Two senators asked several airlines to stop charging baggage fees for the summer.
“We call on airlines to take a smart, common sense step to help thwart this growing problem: stop charging checked bag fees during the coming summer months, the busiest travel season of the year," U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal and Edward J. Markey wrote to executives at 12 major airlines.
The senators said baggage fees adds 27 percent more carry-on bags on flights, resulting in longer lines and wait times.
"Without charges for checking their bags, passengers will be far less likely to carry them on, which snarls screening checkpoints and slows the inspection process," the senators wrote.
According to the letter, the senators call the elimination of baggage fees for the summer - the busiest travel time of year - as a "common sense step."
The senators argue that airlines started charging these fees in 2007 because of the peak of fuel prices. However, since that time, fuel prices has plummeted and bag fees have spiked.
The letter went to executives at American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, Spirit Airlines, Frontier Airlines, Allegiant, JetBlue, Alaska Air, Hawaiian Airlines, Virgin America, Sun Country, and Island Air Hawaii.
