Transportation
American Air Raises Bag Fees as Industry Total Tops $33 Billion
- Global bag fees exceed pre-pandemic 2019 level for first time
- First bag Checked on American Air now $35, up from $30
Luggage is prepared for an American Airlines flight at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago.
Photographer: Scott Olson/Getty ImagesAmerican Airlines Group Inc. is raising the cost to check bags, just as an annual report shows the amount airlines collected from such fees last year grew to an estimated $33.3 billion.
The global baggage fee total rose nearly 15% from 2022 and exceeded the amount collected in pre-pandemic 2019 for the first time, according to data released Tuesday by IdeaWorks Co. and CarTrawler, which provides real-time rental car prices and availability to consumers. Such charges made up 4.1% of global airline revenue last year, the report said.