Last week, JetBlue became the first airline in the United States to increase checked bag fees in recent times. This is an area where JetBlue tends to ”lead,” and other airlines to follow. We then saw United match, and now we can add a third airline to that camp.
Continue reading: Delta Increases Checked Bag Fees By $10-50, Blames Higher Fuel Costs
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
but yet they let non-revs check 2 free bags each still. make it make sense if it's about fuel costs. hmmm
Glad I went ahead and picked up the Delta Gold Business card. We fly Delta for nonstop positioning flights to NYC and LAX, and from there we will take our long haul international flights to Asia and Europe. Thus, we’re likely to have some checked baggage on those Delta domestic flights. There’s a hack respecting some of that credit card’s benefits that will fully cover the $150 annual fee.
Stripping a published benefit from employees is hardly a smart move. I also wonder how much that would move the needle - I know very few airline employees who check bags when flying standby, except when they’re asked to gate check which remains free for everyone.
I love higher checked bag fees as a result of higher fuel prices. I love higher gas prices. I love hamburger selling for $7 per pound. I love blueberries selling for $9 per dry pint. I love a shaky economy. What is not to love?
Delta copying United... and, when fuel costs come down... these increased fees will remain.
The airline with the highest checked bag fees will always be the best airline.
Why anyone would willingly fly Delta is beyond me. Go wait in line for an hour to get into their “club”. Lol
What a disappointment from Delta. Are they trying to run the airline into the ground? They need a new CEO asap.
There have been lots of fare increases since the war began but they make a lot less news than baggage fees.
The real news will be when any carrier chooses not to "go along" with fare and fee increases issued by other airlines.
Given that DL announces its earnings tomorrow to start the US airline earnings season, they undoubtedly do not want to send a message of non-comformity this early in the conflict.
Let the money grab continue! Would love to see the excise tax extended to cover all ancillary fees.
Airlines are trying to avoid fare increases as it would reduce demand and that would mean cuts, parked planes and furloughed staff. I see change fees coming back if jet fuel prices remain higher.
Of course, we will have those here that do not seem to understand that coach fares do not make money for the airlines. You can make a profit off $49 fares by just buying many more planes and selling many more $49 fares.
Christ himself has spoken. We are blessed to have his knowledge shared with us.
The simple comment should be - This is pure money grab by DL. Even thought they like to portray themselves as trendsetter, premium and all that BS, they are just a sheep. I guarantee, if oil prices ever come down, DL won't be running to reduce the bag fees.
When you are so brainwashed by a cult, you can't see, admit, and say the facts.
*(United raises bag fees by $10)
TD: "Clear evidence of United's dire financial issues!"
*(Delta raises bag fees by $10)
TD: "No big deal..."
Delta has the lowest fuel cost of all airlines because they bought their own refinery in 2012. So, any increase in checked bags is just because they want to increase profits.
Why is this even a story? The US has started a war and their lunatic dictator is threatening to wipe out the Iranian population. The US is directly responsible for the economic situation. Regime change in the US now.
At a Congressional hearing on airline baggage fees.
Scott Kirby leans into the microphone. "Look, senators, United’s baggage strategy is about choice. If you want a bag, you pay the market rate. If you don't, you save. We’re upgrading our overhead bins to fit more 'Basic Economy' rollers, which mathematically proves we are the most innovative carrier in the history of the troposphere. Also, our Newark hub is fine, stop asking."
Ed Bastian calmly sips a glass of premium sparkling water. "At Delta, we don't think of it as a 'fee.' We think of it as a premium investment in your luggage's journey. For just $45, your bag receives a world-class RFID experience and a 20-minute delivery guarantee. It’s about the warmth of the brand. We are a people-first company that happens to own a lot of 30-year-old metal."
Suddenly, the back doors of the hearing room fly open. Tim Dunn marches in, hauling a literal wagon full of printed 10-K SEC filings and a laptop glowing with "Delta vs. The World" spreadsheet.
"While Kirby is trying to 'Choice' his way out of a 12% mishandled bag rate at O'Hare, and Bastian is selling the 'romance' of a $45 surcharge, let’s look at the B.A.G. F.E.E.S. yield (Basically Another Greed Fueled Economy Extraction Scheme Yield). Delta’s baggage infrastructure is statistically 14.7% more efficient than United. Furthermore, if you look at the Q3 RASM, Delta’s baggage handlers are generating 4% more value per square inch of tarmac than anyone in Chicago. United's widebody baggage capacity is a structural liability, and American Airlines has already surrendered the baggage market entirely to focus on 'credit card points'—which everyone knows is a failing strategy for AA. Read the data, Senators! Delta’s 767 cargo holds—even the ones from the 80s—are mathematically superior to anything Kirby is flying. Also, I have proof that United's baggage tags are 2 microns thinner, which is why they tear in Newark. It's science."
The Senator bangs his gavel. "Mr. Dunn, we were just asking if the fees are too high."
Tim doesn't even blink. "The fees aren't 'high,' they are a quantifiable reflection of Delta’s premium dominance. If you can't afford the $45, you're clearly a United flyer who enjoys waiting 40 minutes at a carousel in a terminal that smells like disappointment. Next question."
Netflix should do a special.
Tim gave so much material, even another 1000 more to work with.
Has no one noticed? Not a fuel surcharge fee that has to go away when things (if things) stabilize.
This bag fees will remain!
I have to say that put a smile on my face - but mosty at your realization I have that I am regularly summoned to Washington to provide my take on the world.
you don't realize, Michael, in your finite mind that the issue is not the bag fees but the businesses that are run behind them
touch base w/ us after tomorrow morning and then a week later and see which has a more credible plan to manage high fuel costs.
Actually Tim, NO.
But reading comprehension isn't a skill you have historically shown anyways.
You, like typical you, crash the event uninvited and barge in with wagon loads of SEC filings. Fluff about irreverent topics. Ignore the rules of society. And double down on your irrelevant DL fluff.
Just like you do it here at OMAAT everyday.
So I guess they’ll drop it back down now that a ceasefire deal has been reached…
No doubt they publicly promised to reverse these increases when oil reverts to prior prices, right?
ROFL. But I will agree with one of your Tim Dunn's statements. EWR *is* basically a terminal that smells like disappointment. If I never have to fly there again until my flight to the afterworld, it will be too soon.