The war in Iran has sent jet fuel prices soaring, and you can bet the airlines will pass along as big a share of those costs as possible to the consumer.
That means higher airfares along with the commercial aviation industry’s answer to every challenge—higher fees.
This week JetBlue is kicking off Fee Fest ’26 by hiking its checked luggage fee for a first bag to $39 in “off-peak” periods and $49 during peak periods—provided, that is, you pay for the checked bag at least 24 hours before your flight departs.
Wait until you show up at the airport, and you’ll pay $49 for your first bag during off-peak periods and a whopping $59 during peak periods.
Peak periods, as you’d expect, are the busiest travel seasons, such as summer and the end-of-year holidays. The fees we’re covering here are for JetBlue’s domestic flights as well as service to Latin America, the Caribbean, and Canada.
The $39 fee is up from JetBlue’s previous charge of $35 for a first checked bag during off-peak times. The peak fee of $49 is up a not-insignificant $9 from the previous charge of $40.
Fees for checking a second bag went up, too. See the airline’s website for a full rundown as well as luggage fees for transatlantic flights.
Will other airlines raise their checked luggage fees too?
JetBlue cited “rising operating costs” as the reason for the fee increase.
Does that mean the carrier will reduce luggage fees if oil prices decline? Don’t count on it. Generally, airline fees are a strong refutation of the notion that what goes up must come down.
What seems far more likely is that other major U.S. airlines will follow JetBlue’s lead and bump up their checked luggage fees, too.
That’s what has happened in the past. As a matter of fact, that’s what happened the last time a major carrier increased luggage fees, landing us at what has become the current standard for a first checked bag: $35 to $40.
Hard to believe that could soon sound like a steal.
