, Columnist
Why Baggage Is Emotional
Carriers' best hopes of making a profit come from selling everything bar plane tickets.
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Why does Malaysia Airlines' recent volte-face over checked baggage bother us so much?
It's not just the comedy and irritation of telling passengers heading to Europe in mid-winter they can't bring check-in luggage, and then reversing course less than 24 hours later. Nor is it only about the carrier's sorry history over the past few years, encompassing two fatal crashes and subsequent rescue by the country's sovereign wealth fund.