There goes the pasalubong!

American Airlines will start to charge for checked-in luggage in June! Apparently, American Airlines have been charging $25 for a second checked-in bag since last week. But effective June, even just 1 checked-in bag will require a $15 payment. According to the LA Times, these new charges have been blamed on rising fuel costs. Here are the cost of checking in, from the LA Times:

* First checked bag, $15 (takes effect June 15)
* Second checked bag, $25 (took effect May 12)
* Third, fourth and fifth bags, $100 each, increased from $80 (May 12)
* Sixth through ninth bags, $200 each, increased from $105 to $180 (May 12)
* Oversized-baggage fee, $150 each, increased from $100 (immediately)

It's a good thing that this applies only to domestic U.S. travel and not international travel. According to American Airlines' current baggage rules, travellers to Asia can have two checked-in bags weighing 50lbs each -- which is still 20lbs lower than Northwest and PAL's baggage allowances. Despite the increase in oil prices, I hope our local airlines won't be charging us for checked-in bags and will continue to offer low fares (zero fares from cebupac and Php88 fares from PAL!)

Avent on BPA

In response to the growing concern over BPA, Avent posted its own statement addressing the issue. I have some comments on their statement. (pagbigyan nyo na ako.. )

Do Philips AVENT baby bottles contain Bisphenol A (BPA)?

Philips AVENT reusable bottles, such as the AirFlex, are made from polycarbonate plastic. Polycarbonate plastic is approved for use and lawful for sale in every country where Philips AVENT products are sold, including in North America and Europe.

Hmm.. evading the question.. The question here is whether the bottles contain BPA and not "what are the bottles made of". Avent doesn't answer the question and instead requires the consumer to research what "polycarbonate plastic" is -- it contains BPA.

Has Health Canada banned the sale of polycarbonate plastic?

No. For more information on Health Canada’s assessment you can visit its website at http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca.

Actually, Health Canada plans to ban the sale of polycarbonate plastic for baby bottles (which is what Avent sells).

What bottles are safe to use with my breast pump?

The Philips AVENT VIA storage systems allows you to express, store and feed from the same convenient containers, which are made from materials that do not contain BPA.

The VIA system is BPA-free but the horns for the Avent breastpump are not. It seems that Medela has a monopoly on BPA-free horns.

Finally, Avent has stated that they will be releasing a new product this summer (U.S. summer) -- which are BPA-free baby bottles. Isn't it just contradictory? They stand by the safety of BPA but will be introducing BPA-free bottles? Avent's stand is:

"We have full confidence in our current bottle, which has been used by millions of healthy babies in over 70 countries worldwide. We always strive to reach new levels of design and engineering excellence to meet the evolving needs of parents and babies. Building on its already diverse portfolio of infant feeding products, Philips AVENT will introduce new materials into its line this summer."

For a complete listing of Avent's materials listing, check this document.