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A Major U.S. Airline Is Rolling Out Dynamic Pricing for Baggage Fees Based on 'Peak' and 'Off-Peak' Flight Dates JetBlue set specific dates through 2025 when baggage fees will be higher.

By Emily Rella

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Several U.S. airlines have been raising baggage fees for passengers, with some, such as American Airlines, offering customers a lower price if they pay ahead of time instead of at the airport.

Now, JetBlue is trying a new strategy — a dynamic method of baggage pricing that charges passengers more depending on the date.

For example, the airline offers a $10 discount on checked bags if customers opt to pay for their checked baggage online at least 24 hours before their flight departs.

Related: Report: Airlines Made $33 Billion Last Year Charging For Checked Bags

In February, JetBlue increased its checked bag prices to a base fee of $45 for the first checked bag and $60 for the second. These will be the prices for dates deemed "Off-Peak" on domestic flights, all Blue, Blue Basic and Blue Extra tiered tickets.

The prices jump to $50 for the first bag during peak dates and $70 for the second bag.

Dynamic prices are in play for flights that are booked on or after March 22, 2024, with peak dates in 2024 and 2025 currently listed as: April 11 - 24; June 20 - September 3; November 21 - December 2; December 19 - January 6; February 13 - February 24; and April 3 - April 28.

"The cost of transporting bags has gone up significantly due to increased wages and higher fuel costs, and we remain unprofitable since COVID," a spokesperson for JetBlue told Travel + Leisure. "While we don't like increasing fees, we are making these adjustments to help get our company back to profitability and cover the increased costs."

Blue Plus, Mint and Mosaic tiered tickets have the first two checked bags included in the ticket price.

Related: Baggage Handler Shares Hack For Avoiding Lost Luggage

The increases come amid an industry trend of increasing checked bag fees — the top 20 airlines in the world made a reported $33 billion in baggage fees in 2023 alone.

JetBlue was down just under 4% in a one year period as of Tuesday afternoon.

Emily Rella

Senior News Writer

Emily Rella is a Senior News Writer at Entrepreneur.com. Previously, she was an editor at Verizon Media. Her coverage spans features, business, lifestyle, tech, entertainment, and lifestyle. She is a 2015 graduate of Boston College and a Ridgefield, CT native. Find her on Twitter at @EmilyKRella.

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