United Raises Checked Bag Fees to Match American Airlines

by Anthony Losanno
United 787

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I’ve recently written about how JetBlue (more here) and American Airlines (more here) both recently raised the cost to check bags. Now, as predicted, United is following suit and making theirs more costly as well.

United is increasing the cost for all tickets purchased after today, February 24th. The new fees for domestic itineraries are:

  • $35 for the first checked bag (paid in advance) or $40 when paid at the airport
  • $45 for the second checked bag (paid in advance) or $50 when paid at the airport

This is an increase of $5 per bag. It puts United in line with American (except for American’s 2nd bag caps at $45 versus $50). Both are still less expensive than JetBlue (it recently raised the fee per bag by $10).

Baggage

As always, passengers in Business and First Class, those with Chase co-branded credit cards, Star Alliance Gold members, and MileagePlus elite status will continue to receive free checked bags. If you’re wondering how much your bags will cost, United offers an interactive Baggage Fee Calculator.

Anthony’s Take: I said a few days ago that United and Delta would likely follow American. United jumped first, but I expect a Delta change in the near term.

(Image Credits: United Airlines and Ralf Geithe.)

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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.

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