JetBlue Raises Checked Bag Fees Again: Now at Least $50 Each Way

For the second time this year, JetBlue raised bag fees on Tuesday to at least $50 each way – a move that could set off another chain reaction of hiking bag fees across the airline industry. 

JetBlue was the first among the major U.S. airlines to raise bag fees after the start of the war in Iran and skyrocketing fuel prices last spring, pushing the cost of checking a bag up to at least $39 each way in late March. The airline quietly updated its baggage fees again on Tuesday: For tickets booked on or after Nov. 3, JetBlue now charges at least $50 each way for your first checked bag on flights within the U.S., Latin America, the Caribbean and Canada. A second checked bag also increased, from $59 to $70 each way.

Prices also went up for checking a bag on a transatlantic flight to Europe with the cheapest basic economy fare, from $60 to $80 each way. JetBlue Mint and BlueFirst passengers will get at least one checked bag free, as will travelers with the airline’s Mosaic status or a co-branded credit card like the JetBlue Premier World Elite Mastercard®.

Anyone who booked JetBlue flights prior to Nov. 3 will pay the older rates.

But these latest increases can get even worse. The new, $50 each way fee applies if you fly on an off-peak date – and add your bag online more than 24 hours before departure. Flying on peak travel dates like over the holidays and pretty much all of the summer – from late May to early September – it’ll cost you at least $55 in each direction. March is the only month in 2027 without any peak travel dates on the calendar. 

Here’s what the new fees look like for travelers booking a Main Base, Main, Main Flex, and EvenMore fare:

Note that standard Main and Main Flex fares are on the hook for these higher fees flying within the U.S., Canada, and Latin America – not just stingy basic economy. And if you’re checking a third bag, it’s even worse: You’ll be charged $200, regardless of your travel dates.

Do the math on a peak-season round trip, like the Thanksgiving and Christmas rush that’s just weeks away: Pay for one bag at the airport, and you’re out $140. A couple checking two bags each could pay more than $600 in bag fees alone.

JetBlue did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

And the pain could easily spread to other carriers in the monkey-see, monkey-do airline industry. Case in point: After JetBlue hiked bag fees the first time in late March, every U.S. carrier matched the higher fees within a matter of weeks.

Last spring, JetBlue explicitly tied its bag fee hike to soaring jet fuel prices from the war in Iran. While fuel is now even pricier now than it was six months ago, there’s another wrinkle: JetBlue is in rough financial shape.

The airline lost $257 million in the third quarter, fueling more concern about a possible bankruptcy. The airline denied that speculation last week.

That makes bag fees an easy lever to pull: They let JetBlue bring in more money without raising its sticker prices, and it could be a sign the airline doesn’t think it can push fares much higher. JetBlue doesn’t have the premium halo needed to keep hiking fares like Delta or United do. Even with BlueFirst – the carrier’s new domestic first class – set to start flying Dec. 8, JetBlue’s core customers are price-conscious. Higher bag fees don’t show up when they’re comparing fares on Google Flights.

Or maybe there’s another goal here: Getting more travelers to sign up for a JetBlue credit card. The JetBlue Plus Card waives your first checked bag. At $50 to $80 a bag each way, that annual fee pays for itself on a single round trip. Every new cardholder sends JetBlue a steady stream of cash from its bank partner, Barclays. 

Bottom Line

JetBlue now charges at least $50 each way to check a bag – and up to $75 if you wait until the airport on a peak date.

It’s an ugly hike for travelers. And considering rival airlines have a habit of following suit, brace yourself for higher bag fees across the board.