When bringing fewer outfits still left no space in her bag, Phoenix social worker Melissa Meierdirks decided to ship home her purchases during a business trip to Denver recently, ‘just to avoid the extra bag or the extra weight that could be charged for my bag.’ Instead of trying to cram sweatshirts and glass souvenirs into an already-full bag to be checked on her flight home, Meierdirks shipped her mementos in one box via FedEx to the tune of about $30. Meierdirks is among throngs of travelers trying to shed some weight from their baggage to trim the high cost of flying with it. Major airlines including United Airlines, US Airways and American Airlines have begun charging $15 to check the first bag and $25 for the second to counter high jet-fuel costs that are siphoning their profits. Air Transport Association spokeswoman Victoria Day estimates the airline industry will spend $61 billion this year on fuel, $20 billion more than last year. United alone is looking at a $3.5 billion increase; spokeswoman Robin Urbanski said all of the $275 million it hopes to earn in baggage-handling fees will go toward paying that off. The fee changes […]