Airlines Collect Record Baggage Fees, Some Passengers Increasingly OK with them

In 2012, airlines raked in more than $6 billion in baggage and change fees, solely accounting for a 3.7 percent profit margin, according to WTOP.

The practice of collecting additional fees for the once-free baggage began in 2008, when prices for jet fuel rose nearly 50 percent as oil hit an all-time high. Since then, the fees have increased and are typically in the range of $25 for  the first checked bag and $35 for the second. These baggage fees added $3.5 billion to airline coffers in 2012, 3.8 percent more than in 2011.

While some commercials make light of the anger and frustration caused by the additional fees, a J.D. Power & Associates survey cited by the Los Angeles Times shows that a greater percentage of passengers who pay to check their bags are saying they find the fees reasonable. The percentage of passengers who pay to check bags and say the fees are reasonable grew from 18 percent in 2011 to 28 percent in 2012 and 37 percent in 2013.  

If you are planning on flying out of BWI, Reagan National or Dulles for your summer vacation, book your flights wisely, or you could be paying even more for reservation change fees. WTOP says that American Airlines, Delta, United Airlines and US Airways recently hiked their domestic flight reservation fee from $150 to $200.

In 2012, reservation changes cost travelers $2.6 billion, up 7.3 percent from 2011 figures.

If the baggage and reservation changes fees are making you feel the pain, you can always pay more for better seating. United Airlines is one company that allows passengers to upgrade to an Economy Plus seat for a fee, 25 percent higher than the other seats.

The once sacred carry-on bags are not immune from fees anymore. Frontier Airlines will join Spirit Airlines and Allegiant Air in charging for each carry-on, according to the Los Angeles Times.