Delta Hikes Baggage Fees As Jet Fuel Costs Jump 132%

Delta Air Lines has become the latest air carrier imposing fuel-cost-related price increases.

The Atlanta-based airline will increase charges for checked bags by $10 to $50 each, according to a statement Tuesday (April 7) cited by multiple news outlets.

Delta pointed to “evolving global conditions and industry dynamics” as the reason for the change, set to go into effect Wednesday (April 8), per CBS News. Fees for passengers’ first and second checked bags will rise by $10, while checking a third piece of luggage on domestic and short-haul international flights will cost another $50, the airline said.

This means that, following the increase, fees will climb to $45 for the first bag, $55 for the second and $200 for the third.

The new fee structure is part of “Delta’s ongoing review of pricing across its business,” the carrier told CBS, which said this marks the first time in two years the airline has increased fees for domestic bag checks.

Two other airlines, United and Jet Blue, have also increased their fees following the U.S./Israeli attack on Iran in late February.

“The reality is, jet fuel prices have more than doubled in the last three weeks,” United CEO Scott Kirby wrote in a letter to employees in March, adding that the airline has factored in the idea of oil prices jumping to $175 a barrel.

“If prices stayed at this level, it would mean an extra $11 billion in annual expense just for jet fuel. For perspective, in United’s best year ever, we made less than $5 billion,” Kirby said.

As the CBS report noted, airlines have tried to cover rising fuel costs by increasing airfares and adding fuel surcharges to the price of tickets. The report also cited an analysis from Deutsche Bank which found that if jet fuel prices remained just $2 per gallon higher for the entire year, airlines would need to increase their fares by around 17%, or $50, across the board.

Jet fuel prices came to $209 a barrel at the end of last week, a 132% increase from last year’s average, the International Air Transport Association said.

Meanwhile, Amazon last week announced a fuel-and-logistics related surcharge for sellers using its logistics service.

“Elevated costs in fuel and logistics have increased the cost of operating across the industry,” Amazon said in the post. “We have absorbed these increased costs so far. However, similar to other major carriers, when costs remain elevated, we implement temporary surcharges on our fulfillment fees to recover a portion of the actual cost increases we are experiencing.”