JetBlue To Increase Its Luggage Fees To $30 For First Checked Bag

JetBlue Airways on Monday announced it has raised its luggage fees and will now charge passengers $30 for their first checked bag.

The new fees will have passengers paying $30 for their first bag under 50 pounds, $40 for the second and $150 for the third, making it the first U.S. airliner to charge that amount. The $5 increase is tacked on to tickets purchased as of Monday. This is up from the $25 and $35 price points that is ordinarily offered at most other airlines.

However, the company’s Blue Plus fares will still cover one checked bag while its Blue Flex fares will include two, according to its website. Prices will also go up for overweight or oversize luggage. The fee for bags between 51 and 99 pounds or longer than 63 inches will now be $150.

"As a matter of good business, we constantly review and adjust our ancillary pricing to ensure a healthy business," said JetBlue spokesman Doug McGraw.

News of the luggage increase comes at a time where there has been an uptick in fuel prices as airlines are looking to cut expenditures to supplement those costs.

Delta Air Lines and American Airlines both charge $25 for the first bag and $35 for the second. Meanwhile, Southwest Airlines has upped the price of its EarlyBird boarding fee from a flat $15 to $15, $20 or $25 based on routes. Still, it is currently the only major airlines that doesn't charge its passengers to check just one bag.

In June, Delta Air Lines became the latest carrier to cut its profit forecast due to the spike in gasoline costs. Fuel has become 17 to 22 percent of airlines’ operating costs, the New York Times reported, citing industry consultant Robert W. Mann.

Within the past 10 years, airlines began to add things like fuel surcharges and other fees to tickets as oil prices hit record highs. In 2015, JetBlue started charging its travelers for bag checks. Delta and American Airlines both charge for customers to make economy seat assignments.