Izusek | E+ | Getty ImagesChecking a bag at the airport has gotten pricier for travelers — and harder to avoid.A checked bag is one stored in a plane’s cargo hold during a flight. While that service was free in years past, it’s now standard for major airlines to charge for checked bags, experts said.Major U.S. airlines started doing so in 2008, levying around $15 a bag, said Katy Nastro, travel expert at cheap flight alert platform Going.[embedded content]Today, it’s about double: $30 to $35 for one checked bag, Nastro said. That means travelers who check a bag on each leg of a round-trip itinerary can add an extra $60 to $70 to the total cost of their basic fare. And rates generally increase for each additional checked bag.Passengers paid about $6.8 billion in total baggage fees in 2022, the last full year for which data are available, according to the Bureau of Transportation. That’s up 17% from roughly $5.8 billion in 2019, even though fewer passengers flew on U.S. carriers in 2022, Bureau data show.More from Personal Finance:4 big ways to save on your next tripDon’t let this passport quirk upend your next vacation2024 is the ‘year of globetrotting,’ travel expert says”Unless baggage is included in a higher-class (premium economy, first, business class, etc.) ticket, passengers should expect to pay a fee,” Eric Napoli, vice president of legal strategy at AirHelp, which helps passengers file claims for airline compensation, explained in an e-mail.Here’s some advice from travel experts on how to reduce those fees, and perhaps avoid them altogether.Fly with certain airlinesDaniel Garrido | Moment | Getty ImagesThere are a few airlines that still don’t charge for a checked bag.Southwest, for example, is the one outlier in the U.S., experts said. The carrier allows two free checked bags.The “Big Three” Gulf Airlines — Qatar Airways, Etihad Airways and Emirates — still offer free baggage, as does Air India, according to Aiden Higgins, senior editor of The Broke Backpacker website.These carriers may have certain restrictions, including for luggage size and weight.Of course, just because they may not charge for bags doesn’t mean their fares are cheaper than others when assessing overall cost. And they may not fly routes that work for travelers’ itineraries.Combine bagsTravel partners may also consider combining suitcases.A family of four may be able to condense four bags into two, potentially cutting checked-bag fees in half …
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[mwai_chat context=”Let’s have a discussion about this article:nnIzusek | E+ | Getty ImagesChecking a bag at the airport has gotten pricier for travelers — and harder to avoid.A checked bag is one stored in a plane’s cargo hold during a flight. While that service was free in years past, it’s now standard for major airlines to charge for checked bags, experts said.Major U.S. airlines started doing so in 2008, levying around $15 a bag, said Katy Nastro, travel expert at cheap flight alert platform Going.[embedded content]Today, it’s about double: $30 to $35 for one checked bag, Nastro said. That means travelers who check a bag on each leg of a round-trip itinerary can add an extra $60 to $70 to the total cost of their basic fare. And rates generally increase for each additional checked bag.Passengers paid about $6.8 billion in total baggage fees in 2022, the last full year for which data are available, according to the Bureau of Transportation. That’s up 17% from roughly $5.8 billion in 2019, even though fewer passengers flew on U.S. carriers in 2022, Bureau data show.More from Personal Finance:4 big ways to save on your next tripDon’t let this passport quirk upend your next vacation2024 is the ‘year of globetrotting,’ travel expert says”Unless baggage is included in a higher-class (premium economy, first, business class, etc.) ticket, passengers should expect to pay a fee,” Eric Napoli, vice president of legal strategy at AirHelp, which helps passengers file claims for airline compensation, explained in an e-mail.Here’s some advice from travel experts on how to reduce those fees, and perhaps avoid them altogether.Fly with certain airlinesDaniel Garrido | Moment | Getty ImagesThere are a few airlines that still don’t charge for a checked bag.Southwest, for example, is the one outlier in the U.S., experts said. The carrier allows two free checked bags.The “Big Three” Gulf Airlines — Qatar Airways, Etihad Airways and Emirates — still offer free baggage, as does Air India, according to Aiden Higgins, senior editor of The Broke Backpacker website.These carriers may have certain restrictions, including for luggage size and weight.Of course, just because they may not charge for bags doesn’t mean their fares are cheaper than others when assessing overall cost. And they may not fly routes that work for travelers’ itineraries.Combine bagsTravel partners may also consider combining suitcases.A family of four may be able to condense four bags into two, potentially cutting checked-bag fees in half …nnDiscussion:nn” ai_name=”RocketNews AI: ” start_sentence=”Can I tell you more about this article?” text_input_placeholder=”Type ‘Yes'”]
