[Phillips:] Delta Airlines took heavy fire this week after hitting U.S. soldiers headed home from Afghanistan with are you ready for this? Excess baggage fees. Almost $3,000 which the soldiers had to pay out of their own pockets. Well, it's been such a PR nightmare that the airlines beaten into a retreat. Marty Savidge reports.
[Martin Savidge, Cnn Correspondent:] The Pentagon likes to say the U.S. has the best trained soldiers in the world. Turns out, they're also pretty media savvy. While on their flight to Atlanta, two of the soldiers recorded a video about their frustration and posted it on YouTube.
[Staff Sgt. Robert O'hair, U.s. Army:] So you're saying that our military travel orders authorized us to carry four bags, correct?
[Unidentified Male:] Yes, that's correct, sir.
[O'hair:] All right. So what happened to the soldiers that actually had four bags?
[Unidentified Male:] We had actually ended up paying out of pocket, our own money, to allow that fourth bag to be taken on the plane.
[O'hair:] How much did you pay?
[Unidentified Male:] $200. Per bag.
[O'hair:] All right, so
[Savidge:] Close to 200,000 hits later and Delta was issuing an apology in the form of a blog, implying the soldiers had simply been misinformed they could check four bags. "We would like to publicly apologize to those servicemen and women for any miscommunications," the statement went on. "We are currently looking further into the situation and we'll be reaching out to each of them personally to address their concerns and work to correct any issues they had faced." The statement appeared to do little to stem the withering fire of public outrage.
[Krochalis:] It's unforgivable that Delta couldn't make an exception and cut these boys some slack.
[Savidge:] Less than 24 hours later, Delta was in full retreat, abruptly changing its military baggage allowance announcing the move in a press release. "Delta Airlines today increased its free checking baggage allotment for U.S. military traveling on orders in economy class to four checked bags." And that is how two U.S. soldiers fought off an entire airline to win the battle of the bags.
[Staff Sgt. Frederick Hilliker, U.s. Army:] Thank you. We are actually happy to be back to America. God bless America.
[Phillips:] Unbelievable. Thousands of dollars. And Marty, you know, you and I know our soldiers fly commercially all the time. So why all of the sudden is this checked baggage issue coming up now?
[Savidge:] Well, you know, in Delta's defense, they had in their Web site, and it's been stated by the company for a long time that they had a three-bag limit and you know, if you have beyond that, you had to pay for the fourth one. But really, you know, Kyra, this all could have been solved at check- in because if you had somebody who had the power with the airlines to just say, look, normally, guys, it is three bags. But you know what today, it's four. Welcome home. That would have ended it. No black eye. None of the media would be camped out here talking about this story today. Unfortunately, it turned into a nightmare P.R.-wise for Delta.
[Phillips\:] Yes, it just seems like such a no-brainer. I mean, come on, give these men and women a break.
[Savidge:] Yes.
[Phillips:] All right. Well, it's resolved itself. Marty, thanks so much. We're checking other stories cross-country now: Police in Oakland, California, searching for this man. They say that he burglarized a woman's home Tuesday morning before sexually assaulting her. Investigators hope that the 13 seconds of video the victim was able to capture will actually help get him. Seventy-seven Air Force ROTC cadets are recovering after a lightning bolt struck their camp near Hattiesburg, Mississippi. We're told that none of them were hurt, but four of them or four were close to that lighting actually when it struck. And in West Virginia, people lining up along the side of the highway to see the so-called miracle plane make its move. The jet, as you know, famous for the 2009 emergency landing right into the Hudson River is being transported from New Jersey to an aviation museum in North Carolina. And in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, the relocation of a local museum and library is getting lots of attention, not to mention videotape as the move is actually being recorded. Time lapse, as you can see here it's always cool to watch. And all the entire move could take anywhere from four to eight weeks. Still ahead, no more twisting and turning to see how your butt looks in those jeans. A new product could revolutionize your shopping experience. You'll want to see it.