✈ Airlines jack up bag fees; exciting new routes to Hawaii, Australia, Barbados and more! ✈

February 29, 2024

New flights, new fees

by Ben Mutzabaugh, Managing Editor for Aviation

Hello TPG readers!

New flights all over the place. The biggest jump in bag fees we’ve seen in years. It’s been a busy week for aviation news, so let’s get right into it.

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.

Japan travelers will have new service to look forward to with American and United each revealing launch dates for new service to Tokyo’s Haneda Airport (HND).

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.

The nation’s newest budget carriers also have been busy. Avelo Airlines has announced several new routes, including an expansion at its newest base in California — and said it posted its first profitable quarter ever. Breeze Airways added two new cities — one in North Carolina and another in New Hampshire — while doubling down on the Airbus A220 with an order for more jets.

We’ll leave it there for now. Until next time …

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Photo Credit: BEN MUTZABAUGH/THE POINTS GUY.

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