We’ll start with the fees. If you have to pay to check a bag, chances are it will cost you more. American Airlines, United Airlines and JetBlue all hiked fees last week. Combined with an increase by Alaska Airlines that took effect in January, four of the nation’s six biggest airlines have jacked up the price of a checked bag for flights in 2024.
JetBlue customers might be feeling especially, well, blue on the fee front. The increase in bag fees comes just about two weeks after the New York-based carrier rolled out another add-on charge — a seat-assignment fee dubbed “Core Preferred.”
Elsewhere, airline route planners have kept up their busy pace with a slew of interesting new routes.
That includes Delta Air Lines, which is going big — very big — with two new high-profile routes to Australia and Hawaii. The carrier wants to make sure you’ve got options to see the April eclipse, too, announcing two special flights for the occasion. (Back to bags for just a second — could Delta’s 20-minute bag guarantee be on the chopping block?)
Frontier Airlines is out with a big shakeup that will see it cut 16 routes and two cities — including service to my hometown of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania — while replacing those cuts with new routes elsewhere. It’s part of a move to reduce exposure to the leisure hot spots of Orlando and Las Vegas — two airports where new capacity appears to have finally outstripped demand. There also was some notable growth for Frontier earlier this month, including a 14-route expansion focused on Ohio.
There also may be some more turf wars brewing. Alaska Airlines is taking on Delta with a new nonstop flight from its hub in Portland, Oregon, to its rival’s megahub in Atlanta. In the Caribbean, American is beefing up its Barbados schedule with two new routes that could be an attempt to eat into the market share rivals Delta and JetBlue have established there.
Posts in this newsletter contains references to products from one or more of our advertisers. We may receive compensation when you click on links to those products, and this may impact how or where they appear. For an explanation of our Advertising Policy, visit this page.
The cards we feature here are from partners who compensate us when you are approved through our site, and this may impact how or where these products appear. We don’t cover all available credit cards, but our analysis, reviews, and opinions are entirely from our editorial team. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.
Editorial Note: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
