USA TODAY US Edition

No surprise: American ups bag fees

Southwest now stands alone among big four.

- Dawn Gilbertson

American Airlines is the latest carrier to increase bag fees, boosting the charge for one checked bag from $25 to $30 on Thursday.

The fee for second bag is now $40, up from $35. The airline said the changes are effective for tickets purchased Sept. 21 and beyond.

The move comes a day after Delta Air Lines joined the higher bag fee parade. JetBlue Airways started the trend when it increased bag fees on Aug. 27. United Airlines matched JetBlue’s fees ahead of Labor Day weekend. Canadian carriers WestJet and Air Canada also boosted fees.

Bag fees have become big business since airlines started charging for the first and second checked bag in 2008 during the recession and oil price spike. Airlines collected $2.4 billion in bag fees in the first half of 2018, according to the federal Bureau of Transporta­tion Statistics.

Southwest, the nation’s largest domestic carrier, allows two free checked bags and trumpets that policy everywhere. Executives recently said, again, that there are no plans to charge for bags. Alaska Airlines, the nation’s fifth-largest carrier, so far is sticking with its policy of $25 each for the first and second bag.

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