Ways to reduce airline baggage fees

Frequent fliers are getting whacked with massive fees for checking baggage. But there are some things you can do to reduce your out-of-pocket expenses.

Wayne Thompson of Springfield learned the lesson the hard way. He packed his carry-on bag with liquids that exceeded the 3 ounce limit and was forced to check it. He was shocked at the $20 price tag.

Besides ditching the liquids one way he could have saved would have been to log online. US Airways offers passengers a $5 discount by checking in online.

Frequent fliers on United Airlines also have another option. For an annual fee of $249, passengers and up to eight companions can avoid paying the baggage fees every time they travel.

But with $20 for the first checked bag and $30 for the second, an individual passenger would have to check two bags on at least five flights to make the annual fee worth the price.

"It's not worth it because you never really know which airline you're going to take,” Alex Wright said.

Several passengers told 22News they avoid the baggage battle by flying Southwest -- one of the few airlines that doesn’t charge to check up to two bags.