The domino effect: one after another, airlines in the US have raised checked baggage fees

When Alaska Airlines (ALK) became the first to raise baggage fees to $35 for the first checked bag in December 2023, many worried that other airlines would follow suit.

In the end, they did. Airlines tend to do this together in "waves" to avoid passenger outrage by hiding behind each other – Delta Air Lines (DAL), American Airlines (AAL), and United Airlines (UAL) all raised the cost of the first checked bag on an economy ticket from $25 to $30 in 2018, which then remained unchanged for the next four years, The Street writes.

Over the past two months, airlines such as JetBlue (JBLU) and American have followed Alaska in raising checked baggage fees. The first one now charges some of the highest baggage fees in the industry: $45 for the first bag if the traveler waits until the airport to pay for it, and between $50 and $60 for the second bag depending on whether it is added up to 24 hours before the flight departure or at the airport.

United Airlines is now also raising the price of checked baggage by $5 – the first suitcase now costs $35 if booked online at least 24 hours before the flight, and $40 if booked at the airport. The second suitcase will cost travelers $50.

Earlier, as TravelWise reported, experts told what you should never do if you don't want to lose your luggage at the airport.