United Airlines announced it’s plan to charge some passengers a fee of $25 to check more than one bag. It will be charged to customers who purchase non-refundable, domestic economy tickets and who are not members of United’s frequent flier program, Mileage Plus. Currently, customers who are members of their Star Alliance partner programs will also be exempt. This move is expected to have many other airlines following suit in the coming months, according to a number of travel industry experts.
It’s not unheard of to only allow one checked bag (see my post on Virgin America); however, it has only been done on low-cost carriers. United is the first legacy carrier to implement the change and others will follow suit. In order to avoid the additional fee, I recommend you enroll in the frequent flier membership programs for all of the major carriers. Links to their membership programs are provided below.
US Airline Carriers:
- American Airline - AAdvantage
- Continental - OnePass
- Delta - SkyMiles
- JetBlue - TrueBlue
- Lufthansa - Miles & More
- Northwest - WorldPerks
- Southwest - Rapid Rewards
- United - Mileage Plus
- US Airways - Dividend Miles
