I am part of United's mileage plus program and thanks to the way-too-much travelling I do, am a premier member. (I would have to fly 50,000 a year to get to the next level and I cannot imagine travelling that much more!)

I just received an email alerting me that United is going to start charging $25 for a second checked bag. This doesn't apply to me because I have "status" with my miles. With the rising cost of fuel, I suppose it isn't too surprising and possibly an interesting way to avoid raising airfares across the board significantly. This way, you just pay a little extra if you are loading more stuff onto the plane.

But geeze, what's next, airfare based on weight?