United has announced that for tickets purchased after April 3, 2026 “fees will go up by $10 for your first and second checked bag and by $50 for your third checked bag in most markets.” Earlier this week JetBlue announced that bag fees will be increasing by $5-$9. Chances of American Airlines increasing bag fees within the next week or two would be about 100%.
Generally when one airline raises bag fees the others quickly follow suit. For example in 2024 JetBlue, United and American Airlines all raised fees. These increased bag fees are really just fuel surcharges in disguise with the added benefit that it doesn’t affect elites/cardholders and that there is no pressure or expectation that they will decrease these fees when fuel prices drop.
