Do you like to check bags when you travel in the US? Things are getting more expensive for you. JetBlue started the trend a few weeks ago the followed by United, then yesterday Delta followed suit. American not to be outdone announced increased prices today.  All of them raising the cost of a checked bag from $25 to $30 going forward. A solid 20% increase.

This could be quite expensive with an easy $60 to $120 extra cost on round-trip for two. Clearly, US airlines continue to push for additional fees and squeezing the consumer.  With this, mainline carriers are continuing to adopt  the practices of low-cost carriers like Spirit or Frontier who have been charging fees for anything and everything already. The airlines will also be raising the fees for the second bag.

Southwest continues to be only airline that continues to offer up to two checked bags complimentary for each passenger.

To put things into perspective, in the first half of 2018 the four above mentioned airlines collected over $1.5 billion in checked bag fees alone. 

Checked bag fees waived with credit cards

If you are trying to get around these fees, there is a solution. All of the above mentioned airlines have credit cards that will waive the first checked bag fee. Unfortunately, all of them also come with an annual fee after the first year. However, the savings from a single round–trip could more than make up for the annual fee.

The only other way around this is having status with those airlines. That will also continue to allow you to check a bag for free.

Summary

I think it is fair to say that we can expect even more people trying to avoid checking bags which will extend the boarding process. The already limited overhead space will be at even more of a premium. Airlines are continuing to add or increase fees into daily travel and get every last bit of money from travelers.

Do you normally check a bag or do you try to avoid it at all cost?