November 2026 marks the second time in less than a year that JetBlue raises checked bag fees. Will other airlines follow once more?

JetBlue introduces higher checked bag fee

Don’t you miss the days of a ‘simple’ checked bag fee structure? Well, you’re going to need a Ph.D. to figure this out if other airlines copy the structure. JetBlue has a checked bag fee structure that’s confusing and a bit unwieldy. Need proof? Just look at this chart on its site.

That’s only the U.S. destinations. If you want transatlantic destinations, the fee structure is different…

If you’re following along, the are checked bag fee flags between peak/non-peak dates, purchased within a day or in advance, based on fare paid, domestic/international destinations, elite status level, and cardmember status. Talk about confusing!

Which days are peak dates? You’ll need to check their website, but it sure seems like it’s all of summer, all of spring break, all of December, and most major holidays.

Odds are you’re not going to vary the dates of your flight strictly for the bag fee you’ll pay. You’ll travel when you do and you’ll pay the posted price. Normal economics would say a higher fee would deter someone from checking a bag, but are you going to skip your summer trip just because of an extra $5-$10 fee?

JetBlue had this structure in place for a while, so what’s different about it this time? It’s $11 higher now per bag domestically. Because airlines simply ran out of creativity when it comes to raising revenue. At a price of up to $70 for checked bag fees for the first bag on domestic routes, you’re looking at $140 roundtrip, up from $118 roundtrip (a ~19% increase). And if you’re checking a second bag, the fee increases to as much as $85 domestically one-way, $170 roundtrip.

Sure makes you consider dropping off your bag at FedEx or USPS and paying less for them to ship your bag, doesn’t it?

It would be nice if JetBlue at least paired this with a promise to deliver your bag sooner the way Delta and Alaska do. Instead you get nothing in exchange other than a lighter wallet.

This isn’t the first time JetBlue raised checked bag fees in 2026

Earlier in 2026, JetBlue increased checked bag fees by $4 for off-peak and by $9 for peak dates. Take a moment and reflect on–relative to a year ago–that checked bag fees have gone up a whopping 40% for peak times ($50 to now $70). That’s absurd. It points to inelastic demand because people will be checking their bags anyways and the ability to advertise a better benefit for their credit card.

What was the story behind the original increase from March 2026? JetBlue said they raised checked bag fees because of fuel prices. At least the company gave an excuse even if it’s not exactly true at face value. JetBlue certainly isn’t quick to lower prices when the price of oil dips. This time, JetBlue didn’t even try to publicly justify the increase; the fee is just higher now.

And competitor airlines followed suit last time. Will JetBlue be leading the charge this time? Seems likely. For the past decade or so, JetBlue has always been the first one to initiate the increase and each time other airlines followed. Sometimes the response has been delayed by a month, but like clockwork it happens.

Don’t blame JetBlue for this mess, blame the government

You know the phrase: don’t hate the player, hate the game. In fact, the government fosters this behavior.

The unbundling of fares, and the seemingly endless attempt to push those fees as high as possible, is a byproduct of the taxation of airfare. Any service bundled into the base fare is subject to a 7.5% excise tax. Any service not bundled into the base fare is not subject to the excise tax. Sounds simple, but the problem is that an $11 increase to bag fees means more to JetBlue’s bottom line than an $11 increase to the cost of your airline ticket.

Because airlines owe no excise tax on ancillary revenue, airlines push more fees into ancillary products. But sure, you say, doesn’t that just mean JetBlue would have just raised fares by $12 instead and so customers save $1 by this approach? The math works out the same impact to JetBlue’s bottom line ($12 * 92.5% = $11.10). But the problem is the same effect as resort fees in the hotel industry. True comparisons of price become obfuscated to the consumer. The passenger might not easily understand how much the fare will cost until after purchase.

Consumers win when all costs are clearly displayed at the time of purchase and the market can dictate how much fares can rise. Remove preferential tax treatment for ancillary revenue and the source of the problem goes away.