Search Travel Market Report

mainlogo
www.travelmarketreport.com
  • News
  • Tours & Packages
  • Cruise
  • Hotels & Resorts
  • Destinations
  • Retail Strategies
  • Niche & Luxury
  • Well-Being Travel
  • Training & Events
  • Who We Are
    • Anne Marie Moebes
    • Brian Israel
    • Dan McCarthy
    • Denise Caiazzo
    • Dori Saltzman
    • Kelly Fontenelle

Here Are the Bag Fees for Major Airlines — And Ways to Avoid Them

by Daniel McCarthy / September 13, 2019
Here Are the Bag Fees for Major Airlines — And Ways to Avoid Them

After a slew of increases, airlines are charging more than ever for checked bags. Photo: Shutterstock.com.


Bag fees have increasingly become a point of contention for travelers over the few several years. Here’s a roundup of the fees charged by the major airlines — and some tips on how to avoid them.

Air Canada bag fees.
Photo: Air Canada.

Air Canada and WestJet
Air Canada said that they will raise the fee for the first checked bag to $31.50, and will charge $52.50 for the second bag, for flights between the U.S. and Canada, as well as domestic flights within Canada. For flights between the U.S. and Mexico, the baggage fee will be $30 for the first bag and $50 for the second. But for flights to Europe from the U.S. or Canada, the first checked bag will be included, while the second will cost $100. And for all domestic U.S. flights, the first bag is included, with the second costing $70. 

WestJet will charge $36 for the first checked bag, and $59 for the second. 

The new baggage fees apply to travelers flying on the lowest fare types. Higher fare classes, including Air Canada’s economy flex and economy comfort fares and WestJet’s Plus passengers, and gold and silver rewards members, will continue to get the first checked bag for free.

Alaska Airlines bag fees.
Photo: Alaska Airlines.

Alaska Airlines
In October, 2019, Alaska Airlines announced it would start charging $30 for the first checked bag and $40 for the second. Matching its competitors.

The carrier will waive the fee for the first bag for a traveler, if they are an Alaska Airlines Visa cardholder. In addition, cardholders can get the first free checked bag for up to six other passengers on the same reservation. The same goes for Alaska Airlines Visa Business cardholders and Alaska Airlines World Elite MasterCard cardholders.

American Airlines bag fees.
Photo: Anton Gvozdikov/Shutterstock.com.

American Airlines
American Airlines matched its main competitors on Sept. 21 and said it would start charging $30 for the first checked bag, a day after Delta followed JetBlue and United to up the charge from $25 to $30. It also said the second checked bag would be going from $35 to $40.

Travelers in the carrier’s Premium Economy can check their first bag for free, but a second checked bag will cost $35.

American Elite members are allowed to check up to 3 bags without a fee.

Delta Air Lines bag fees.
Photo: Delta.

Delta Air Lines
As of Sept. 20, 2018, within the U.S. and Canada, Delta charges $30 for the first bag, and $40 for the second, for those in economy. Delta made the increase from $25 for the first and $35 for the second weeks after United and JetBlue did the same.

Delta Premium Select and Delta One and up, get two bags up to 70 pounds for free, but the increase in those fares is typically more than what the bag fee addition would have been.

Passengers who have a Delta SkyMiles Credit Card from American Express get one free bag when they book with the card, plus a free bag for eight travel companions.

Hawaiian Airlines bag fees.
Photo: dejjf82/Shutterstock.com.

Hawaiian Airlines
The first bag for main cabin guests traveling to North America on Hawaii Airlines costs $25, while the second checked bag runs passengers $35.

Hawaiian World Elite Mastercard members get the first bag free; Pualani Platinum members gets their first three bags free; and Pualani Gold and Club members get their first two bags free.

HawaiianMiles members get $10 off the first bag and $15 off the second, but the discount is only available for flights to neighboring islands.

JetBlue bag fees.
Photo: JetBlue.

