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A handful of airlines — Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, JetBlue Airways and United Airlines — have raised their fees for checked bags this 12 months. But for those who plan ahead, such fees are easy to scale back or avoid altogether.
On Friday, United raised its fee to $40 for a primary checked bag on the airport, and to $35 for many who prepay online a minimum of 24 hours before their flight — each of that are a $5 increase.
American similarly upped its fees earlier last week. JetBlue also recently increased its checked-bag fee to $45, and Alaska to $35.
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Such fee changes are “more likely to impact families the worst because families are likely to travel with checked bags,” said Katy Nastro, travel expert at Going, a platform that helps travelers find airfare deals.
Checked bag fees represent big revenue
A checked bag is one stored in a plane’s cargo hold during a flight. While that service was free in years past, it’s now standard for major airlines to charge for checked bags.
Major U.S. airlines began doing so in 2008, levying around $15 a bag, Nastro said.
By late 2023, it was about double for a lot of carriers: $30 to $35 for one checked bag, Nastro said. Meaning travelers who checked a bag on each leg of a round-trip itinerary could add an additional $60 to $70 to the entire cost of their basic fare.
Recent changes from American and United mean travelers could now incur an extra $80 total in the event that they check one bag on the airport.
Rates generally increase for every additional checked bag.
Passengers paid about $6.8 billion in total baggage fees in 2022, the last full 12 months for which data is obtainable, in keeping with the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. That is up 17% from roughly $5.8 billion in 2019, despite the fact that fewer passengers flew on U.S. carriers in 2022, Bureau of Transportation Statistics data shows.
“Unless baggage is included in a higher-class (premium economy, first, business class, etc.) ticket, passengers should expect to pay a fee,” Eric Napoli, vp of legal strategy at AirHelp, which helps passengers file claims for airline compensation, said in an email.
Here’s how cost-conscious consumers can reduce those fees, and maybe avoid them altogether, in keeping with travel experts.
1. Fly with certain airlines
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There are a number of airlines that also don’t charge for a checked bag.
Southwest, for instance, is the one outlier within the U.S., experts said. The carrier allows two free checked bags.
The “Big Three” Gulf Airlines — Qatar Airways, Etihad Airways and Emirates — still offer free baggage, as does Air India, in keeping with Aiden Higgins, senior editor of The Broke Backpacker website.
These carriers could have certain restrictions, including for luggage size and weight.
In fact, simply because they might not charge for luggage doesn’t suggest their fares are cheaper than others when assessing overall cost. In addition they may not fly routes that work for travelers’ itineraries.
2. Mix bags
Travel partners may additionally consider combining suitcases.
A family of 4 may have the opportunity to condense 4 bags into two, potentially cutting checked-bag fees in half, experts said.
Unless baggage is included in a higher-class (premium economy, first, business class, etc.) ticket, passengers should expect to pay a fee.
Eric Napoli
vp of legal strategy at AirHelp
Families with small kids may have the opportunity to leverage the space inside a automotive seat carrier, “since airlines don’t charge for one automotive seat per child,” Nastro said. “You may often fit a small soft duffel into that space to maintain items contained,” she added.
Passengers need to think about airlines’ weight requirements for luggage and whether consolidating suitcases could trigger additional fees.
3. Skip checking a bag
Traveling light — only with a private item and/or carry-on bag, depending on what your airline and fare class permit free of charge — is “the one fool-proof way” to avoid paying a checked-bag fee, Napoli said.
In fact, this would possibly not be possible for everybody.
But passengers “can sneak quite a bit into the cabin” inside airline limits, especially with a well-packed backpack — aided by packing cubes — combined with a sling bag and/or a tote bag, Higgins said.
Passengers with softer, duffel-bag-type luggage that is more pliable could have a neater time meeting carry-on size requirements versus those with a tough case, Nastro said.
4. Consider a fare upgrade
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Even the foremost carriers generally charge for carry-ons on basic economy fares, experts said.
A better-tier ticket for the next cost might include a baggage allowance, wherein case passengers may wind up paying the identical total price compared with a lower-cost fare while also getting some additional advantages reminiscent of the flexibility to decide on a seat or make flight changes, experts said.
“In case you are using an aggregator like Skyscanner, it might sometimes work out cheaper to go along with the 2nd or third most costly flight if the airline is [also] offering baggage,” Higgins said.
Travelers should read the advantageous print to discern what baggage is included of their ticket, which varies by airline and ticket class, Napoli said.
5. Add bags early
Whether you are checking a bag or carrying one on for a fee, declaring that early can prevent money.
For instance, a normal passenger flying Spirit Airlines from Latest York to Los Angeles for the weekend (March 1-3) would pay $49 for a carry-on, in keeping with the carrier’s price chart. A checked bag is cheaper at $44.
But these prices assume passengers add their bags in the course of the initial online booking process. Those that wait to pay until arriving on the gate, for instance, would pay $99 for a checked bag or carry-on, the chart indicates.
For many who know they’ll have to add a bag, “nine times out of 10 it is usually cheaper to do it upon booking” as an alternative of deferring until later, Nastro said.
Relatively high fees for “add ons” reminiscent of bags mean a budget carrier will not be the most cost effective option when assessing total cost and value, she said.
6. Buy a luggage scale, lightweight bags
Buying and using a luggage scale before traveling may also help travelers avoid surprise fees on the airport as a result of exceeding a weight limit on checked bags.
“No less than weigh your suitcase before you even book the flight,” Higgins said. “Once upon a time, airlines might need turned a blind eye” to additional weight, but not anymore, he said.
Travelers may spend money on ultralight luggage, Higgins said.
“You may easily save one or two [kilograms] by buying specially designed ultralight travel gear,” he said. Nonetheless, such bags may be pricey and will not be as durable as sturdier packs, he said.
7. Get a bank card or join a frequent flier program
“Many bank cards, especially airline-branded cards, offer free checked bags as a perk,” Napoli said.
In fact, travelers shouldn’t necessarily open a bank card account only for this perk, experts said. Some cards may also carry an annual fee, though travelers might come out ahead if their annual advantages (e.g., savings on bag fees) eclipse that expense.
“It varies bank card to bank card and airline to airline,” Nastro said.
Joining an airline’s frequent flier program may additionally include perks for travelers reminiscent of free or extra baggage, Higgins said.
Correction: Some data got here from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. An earlier version misstated the name of the agency.
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