Bag Fees increasing multiple airlines

[gottalovepluto]

Check your math when budgeting for your airline as bag fees are changing. So far Jet Blue, United and Delta have increased bag fees by $10 for the first bag. DL and UA are only applying it to tickets bought after the change was announced. Idk jet blue. Other airlines are expected to follow.

 

[thanxfornoticin]

They all want you to get and use their credit cards, where a bag or 2 will be free for your flight. These companies must make a fortune with their credit cards - they all have them and most include perks!

 

[tony67]

They all want you to get and use their credit cards, where a bag or 2 will be free for your flight. These companies must make a fortune with their credit cards - they all have them and most include perks!

Yeah - that seems to be true.

They get a licensing fee from the CC companies for the cobranded cards and probably some percentage and then on top of that from what I have read they sell the points to the credit card companies for use by the co branded credit cards.

 

[SteveH]

They all want you to get and use their credit cards, where a bag or 2 will be free for your flight. These companies must make a fortune with their credit cards - they all have them and most include perks!

More than the $ it's the "loyalty" that it creates, they get a chuck from the CC annual fees I'm sure too. Both my wife and I carry and use the Alaska/Hawaiian card, but outside of our trips to the Islands were cautious about who we fly with if we have to take luggage with us.

 

[sam_gordon]

Yeah - that seems to be true.

They get a licensing fee from the CC companies for the cobranded cards and probably some percentage and then on top of that from what I have read they sell the points to the credit card companies for use by the co branded credit cards.

Don't forget the annual fees. Do any "free" cards allow "free" checked bags?

 

[RuntheMouse]

They all want you to get and use their credit cards, where a bag or 2 will be free for your flight. These companies must make a fortune with their credit cards - they all have them and most include perks!

We’re in Delta hub and have their Amex card. The perks certainly have paid for themselves. I’ve held the card for many years.

 

[MillauFr]

They all want you to get and use their credit cards, where a bag or 2 will be free for your flight. These companies must make a fortune with their credit cards - they all have them and most include perks!

None of the airlines make any money flying passengers. They make money by selling you credit cards, food and beverages on board, running lounges, bag fees, and cargo.

Just like Costco doesn't make any money selling stuff. They make money by selling memberships.

 

[LuvOrlando]

I saw this, we have cards for 2 airlines that give us free bags and roundtrip one flight generally covers the cost.

The costs are quickly climbing to a place where it is cheaper to pack boxes and ship by ground or just buy new stuff when people show up and donate or ship home when they leave. For our last trip I seriously considered shipping instead but we got the JetBlue Card which covered things. Truly there are only so many things in our bags that really demand a special spot, most things like undergarments, socks & toiletries can be delivered new or purchased at the destination.

 

[gottalovepluto]

They all want you to get and use their credit cards, where a bag or 2 will be free for your flight. These companies must make a fortune with their credit cards - they all have them and most include perks!

Yes, they are now an integral part of every major airline's finances. From this reuters link discussing it- in 2025 DL got $8.2 billion in cash from Amex, AA $6.2 billion cash from partnerships. It's crazy and the banks and airlines are now working together to push customers even deeper into these lucrative partnerships.

 

[tony67]

I saw this, we have cards for 2 airlines that give us free bags and roundtrip one flight generally covers the cost.

The costs are quickly climbing to a place where it is cheaper to pack boxes and ship by ground or just buy new stuff when people show up and donate or ship home when they leave. For our last trip I seriously considered shipping instead but we got the JetBlue Card which covered things. Truly there are only so many things in our bags that really demand a special spot, most things like undergarments, socks & toiletries can be delivered new or purchased at the destination.

I've not found it cheaper to ship stuff - shipping gets pretty crazy as well - but when I go to Europe I have brought stuff that I don't mind leaving behind because its on its last legs then I have room to bring stuff back.

I find the JetBlue card well worth it for the free bags and you get 5000 points per year for the $99 fee.
Also the 70k points when I signed up helped pay for several round trips to Universal.

 

[DCLMP]

One solution is just pack less.

 

[thanxfornoticin]

One solution is just pack less.

That's the same argument we use for staying in a DVC 1BR unit with the washer/dryer!! Less packing!

 

[DCLMP]

Another great perk of the credit cards is early boarding group. There is nothing worse than only taking a carryon and they run out space and you have to gate check it.

 

[thanxfornoticin]

Another great perk of the credit cards is early boarding group. There is nothing worse than only taking a carryon and they run out space and you have to gate check it.

Yea, that's another issue created by charging for bags - people try to squeeze as much in carry-ons to avoid paying for checked bags! More carry-ons, less overhead space!

 

[DCLMP]

Yea, that's another issue created by charging for bags - people try to squeeze as much in carry-ons to avoid paying for checked bags! More carry-ons, less overhead space!

That could be or they don't want to waste time in baggage claim or risk having their bags lost or miss a tight connection. There are many reasons to avoid checking bags.

 

[sam_gordon]

Yea, that's another issue created by charging for bags - people try to squeeze as much in carry-ons to avoid paying for checked bags! More carry-ons, less overhead space!

Personally, I think anyone heading away from home should have a carry on with enough clothing and extra to support at least 24 hours without your checked luggage.

When we head home from vacation, since we're already checking a bag, I'll check the carry on. When I'm travelling for work, it's just the carry on there & back. No lost luggage, and no waiting for checked luggage. Off the plane and right to transportation.

 

[tony67]

Yea, that's another issue created by charging for bags - people try to squeeze as much in carry-ons to avoid paying for checked bags! More carry-ons, less overhead space!

The worst part of this the the US airlines really don't enforce the size of the carryon bags - at least not in my experience.
So its not unusual for me to have a small carryon that I cant put in the overhead because someone has a way oversized bag in the overhead. I've even had the staff ask me to remove my bag and put it under the seat in front of my so someone who has a bag that is way to big - that they cant even lift in - into the overhead. BTW - I have a bag that is specifically the maximum size for Ryan Air so I know the size of the bags - its not that big,

Yeah I hate the airlines like Ryan Air that way overdo the bag size thing and try to stick it to people - but at a minimum when it is over the top big they need to enforce the rules.

 

[gottalovepluto]

Wondered when AA would finally enter the chat and they didn't disappoint- $10/bag increase, $15/bag increase for basic economy. Only airline to hit BE harder.

 

[jec6613]

None of the airlines make any money flying passengers. They make money by selling you credit cards, food and beverages on board, running lounges, bag fees, and cargo.

Something we learned from COVID is that the airlines actually lose money on food, beverages, lounges, bag fees, and cargo. And even selling you credit cards, the whole enterprise is a loss leader.

What makes money is their frequent flier program, selling frequent flier points to the credit card issuers is the only part of the business with positive EBITDA, the rest of it only exists to back and provide value to the frequent flier program. Basically, the airlines are backdoor unregulated banks.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

They all want you to get and use their credit cards, where a bag or 2 will be free for your flight. These companies must make a fortune with their credit cards - they all have them and most include perks!

At least at this time it's primed at making back money for fueling expenses related to the war. Will they reduce back down? Unlikely or at least it would take a while. Other things interact but the decision for them to do it right here right now lies mostly in the fueling expenses area.