Less than a month after raising checked-bag fees, JetBlue has raised them again, with some charges going as high as $70 on domestic flights, and with a new surcharge for 'peak season' flying.
Since all the other mainline airlines raised their rates in the last round that was started by Alaska Airlines, it is more than likely the same will happen again, like falling dominoes.
JetBlue's new rates, which went into effect without notice on March 22nd, are on top of February's increase, which raised the rates to $45 for first bags and $60 for second bags, with a $10 discount if bags are paid for at least 24 hours in advance. That pushes the top rate for a second bag at check-in to $70.
The new wrinkle is that each of those rates goes up by another $5 during what JetBlue defines as "peak-season pricing," which "applies during Presidents Week, Thanksgiving and Winter holidays and peak spring and summer travel seasons." Frequent flier site The Points Guy calculates that this means nearly half the year—158 days—including the whole summer from June 2 to September 3.
JetBlue is candid about its reasons: it's losing money, has done so since the pandemic, and has lost both its American Airlines alliance and its proposed take-over of Spirit Airlines. It claims it needs the money to return to profitability and still be able to "keep base fares as low as possible and ensure every customer favorites like seatback TVs and high-speed Wi-Fi."
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