Delta’s baggage fees, plus the new face of safety

Last week, Delta joined United and US Airways in charging for a second checked bag. Starting May 1, checking a second bag will cost you an extra $25.

Yesterday, Ben Mutzabaugh over at USA Today wrote this blog post about an article that asks what happens when the airline loses that second bag you’ve paid through the nose to bring. A good question if I’ve ever heard one.

If you’re hoping to hear that airlines will reimburse that fee in addition to paying out the lost bag amount if they lose your bags, then you’re going to be pretty disappointed by the anecdotes in the blog post. But, if you’ve already assumed the worst, you’re on the right track.

However, not all is bad over at Delta, now that its new safety video is quickly establishing a cult presence. Why, you might ask, would anyone go to YouTube and sit through the same safety talk everyone regularly ignores on flights?

It may have something to do with the narrator, a flight attendant dubbed “Deltalina” in reference to the similarly high cheekboned and pouty lipped Angelina Jolie. If you’re curious enough to watch, stick it out at least through the no-smoking segment, where you’ll catch the finger wag so cheesy and yet compelling that it could well end up a pop cultural reference for years to come.

But in the wake of last week’s announcement that Delta is offering 30,000 of its employees severance packages in an attempt to cut costs, one has to wonder, will those cheekbones be sent packing?