JetBlue
JetBlue became the first major airline to require $30 for the first checked bag, when it hiked its prices late last month. It also raised the price for the second checked bag to $40 and the price for the third checked bag to $150.

One way around the fee is by upgrading to JetBlue’s next ticket tier, the Blue Plus fare, which is usually about $15 more than the base fare ticket (which JetBlue calls its Blue fare). That fare includes one free checked bag.

Passengers wanting to check two bags without paying the extra fees can upgrade again to Blue Flex, which also gives passengers free cancellations or changes and access to expedited security. That fare can be anywhere from about $100 to $150 more than the base fare depending on the route.

Southwest Airlines Bag Fees.
Photo: Southwest.

Southwest Airlines
Southwest allows economy passengers to get their first and second bags for free

“Our Bags Fly Free program is a popular offering, which our customers tell us they love. We have no current plans to change the program,” a Southwest spokesperson told Travel Market Report.

United Airlines Bag Fees.
Photo: United.

United Airlines
News broke earlier this month that United Airlines is matching the bag fees set by JetBlue. The carrier is charging $30 for the first checked bag (up from $25), $40 for the second (up from $35), and $150 for the third (up from $100). The fee for United flights to and from Canada for a second bag is now $50.

United’s Premier Silver members are eligible to check one bag for free for travel within North America, while Premier Gold member are eligible for two, and Premier Platinum and 1K members are eligible for three bags free.

Other ways to get around bag fees
As the proliferation of bag fees across the industry over the last few years have made headlines, third-party companies have sprouted up that say they save travelers time and inconvenience by sending bags through a different avenue than on their airplane.

One of those companies, Luggage Free, offers travel agent commission. According to Luggage Free, pricing for sending bags ahead of time is dynamic; it depends on the destination and type of bag, as well as the speed of shipping.

According to Jeff Boyd, who is the founder and president of Luggage Free, the service serves “hundreds of thousands” of customers at the moment, and it’s growing.

“Luggage Free enables agents to provide their customers with a truly luxurious and hassle free experience from end to end within many different price brackets,” Boyd  told TMR.

  8
  0
Related Articles
Alaska Airlines Becomes First U.S. Carrier to Completely Drop Plastic Cups
American Airlines Drops Service to Three Cities Over Pilot Shortage and ‘Soft Demand’
Report: Delta Air Lines Expected to Launch Free WiFi in 2023
The Iconic Boeing 747 Ends Its 50-Year Run
Four Changes from American Airlines’ AAdvantage Update
JetBlue and American Airlines Expand Northeast Alliance with 11 New Nonstops
Four Major Changes from JetBlue’s TrueBlue Loyalty Overhaul
First Look: JFK International’s New Terminal 8, Set to Open Tomorrow
Southwest Airlines Issues Travel Advisory for Hawaii After Mauna Loa Volcano Eruption
JetBlue Will Launch New York to Paris Service Next Summer
PREVIOUS THIS WEEK ARTICLES
Title Sponsor Visit
{{article.Title}}
View
PREVIOUS Sponsored Content Articles
Title Sponsor Visit
{{article.Title}}
View
TRAVEL INDUSTRY EDUCATION, CERTIFICATION & WEBINAR PROGRAMS
This is the most up to date aggregated list of supplier and destination educational program. Please enter the destination or product name in the search box that you are searching for.
Training Program Name Sponsor Visit
{{training.Subject}}
View

MOST VIEWED

  1. All U.S. Flights Grounded Due to FAA Computer Outage
  2. Norwegian Cruise Line Brings Back COVID-19 Requirements
  3. Delta Air Lines Will Offer Free Wi-Fi Starting on Feb. 1
  4. Forbes Says ‘You Need a Travel Advisor in 2023’
  5. Cruise Ducks: A Cruising Tradition Travel Advisors Should Know About
  6. What’s New in Travel Agent FAM Trips

