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American Airlines has joined the party and announced that it will be increasing the cost to check bags. Its the fifth airline to do so in just the past 10 days after Delta, JetBlue, Southwest, and United.
Effective immediately, passengers will now pay $45 for a first checked bag (or $50 if they wait until check-in or the airport to add it). The cost for a second checked bag has risen to $55 (or $60 if purchased later). A third checked bag will now cost $200.
Airlines are facing mounting cost pressures, particularly from rising fuel prices and are increasingly relying on baggage fees and other add-ons to offset expenses without significantly increasing base fares. It was only a matter of time before all of these airlines matched each others fees.
The Points Guy reports that American is also rolling back perks tied to its Basic Economy fares. Elite members will no longer receive upgrades or complimentary seat selections on the lowest-priced tickets. Other travelers booking these no-frills fares will face higher checked bag fees.
Anthony’s Take: For travelers, the latest increase underscores how quickly the cost of flying can climb beyond the ticket price, especially for those checking multiple bags.
(Image Credits: American Airlines.)
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Advertiser & Editorial Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat earns an affiliate commission for anyone approved through the links above This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. We work to provide the best publicly available offers to our readers. We frequently update them, but this site does not include all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities.
