US airlines pocketed $157 billion in add-on fees last year. Your bag just made them richer

If you have booked a flight recently and noticed the bag fees look higher than you remember, you are not imagining it. In the space of about two weeks in April 2026, virtually every major US airline quietly raised what it charges to check a bag, some by $10, some more. 

The increases happened fast, they followed each other in quick succession, and there is no sign of them coming down before summer. Here is what is actually going on, who raised what, and what you can do about it.

Why did this happen now?

The short answer is fuel. Many US airlines raised fees in March and April 2026 by about $10, with several increases tied to rising fuel costs.

Jet fuel averaged nearly $4.88 per gallon in major US markets in early April 2026, up from roughly $2.50 before the conflict began. For airlines, fuel is typically the second biggest operating cost after labour, so when it nearly doubles, something has to give.

According to airline industry analyst Robert Mann Jr., instead of raising fares and possibly alienating potential customers due to sticker shock, airlines opt to increase post-booking ancillary fees. "JetBlue initiated, its erstwhile partner United followed within 48 hours, and others are likely to match, now that they have embraced fees," Mann said. 

There is also a financial incentive built into the structure: airlines prefer raising baggage fees over airfares partly because bag fees are not subject to the 7.5% federal excise tax applied to domestic ticket prices. 

Who raised fees and by how much

The increases happened airline by airline over about two weeks, but the direction was the same across the board.

• JetBlue was the first US airline to announce baggage fee increases. United followed the same week. Since then, Alaska, American, Delta, and Southwest have also increased bag fees.
  
• United raised its first checked bag fee to $45 if prepaid, or $50 if paid within 24 hours of the flight. A second prepaid checked bag now costs $55, or $60 if paid close to departure.
  
• American Airlines increased its checked bag fees by $10, with prepaid first bags now at $45 and second bags at $55. At the airport, those figures rise to $50 and $60 respectively. A third checked bag now costs $200, a $50 increase.
  
• Southwest raised its bag fee to $45 for a first checked bag on April 9, 2026, an increase of $10.
  
• Alaska Airlines also raised fees for North American flights, increasing the first bag by $5 and the second by $10. Hawaiian Airlines, its Air Group partner, applied the same increases.
  
• JetBlue raised fees by $4 to $9 for economy passengers. For flights within the US, Caribbean, and Latin America, the first checked bag now costs $39 during off-peak travel and $49 during peak periods.
  
• Frontier went furthest of all. Frontier raised its first checked bag fee from $35 to $79 and its second from $45 to $89, increases dramatically larger than anything seen elsewhere in the industry, underlining how aggressively ultra-low-cost carriers are leaning into ancillary fees as a revenue strategy. 

This is part of a much bigger shift

The bag fee increases are the most visible part of a broader trend that has been building for years. Airlines worldwide are projected to earn an unprecedented $157 billion in ancillary revenue in 2025, more than double the $67.4 billion recorded in 2016. 

Ancillary revenue (which includes baggage fees, seat selection, onboard sales, and commissions from hotels, car rentals, and co-branded credit cards) will represent 15.7% of total airline revenue in 2025, up from just 9.1% in 2016. 

According to IATA's latest financial outlook, airlines are expected to generate about $145 billion in ancillary and other non-ticket revenues in 2026, up more than 5% from the prior year and accounting for a growing share of overall income. 

The practice (known in the industry as unbundling) means that more and more of what used to come with a ticket now costs extra. Bags, seat selection, priority boarding, meals on shorter routes: all of these were once included or nearly universal. Now they are line items.

Who still gets free bags

The increases do not apply to everyone. Most airlines still waive bag fees for certain passengers.

• United Chase credit card holders, MileagePlus Premier members, active military members, and customers travelling in premium cabins can still check a bag for free.
  
• Alaska's Atmos Rewards status members and eligible cardholders of an Atmos Rewards Visa or Hawaiian Airlines Mastercard still receive free checked bags.
  
• Passengers with qualifying JetBlue co-branded credit cards or elite frequent flyer status continue to be exempt from baggage fees. 

The fastest workaround is usually a co-branded airline credit card. Most major carriers now offer at least one card that waives the first checked bag fee on domestic flights, and many extend that perk to additional passengers on the same reservation. 

What this means if you are flying this summer

With the World Cup drawing millions of additional travellers across the US, Canada, and Mexico this summer, the timing of these increases matters. If you are flying to any of the host cities, factor the new bag fees into your actual trip budget, not just the headline ticket price.

If you are flying to any of the host cities, factor the new bag fees into your actual trip budget, and also watch out for the wave of scams that tend to follow major sporting events.