JetBlue increases checked bag prices — Here’s how to avoid the new fee
Starting today, a checked bag with JetBlue is $35 instead of $30
Checking your bag with JetBlue just got a bit more expensive -- but there is a way to avoid the price increase.
The airline’s baggage fee chart says the price for a first checked bag is now $35 and a second checked bag is now $45. Before Jan. 15, a passenger’s first checked bag was $30 and his or her second was $40, the website says.
The catch is, if you pay for your checked bags in advance, you don’t have to pay the extra $5 per bag.
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“Want to save on checked bag fees?” the website says. “You can add up to 2 checked bags in advance (more than 24 hours before departure) for $5 off each of the first 2 checked bags.”
In a message to crewmembers, JetBlue said the increased price -- and option to pay for bags online in advance -- is intended to “reduce transactions in the airport lobby and improve the Customer experience,” according to a post from blog PaxEx.Aero.
In 2018, JetBlue was the first major airline to increase checked bag fees to $30 from $25, according to a report from USA Today.
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JBLU | JETBLUE AIRWAYS CORP. | 5.91 | -0.19 | -3.11% |
| DAL | DELTA AIR LINES INC. | 47.94 | -1.30 | -2.64% |
| UAL | UNITED AIRLINES HOLDINGS INC. | 52.67 | -1.35 | -2.50% |
| AAL | AMERICAN AIRLINES GROUP INC. | 13.92 | -0.30 | -2.11% |
Airlines including Delta, United and American have also raised their prices, the website reported.
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Last month, JetBlue added a basic economy price for its flights, called “Blue Basic,” the airline’s CEO Robin Hayes told FOX Business’ Stuart Varney at the time.
“It's cheap pricing, but it's not barebones flying because it's going to allow us to offer a lower fare than we do today to really make sure that our most price-conscious customers can still continue to fly,” Hayes said.
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He said that despite the low cost, passengers will still have plenty of legroom and many other free amenities, including soft drinks, snacks, WiFi and TV.
However, Blue Basic customers won’t be able to cancel or make changes to their flights and they will be seated last.
Blue Basic customers also won’t earn as many frequent flyer miles as other passengers.
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FOX Business’ Julia Limitone contributed to this report.