Shaheen, five others fight airlines on carryon bag charges

ATLANTA (AP) - New Hampshire Sen. Jeanne Shaheen and five other Democratic senators want to tax any U.S. airline that tries to charge passengers for their carryon bags.

The legislation announced Wednesday comes after a small Florida airline, Spirit Airlines, said recently that it plans to begin charging its customers as much as $45 to bring a bag aboard its aircraft and put it in an overhead bin.

Air travelers have been forced to pay a barrage of fees for once-free amenities since 2008. Critics say charging for carryon bags is stepping over the line.

The legislation would designate carryon baggage as a necessity for air travelers, and force airlines to pay a tax on that revenue.

The senators argue this would keep more airlines from following Spirit's lead.