Delta Air Lines is hiking checked bag fees by another $10 or more to at least $45 each way, the third major U.S. carrier to increase fees in just the last week. 

With jet fuel prices up by more than 100% in the last month alone, JetBlue kicked off the troubling new trend by bumping up its own bag fees to at least $39 each way. United went even further late last week, pushing bag fees to at least $45 each way. Delta is copying them. 

For flights booked as of Wednesday, April 8, Delta will charge: 

  • $45 each way for a first checked bag – a $10 hike
  • $55 each way for a second bag – another $10 hike
  • And $200 each way checking a third bag, a $50 increase

As always, flyers with a co-branded SkyMiles credit card or Medallion status can get free luggage. These higher fees apply to domestic trips as well as “select short-haul international routes.” Bag fees on longer trips to Europe, Asia, and beyond aren't changing yet – and those itineraries almost always include one free bag. 

It was only a matter of time before Delta copied the competition in the monkey-see, monkey-do airline industry, where one airline raising fees is typically just the first domino to fall. And Delta won't be the last.

“These updates are part of Delta’s ongoing review of pricing across its business and reflect the impact of evolving global conditions and industry dynamics,” the company said in a statement.

Jet fuel prices have doubled since the start of the war in Iran and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, climbing from roughly $2.40 per gallon to about $4.70today, according to the Argus U.S. Jet Fuel Index. Fuel is one of airlines’ biggest expenses, second only to labor.

But while airlines have already raised ticket prices – with United saying some fares were up 15% to 20% – increasing fees is an even more effective lever for airlines to pull for a few reasons: 

  • Airlines have to pay a 7.5% excise tax on the fares they charge, but not on optional fees like baggage or seat assignments
  • Those optional fees make airlines' co-branded credit cards – their real profit engines these days – even more alluring to consumers as a way to escape extra fees
  • The last two decades of airlines unbundling fares and charging fees have proven that even when fuel prices decline, elevated fees remain unchanged

 

 

While an extra $10 per bag may not seem like much, luggage fees are big business. U.S. airlines collected more than $7.2 billion (with a b) on bag fees alone in 2024, according to federal data.

 

This is a breaking news story, check back for updates.