Politics | Chuck Schumer Schumer Vows to Battle Carry-On Fee Senator calls airline's new bag charge 'slap in the face to travelers' By Newser Editors and Wire Services Posted Apr 11, 2010 4:03 PM CDT Copied A JetBlue Airbus A320 that just landed (rear) taxis past another JetBlue plane being towed to a gate at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, Feb. 18, 2007. (AP Photo/Henny Ray Abrams, file) Charles Schumer said today he's trying to get the federal government to prohibit airlines from charging a fee for carry-on baggage, calling it a "slap in the face to travelers." The Democratic senator from New York is making a personal plea to the Treasury Department to rule that carry-on bags are a necessity for travel, which would make them exempt from a separate fee outside the ticket price. "Airline passengers have always had the right to bring a carry-on bag without having to worry about getting nickeled and dimed by an airline company," Schumer said. "This latest fee is a slap in the face to travelers." The fee, however, is legal. The first airline to try it, Spirit Airlines, announced last week it would charge up to $45 for a carry-on, but that it was also reducing the cost of most tickets by $40. Read These Next New Fox star, 23, misses first day after car troubles. White House rolls with Trump's 'daddy' nickname. Man accused of killing his daughters might be dead. Supreme Court ruling is a big blow to Planned Parenthood. Report an error