When you go to the post office at Christmas, you don’t expect your bulky package to be sent to its destination for free, do you?  Why should you expect that from an airline?  If you fly from Denver to Boston, for example, and check a bag, at least five people handle your bag, plus a few more if you make a connection.  Why should that level of service be free??  The airlines made a big mistake not charging for checked baggage from day one.

Charging for overhead locker storage is a different story.  But I agree with Franke—if you expect to be charged for it, you’ll have a different interaction with the staff than if you are surprised by it.  As long as the airline is up-front about what they charge for, I’m fully supportive of ULCCs.