Delta Airlines is hiking checked-baggage fees 17% following similar moves by United and American

2024-12-24 22:00:22 source: category:Markets

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — In case you needed yet another incentive to cram all your travel items into a carry-on, Delta Airlines just boosted the cost of your first checked bag by 17%. The increase adds $5 to the previous, and not-exactly-insignificant, $30 fee for domestic flights.

Delta is the third major U.S. carrier to hike bag fees in the past several weeks. Its move follows similar increases that American Airlines and United Airlines announced in February, three days apart; those high fees themselves followed 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 said Tuesday that the first bag checked on a domestic flight will now incur a $35 fee. The charge for a second bag rose from $40 to $45.

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. Customers with status perks can still check their first bag for free; those with first class tickets can check two free bags.

READ MORE AmEx tries to win over grumpy Delta customers with revamped SkyMiles credit cards Delta posts a $2 billion quarterly profit, but shares dip as airline trims forecast of 2024 earnings Stock market today: Wall Street closes out its 10th winning week in 11 with a mixed finish

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.

More:Markets

Recommend

Inter Miami's MLS playoff failure sets stage for Messi's last act, Alexi Lalas says

HOLLYWOOD, Fla. – Lionel Messi hoisting the MLS Cup won’t be the lasting image soccer fans in the Un

Tropical Storm Idalia Georgia tracker: Follow the storm's path as it heads toward landfall

The latest model from the National Weather Service shows Tropical Storm Idalia making landfall along

'Hannah Montana' actor Mitchel Musso arrested on charges of public intoxication, theft

"Hannah Montana" alum Mitchel Musso was arrested on charges of public intoxication and theft followi