MOST EMAILED

  1. Forbes Says ‘You Need a Travel Advisor in 2023’
  2. Here Are the Automatic & Suggested Gratuity Policies for Each Major Cruise Line
  3. All U.S. Flights Grounded Due to FAA Computer Outage
  4. Delta Air Lines Will Offer Free Wi-Fi Starting on Feb. 1
  5. Tour Operators & Advisors Forced to Cancel Trips as Peru Shuts Down Machu Picchu
  6. Cruise Ducks: A Cruising Tradition Travel Advisors Should Know About
TMR THIS WEEK
Sponsored by Explora Journeys
//services.travelsavers.com/AMGService.svc/REST/GetImage?ImageID=790a5703-649e-ed11-9b4d-005056a855ed&Width=350&Height&250

Selling Savory Cruise Experiences to Foodie Clients

With the boundaries of food and beverage programs being pushed across nearly every sector of cruising, the interest of clients in culinary experiences is also piquing.

Read More...
TMR Subscription

Subscribe today to receive daily in-depth coverage, analysis of industry news, trends and issues that affect how you do business. Subscribe now for free.

Subscribe to TMR

Top Stories
Celebrate National Don’t Plan for Vacation Day with Delta Vacations
Celebrate National Don’t Plan for Vacation Day with Delta Vacations

It’s National Plan For Vacation Day...for everyone else. When you book a trip with Delta Vacations, we make it so easy, we think of it as National Don’t Plan For Vacation Day. 

Read...
February 9th at 1pm TMR MasterAdvisor Series - What's Trending in Expedition Cruising and How to Sell It
February 9th at 1pm TMR MasterAdvisor Series - What's Trending in Expedition Cruising and How to Sell It

Got a client interested in Expedition Cruising? You don’t know where to start? First off, you will need to inform yourself of the various expedition cruise offerings and know how to get your client qualified and placed on the right offering. You will also need to know how to explain the difference between a small ship expedition and a larger ship cruise. Overwhelmed? Don’t worry, we have an expert.

Read...
Video: Has the Post-Pandemic Travel Boom Run Out?
Video: Has the Post-Pandemic Travel Boom Run Out?

Has the post-COVID boom come to an end? 

Read...
January 26th at 1pm TMR MasterAdvisor Session: How to Best Deal with a Client's Travel Disruptions
January 26th at 1pm TMR MasterAdvisor Session: How to Best Deal with a Client's Travel Disruptions

Disaster strikes—a flight is canceled and a traveler is stuck at the airport with no way to get home, or no way to make it to their destination. 

Read...
MasterAdvsior 64: The New Definition of Luxury Travel
MasterAdvsior 64: The New Definition of Luxury Travel

Luxury doesn’t always mean what you think it means. 

Read...
Travelport and Air France-KLM Launch NDC Content
Travelport and Air France-KLM Launch NDC Content

Air France-KLM's NDC content is now live on Sabre. 

Read...
TMR OUTLOOKS & WHITE PAPERS
river cruise 2022
group outlook 2022
lux cruise outlook
CP White Paper
Multi-Gen Outlook
River Cruise Outlook 2019
View All
Advertiser's Voice
Celebrate National Don’t Plan for Vacation Day with Delta Vacations
About Travel Market Report Mission Staff Advisory Board Advertise
TMR Resources Webinars Calendar of Events Outlook/Whitepapers Previous Sponsored Articles Previous This Week Articles
Subscribe to TMR
Select Language
Do You Have an Idea Email
editor@travelmarketreport.com
Give Us a Call
1-(516) 730-3097
Drop Us a Note
Travel Market Report
71 Audrey Ave, Oyster Bay, NY 11771
News |Tours & Packages |Cruise |Hotels & Resorts |Destinations |Retail Strategies |Niche & Luxury |Well-Being Travel |Training & Events |Who We Are
© 2005 - 2023 Travel Market Report, an American Marketing Group Inc. Company All Rights Reserved | 243 South Street, Oyster Bay, NY, 11771 USA | Telephone (516) 730-3097| Terms and Conditions
Cookie Policy Privacy Policy