Back in August of this year, JetBlue became one of the first US airlines to cross the sacred ‘checked baggage fee’ line, when it raised the cost of a first checked bag on a domestic route from $25 to $30. United Airlines was quick to follow, becoming the first of the big US airlines to introduce a checked-baggage fee of $30.
As I said back then, in search of revenue generating measures, the US giants seemed to be actively, progressively lowering standards in terms of service and transparency, almost competitively. And once an LLC like JetBlue upped its baggage prices, pretty much everyone else would follow. So it should come as no surprise that Delta has now jumped on the luggage carousel with a Delta baggage fee increase too.
What are the new delta checked baggage fees?
In line with its United competitor, Delta has raised the cost of the first checked bag from $25 to $30, and the cost of the second checked bag from $35 to $40.
Just as with JetBlue and United, there hasn’t been any big announcement. However, travellers booking online as of yesterday have seen the price hike. It’s almost as if, by unspoken agreement the airlines have decided $30 is the new $25. I expect American Airlines to announce its own rises today or tomorrow.
Working out your Delta baggage fee
The good news, if you’ve already bought and paid for your luggage, they can’t slap an extra $5 on there. And before we get too frustrated, it’s worth bearing in mind – it is just $5 extra per piece and as United were keen to point out – this is the first luggage price hike in 8 years. But we are also travelling differently now than we did ten years ago. We don't get to take on 3 carry on bags plus some shopping. Delta are pretty stringent about carry on and don’t approve the oversized carry on wheelie cases. Carry on size limits are (approximately) 22" x 14" x 9" or 56 x 35 x 23 cm - One purse, briefcase, camera bag or diaper bag or 1 laptop computer or something similar.
That aside, those flying in active service and status get a different deal too. For example, active military personnel flying for personal reasons generally get two bags free regardless. Silver, Gold, Platinum and Diamond cardholders are also not going to be as affected by these changes. Silver status holders will have to pay for their second piece but not their first piece of checked luggage.
When it comes down to it, if you’re buying economy and need to add luggage, you’ll be paying more. If you’re a frequent business flyer or buying a Premium ticket, this doesn’t affect you so much.
What Delta checked baggage fees tell us about the airline travel industry
While we weren’t surprised to hear Delta had raised their luggage prices - that they have done so is news. Underlining this story is a bigger one. The budget and LLC airlines are really steering the market now. And as much as the giants would like to show how different they are, they’ve been quick to follow suit. With booking sites such as Google flights, individual airline products are becoming mere commodities. Most of us don’t have airline loyalty anymore, we just want safety, reliability and good value for money.
So if the US giants what to add on charges like the LLCs do but also want us to choose them over the LLCs, they’ll need to stand out of the pack in terms of service and comfort. So... things like better inflight entertainment could be the way to go.