- Spiking jet fuel prices have left airlines looking for ways to recoup their extra costs.
- Many airlines have already increased ticket prices, and now some are bumping checked bag fees.
- Delta Air Lines said it will increase fees for first and second checked bags by $10 from Wednesday.
Travelers are feeling the pinch from the war in Iran.
Many airlines have already increased ticket prices and introduced fuel surcharges, but now there's a new target: checked bags.
Three major US airlines have increased baggage fees in recent days as soaring jet fuel prices have left them scrambling to offset skyrocketing costs.
The US and Israel's war on Iran has caused supply chain disruptions, leading to a surge in jet fuel prices, which has tightened margins for airlines.
Flight prices are rising as a result, and some airlines have already canceled — or are planning to cancel — flights due to the jet fuel shortages.
See which airlines have increased their fees for checked luggage:
Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines will increase fees for first and second checked bags by $10 from Wednesday, according to a statement shared with Business Insider.
For the third checked bag, fees will increase by $50. The changes apply to domestic and select short-haul international routes, and will not impact long-haul international flights or complimentary bag benefits, the airline said.
"These updates are part of Delta's ongoing review of pricing across its business and reflect the impact of evolving global conditions and industry dynamics," Delta said in the statement on Tuesday.
United Airlines
United Airlines said on Friday that it was raising the fees for first and second checked bags by $10. Like Delta, it said it will charge an extra $50 for third bags.
The airline said in a previously shared statement to Business Insider that this would apply to "customers traveling in the US, Mexico, and Canada and Latin America beginning with tickets purchased Friday, April 3."
JetBlue
JetBlue increased its checked baggage fees at the end of March.
The price of a first checked bag for a domestic flight has risen to $39 from $35 on non-peak days, and to $49 from $40 on peak travel days.
In a previous statement to Business Insider, the airline did not directly reference rising fuel prices as the reason for the fee increase, though it did note that its operating costs are rising.
"As we experience rising operating costs, we regularly evaluate how to manage those costs while keeping base fares competitive and continuing to invest in the experience our customers value," a spokesperson for JetBlue previously told Business Insider.
