Alaska Airlines is raising its checked baggage fees starting January 2, tacking on an extra $5 to its current $30 charge and adding $10 to its second-bag fee, raising it to $45. A third bag is $150.
While it is so far the only airline to cross the $30 barrier that’s been fairly common across the industry for the past few years, it is likely not to be the last, as airlines tend to follow each other on many types of auxiliary charges. When fees jumped from $25 in 2018, three airlines made the change within days of each other.
On the other hand, an industry-wide jump might also give new force to passenger group complaints and to the Biden administration’s call for legislation to eliminate ‘nuisance fees’ in the transport industry.
