International flights between India and the US used to allow up to 40 kgs of luggage, but then it was reduced to 23 kgs. Before, officials sometimes let passengers have an extra couple of KGs as a courtesy, but now even just one extra kilo is taken away.
Adding to the pain for international passengers to the US, United Airlines has increased fees for checking bags on flights within North America.
From February 24, if you’re flying economy with United, you’ll pay $40 for your first checked bag at the airport, or $35 if you pay beforehand.
For the second bag, it’s $50 at the airport or $45 beforehand. Other big airlines like American Airlines and JetBlue Airways have also raised their fees.
These fee hikes are happening because airlines are facing higher costs for maintenance and employee wages, and they’re also dealing with tough competition.
This is United’s third increase in bag fees in the last four years.
Even though airlines made a lot of money from baggage fees in 2022 and 2023 because more people were flying, these fee hikes are also due to challenges like higher wages and fuel costs.
To make things fairer for customers, the U.S. government is considering making airlines tell you about all the fees before you book your ticket.
Senator Richard Blumenthal is also checking if airlines are charging fair prices for things like baggage and seat selection.
