As if paying baggage fees isn’t annoying enough, Jet Blue has announced it’s plan to increase its check bag fee by $5.
Jet Blue has been a favorite low cost airline for years and was admired for it’s decision to not charge for checked baggage up until 2015. The company only began charging for baggage after its investors pressured them to improve returns. The 2015 change happened as a part of its first major makeover of its fare system.
This increase in fee, makes the airline the first U.S. airline to bump up their fee for a first checked bag to $30. The $5 increase is effective for trips booked starting today, 8/28/18. Jet Blue also increased the charge for a second bag from $35 to $40 and the fee for a third bag from $100 to $150, according to the company’s website.
This change is said to be an effort to offset slowing ancillary revenue, rising fuel prices, and other cost increases as the New York-based carrier slows its growth. Jet Blue executives announced in July that they would introduce changes to grapple with the squeeze on profit.
“As a matter of good business, we constantly review and adjust our ancillary pricing to ensure a healthy business,” said Jet Blue spokesman Doug McGraw.
The only other airline that currently does not charge for checked bags is Southwest, they allow up to two free checked bags for its customers.
Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, and United Airlines all charge $25 for a first checked bag and $35 for a second. The fees on a third piece of luggage varies among the three carriers.
It seems that travelers are not too happy about the new policy. Brian Sumers had this to say to Skift online:
” What a bizarre move by Jet Blue airways, which has differentiated itself over two decades by not nickel-and-diming its passengers. The airline was the last of the major U.S. carriers to charge a check bag fee – it only added one in 2015 – and now it wants to raise it? Let’s hope this doesn’t stick.”
There is good news for those passengers that have reached a certain level in the airlines reward program, they can be exempt from baggage fees all together.