In moves that surprised absolutely no one, Delta and American Airlines have jumped on the gravy train known as increased baggage fees. JetBlue was the first big US airline to make the move with United following closely after them. Delta, American, and United never let each other make a negative passenger move without following each other in it so here we are today.
Delta and American Airlines Bump Up Bag Fees
If we had to find something good to say, it would be that at least all the airlines are keeping these new fees simple. 🙂 This means that you will be paying the same fees across the board with these airlines for your first and second checked bags. Here are the new fees from both airlines:
- $30 for 1st checked bag
- $40 for 2nd checked bag
- valid for the U.S., Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, Caribbean and Central America
That is pretty simple and straightforward – $5 per bag increase. Many travelers do not actually check a 2nd bag so it will be more like a $10 increase for roundtrip travel.
As with other airlines and before, flying in a premium cabin, having elite status with the airline (or in their alliance), and having their credit card(s) will offer baggage waivers that will go from a single bag for free up to 3 bags for free (traveling in premium cabins, for example).
New Southwest Ad Can Now Be Made
Not their ad yet – but should be soon!
While some people may complain about the boarding process (which, you have to admit, is pretty effective), Southwest is still better than airlines like United in several ways. This baggage fee increase just highlights again how great a deal Southwest can be since you get 2 bags for free.
As a matter of fact, these changes just give Southwest even more ad fodder for the coming fall travel season. In the past, they say that flying with Southwest would save travelers “up to $120 for roundtrip travel.” This new increase ups that savings to $140.
I would guess that we will start seeing these ads coming out on TV and on the internet now that the Big 3 US airlines and JetBlue have all implemented these fee hikes. Look for it – “Fly Southwest and save up to $140 for roundtrip travel with our free checked bags!”
I imagine the ad was written the moment JetBlue hiked it and now they can start running it. While that would be up to $140 each roundtrip that Southwest will not get from customers, I think they will earn even more customers in their column by holding out from charging for bags. It is a major part of who Southwest is and I think it will stick for quite a while.
