Starting with flights booked as of Monday, the fee for a first checked bag with JetBlue will be $30, an increase of $5. A second checked bag will cost $40 and a third $150, according to JetBlue's website.
JetBlue customers who buy costlier tickets or who participate in the carrier's loyalty programs can avoid the luggage fees. The airline first started charging a fee for checked bags in 2015.
Other large U.S. carriers including Delta Air Lines, United Continental and American Airlines charge $25 for the first piece of luggage checked, while Southwest Airlines is the sole large U.S. airline that doesn't assess a fee for one piece of checked luggage.
JetBlue is also raising its fee for changing or canceling a ticket worth more than $200 from $150 to $200, matching the fees charged by American, Delta and United for nonrefundable tickets for domestic travel.
In 2017, U.S. airlines garnered $7.4 billion in fees from checked bags and ticket changes or cancellations, according to government statistics.
"As a matter of good business," a spokesperson for JetBlue emailed, "we routinely review and adjust our ancillary pricing to ensure a healthy business so we can continue offering the best customer experience of any U.S. airline."
