FORT WORTH, Texas — That checked bag will cost you more on American Airlines flights, starting Tuesday.
The Fort Worth-based carrier announced it has updated its checked bag fee for domestic flights to $40 for the first bag and $45 for the second bag.
Those prices are up from $30 and $40, respectively. Travelers can save a few bucks if they buy a checked bag ahead of time – the fee for a first checked bag will be $35 if purchased online.
American is also raising the price of checked bags for flights to Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America and Guyana. The first bag will cost $35 and the second bag will cost $45.
Scott Chandler, the senior vice president of revenue management and loyalty for American told the Wall Street Journal that airlines are dealing with rising fuel and labor costs.
“Fuel is a big component — obviously the more bags we carry, the more fuel you’re burning,” Chandler told the publication. “The cost of handling bags across the board, from real estate, machinery, et cetera, has gone up. This is trying to match that."
American last raised its domestic checked bag fees in 2018, then the airline's first price hike in eight years.
Since baggage fees were first rolled out by American in 2008, they have become a steady revenue source for most major U.S. carriers. American easily led the industry by raising $1.4 billion in bag fees in 2022, the last year for which U.S. Transportation Department figures are available.
American's latest fee increase follows recent similar moves by Alaska Airlines and JetBlue Airways. Dallas-based Southwest Airlines remains the lone major U.S. airline that does not charge bag fees, at least for a traveler's first two checked bags.
The Associated Press contributed to this report