Checked‑bag fees rise
On April 9 American Airlines and Alaska Air raised checked‑baggage fees as carriers pass soaring fuel costs to passengers, a move that now joins Delta, United, Southwest and JetBlue in higher baggage pricing. ( ).
A suitcase that cost $35 or $40 to check a few weeks ago now costs $45 or $50 on much of the United States airline industry, and American Airlines and Alaska Airlines were the latest to move on April 9. American tied the increase to tickets booked that day, while Alaska set its new prices for tickets booked on or after April 10. (cnbc.com, news.alaskaair.com) American Airlines did not just match rivals on bag fees. It made its cheapest basic economy tickets harsher than regular economy by charging $55 for a first checked bag and $65 for a second bag starting May 18, unless travelers pay online in advance and get a $5 discount. (cnbc.com) On regular American Airlines domestic and short-haul international tickets, the first checked bag now costs $50 at the airport and $45 online, and the second costs $60 at the airport and $55 online. The airline also said basic economy customers will start paying to pick seats on May 18 and will lose complimentary and systemwide upgrade eligibility even if they have status. (cnbc.com) Alaska Airlines took a slightly different route. It raised the first checked bag by $5 and the second by $10 for North American Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines flights, while keeping baggage perks in place for Atmos Rewards members, eligible cardholders, Club 49 travelers in Alaska, and Huaka‘i travelers in Hawai‘i. (news.alaskaair.com) This was the last step in a fast industry chain reaction. Delta Air Lines and Southwest Airlines said on April 7 that they were lifting first and second checked bag fees by $10 to $45 and $55, after United Airlines and JetBlue Airways had already moved the week before. (cnbc.com, cnbc.com) The trigger was fuel. Jet fuel in major United States cities reached $4.69 a gallon on April 6, up about 88% since the United States and Israel attacked Iran on February 28, according to Airlines for America data cited by CNBC. (cnbc.com) Airlines usually cannot rewrite every fare overnight, so bag fees are one of the fastest levers they can pull. CNBC reported that jet fuel is airlines’ second-biggest cost after labor, which is why carriers reached for luggage charges while trying to protect margins. (cnbc.com, cnbc.com) American Airlines also used the moment to widen the gap between “cheap seat” and “normal seat.” CNBC said the carrier has trailed Delta Air Lines and United Airlines in winning higher-spending premium customers, so it is making the bottom tier less generous while leaning harder on people who buy the lowest fare. (cnbc.com) For travelers, the new math is simple. A family of four checking one bag each on a domestic round trip can now pay roughly $360 on American Airlines if they pay airport rates, before any seat-selection charges on basic economy are added. (cnbc.com) That is why the fine print now matters almost as much as the ticket price. On several major carriers, the cheapest fare on the search page no longer tells you what the trip will cost once a suitcase touches the scale. (cnbc.com, cnbc.com)
