JetBlue Just Raised Its Baggage Fees

Thanks to JetBlue, we may soon be facing higher fees on airlines because of a raise in their checked baggage rates; the airline raised the amounts for the first and second checked bags by $5, and the rates for a third checked bag by $50. Will other airlines soon follow suit? Some industry analysts think so.

In 2015, JetBlue introduced checked bag fees, much to the chagrin of the airline’s customers, who were accustomed to free checked bags as part of JetBlue’s low-cost scheme. Now, JetBlue has turned the tables again, leading the way in raising fees for baggage.

JetBlue’s new checked baggage fees increased between five and fifty dollars, depending on what number the bag is. The first checked bag now costs $30 instead of $25, the second is now $40 instead of $35 and the third bag is a whopping $150, up from $100.

“As a matter of good business, we constantly review and adjust our ancillary pricing to ensure a healthy business so we can continue offering the best customer experience of any U.S. airline,” JetBlue spokesman Doug McGraw told Travel Weekly in an email.

So far, no other airline has raised their baggage fees – including industry holdout Southwest, who still allows passengers to fly checked bag fee-free for two bags.

“I’ve been predicting this for years that bag fee inflation would help airlines cope with high fuel prices rather than raising fares,” George Hobica, president of Airfarewatchdog.com, told Travel Weekly. “Other airlines will follow. They always do once a competitor takes the first step.”

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