Delta Airlines is increasing the fee for the first checked bag on domestic flights by $5, to cost $35 instead of $30, joining American Airlines and United Airlines, which both declared similar hikes a few weeks ago.
Checking a second bag also goes up $5, from $40 to $45.
The higher fees by the three biggest US carriers followed similar fee hikes by smaller carriers Alaska Airlines and JetBlue Airways.
Major U.S. carriers often copy one another’s pricing changes, a move that behavior analysts sometimes refer to as “herd instinct”.
Delta last raised bag fees for domestic flights in 2018. The airline said the increase will help it keep up with unspecified rising industry costs.
Passengers with status perks, such frequent fliers who have reached a certain mileage level and holders of the American Express Delta SkyMiles card, can still check their first bag for free
Passengers with first class tickets can check two free bags
Baggage Fees are a Profit Center
According to Associated Press, checked bag fees have become a dependable source of revenue for airlines since American introduced them in 2008, when jet fuel prices were surging.
In 2022, the last full year for which statistics are available, U.S. airlines took in $6.8 billion in checked-bag fees, led by American at $1.4 billion and United at $1.1 billion. Delta was in third place with $979.4 million.
Airlines love add-on fees, including for priority seating and such, because they are not taxed, as are the actual flight tickets. So it’s pure profit.
It also means more crowding for the available overhead bins for those of us who can manage with a carry-on only.
ecoXplorer Evelyn Kanter is a journalist with 25+ years of experience as a newspaper and magazine writer, radio & TV news producer & reporter, and author of guidebooks and smartphone apps – all focusing on travel, automotive, the environment and your rights as a consumer.
ecoXplorer Evelyn Kanter currently serves as President of the International Motor Press Assn. (IMPA), a former Board Member of the Society of American Travel Writers (SATW) and a current member of the North American Travel Journalists Assn. (NATJA) and the North American Snowsports Journalists Assn. (NASJA).
Contact me at evelyn@ecoxplorer.com.
Copyright (C) Evelyn Kanter
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