If you are a frequent flyer and was planning your next air trip then, this time take our advice to wad your budget as some major airlines like United, Delta & Jet Blue have raised their baggage fees. Following the footsteps of other airlines such as Jet Blue, Air Canada, West Jet, United Airlines which increased the baggage fees by $5, Delta on 20th September 2018 also stated that luggage fees on all the domestic would change from $25 to $30 for the first bag and for the second bag from $30 to $40.
With the increase in the baggage fees, now one would think to save the money on the air tickets. So, if you are the one, thinking the same then TripBeam can help you out, even on your last minute flight tickets to India.
Though any hike in the baggage fees hasn’t been heard from American Airlines. Southwest Airlines still remains the only major airline of the USA with no baggage fees on the first two bags. No doubt, the baggage fees are a lucrative business for airlines. If the statistics of ‘The Bureau of Transportation’ are to believed then, airlines collected up to $2.4 billion as baggage fees just in the first six months of 2018 and over $4.6 billion in 2017.
In the year 2008, when the recession stroked, American Airlines was the first to implement the baggage fees on checked-luggage. Though it triggered the rage in the flyers, later it became a custom in the airline industry.
The reason behind this price hike is the hike in the fuel prices i.e. 30 % if you compare it to the last year’s first half. Also, 2018 is the third consecutive year for the airlines to bring losses.
New Checked Baggage Rules:
Now United Airlines has become the 2nd US carrier to rise the checked baggage fee after JetBlue. United will charge $30 for the flyer’s 1st checked bag & $40 for 2nd bag.
The United announced its refreshed price just after one week of JetBlue’s announcement of hiked baggage prices. This hiked fee would be applied to the passengers flying to & from North America, the Caribbean and the Central America.
Public Reaction:
As soon as the US flight ticket bookers heard this news, they got furious! Many of them took advantage of social media to let out their fury against the airline’s new baggage rules.
Though, the airlines in their defense stated that the hike in prices let them invest more in bettering their services. It leads to better customer experience in today’s competitive business world.
Also, the airline industry cleared that in recent years, they have has become reliant upon ancillary yields increasingly, produced by the airfares unbundling.