Airlines Are Upping Their Baggage Fees

Some of us remember the fond age of air travel when checked luggage was included in the price of your ticket. In recent years, apart from anomalies like Southwest’s two-free policy, a checked bag fee has become standard on most airlines.

In the past few weeks, likely due to rising fuel prices, many of the leading carriers have upped that cost for economy class passengers. Last month, JetBlue increased their $25 fee by five dollars for the first checked bag, and within days, United followed suit. Since then, Delta has become the most recent major carrier to raise baggage fees, also charging $30 for the first checked bag under 50 pounds and $40 for the second. Southwest’s bag policy, meanwhile, remains unchanged, though they have begun to charge more for popular EarlyBird boarding; American Airlines (the largest air carrier, by both fleet size and passenger volume, in the world) has yet to bump up baggage fees.

Execs from both Delta and JetBlue have commented on growing fuel costs, which have increased substantially (as much as 50%, according to the Wall Street Journal) in the past year. Perhaps we can’t change the rising fees, but if it means getting more creative about how we pack for a trip, we’re up for the challenge.