Let them eat baggage fees.

Everyone hates air travel. Tree hugger, teaparty dope, rich guy, poor chick. It’s the great equalizer. And, this business of making customers who already hate you fork over more money for baggage is the ultimate Let Them Eat Cake move of our time.

Now, almost as many people are mad at big banks. You can buy a pair of socks at the mall and the debit will be on your account before you get back to the car. But try to get someone on the phone to explain a late charge, and you will be in phone-tree hell long enough to throw in a load of wash and make a sandwich.

But it doesn’t have to be this way.

Consider: If I see a questionable or inacurate charge on my Visa account, I can go online and quickly  file a complaint with my credit union. They investigate, and while doing so, they do not debit my account for the amount in question. (Another reason to use credit unions. How many times do I need to tell you people this?)

So, here’s the new plan. Big banks, allow your customers to challenge any baggage fee charged to their credit card. Make it easy: no phone trees. Maybe just a text message? Then, take your time investigating it. Make those airlines wait. Make ‘em wait a loooong time.