LOS ANGELES — The rolling revolution in suitcases is idling those airline terminal luggage carts — costing airports and cart rental companies millions of dollars in lost revenue.
The demand for airport luggage carts, which has been declining with the growing popularity of wheeled luggage, has dropped further that airline baggage fees are forcing passengers to travel lighter. At Los Angeles International Airport, cart rentals once provided at least $2.75 million in annual revenue. Now, the airport is losing nearly $1 million a year under a deal that obligates it to provide free carts to foreign travelers.
The same scenario is playing out across the country. Airports in Seattle; New York; Tampa, Fla.; Phoenix and Las Vegas are among those saying cart concessions either aren’t the cash cows they used to be or have turned from a source of income to an expense.
Easy-rolling luggage and airline baggage fees get most of the blame.
Wheels have been on suitcases for decades, but the design took off after Northwest Airlines pilot Bob Plath came up with the idea for a suitcase in 1987 with built-in wheels and an extendable tow handle. And now that passengers are packing fewer belongings to avoid airline baggage fees, travelers say it is largely unnecessary to pay between $3 and $5 to rent airport luggage carts.
“Now that the airlines charge to check bags, I fly with less,” said Jim Slade, who recently flew from Los Angeles to Montana.
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