Airlines all raise fees
America’s four biggest carriers have all recently raised checked‑bag fees, meaning the old price advantage for some passengers is disappearing. (businessinsider.com) In practice this means American’s baseline baggage prices now mirror Delta, United and Southwest, so adding a checked bag will be a predictable extra cost across most major flights. (thepointsguy.com)
A checked bag on the biggest United States airlines is turning into something like a seat assignment fee: not part of the ticket, but close enough that many travelers now have to budget for it every time. American Airlines raised its domestic first-bag fee on April 9, 2026, after Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, JetBlue Airways, and Southwest Airlines had already moved. (aa.com) (businessinsider.com) American now charges $50 for a first checked bag at the airport on trips within the United States, Puerto Rico, and the United States Virgin Islands, or $45 if you pay online. Its second checked bag is now $60 at the airport, or $55 online. (aa.com) That puts American almost exactly where its rivals already landed. Delta lists $35 for a first standard checked bag on domestic flights, Southwest lists $35 for a first checked bag on its basic fares, and recent reporting says United’s new minimum is $45 while JetBlue also raised fees by at least $4. (delta.com) (southwest.com) (businessinsider.com 1) (businessinsider.com 2) The old exception was Southwest Airlines, which spent years advertising “bags fly free” as a simple way to look cheaper than everyone else. By April 2026, Southwest had replaced that perk with a $35 first-bag fee on basic, choice, and choice preferred fares, while keeping free bags for its higher fares and some loyalty customers. (apnews.com) (southwest.com) The reason these changes are bunching together is fuel. Business Insider and Reuters both reported that airlines tied the fee increases to a jump in jet fuel prices after the Iran war pushed energy markets higher in late March and early April 2026. (businessinsider.com) (usnews.com) Airlines like bag fees because they work like a meter that starts running after you buy the ticket. A carrier can keep the headline fare closer to a rival’s search result, then collect more money from the passengers who show up with a roller bag that will not fit under the seat. (thepointsguy.com) (aa.com) American did not stop with bags. Its April 9 announcement also made basic economy more restrictive by saying that, later in spring 2026, AAdvantage elite members on the cheapest fares will lose upgrade and seat-selection perks that standard main cabin tickets still keep. (aa.com) (thepointsguy.com) That is the part casual travelers feel last. The first hit is the bag fee at checkout, but the second hit is that the cheapest fare bucket is becoming more stripped down, so the difference between “basic economy” and a regular economy ticket starts to look like the difference between a bare hotel room and one that includes breakfast and late checkout. (thepointsguy.com) (aa.com) There are still ways around the fee, but they are mostly loyalty products. Delta waives a first checked bag for some Delta SkyMiles American Express cardholders, American advertises a free first checked bag on domestic itineraries for some Citi AAdvantage cardholders, and Southwest now gives a first free checked bag to Rapid Rewards credit cardmembers and two free bags to some top-tier customers. (delta.com) (aa.com) (southwest.com) So the practical change is not just that one airline got pricier. It is that four giant carriers now treat a checked suitcase less like part of flying and more like an add-on, which makes the real price of a “cheap” ticket easier for airlines to hide and easier for frequent-flyer members to dodge than everyone else. (aa.com) (delta.com) (southwest.com)
