Say goodbye to a free checked bag on JetBlue Airways Corp. if you buy the cheapest ticket.
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Southwest Airlines is now the only major USA carrier to still offer two free checked bags on domestic routes.
He points all those people shoving oversized bags into overhead bins, getting into arguments because they don’t want to pay to check their luggage. The vehicle for this change was to be the introduction of a new booking platform from Datalex and a new fare system called “fare families”, which JetBlue said would arrive in Q2 2015. The option makes the most sense for shorter visits, when passengers know they will have just a carry-on bag. If purchased online, the first baggage fee will be $20 and on the check-in counter, the same will cost $25. To avoid the charge, customers can book a “Blue Plus” fare that typically is $15 more than the base ticket price, it said.
FILE – In this April 23, 2013, file photo, a JetBlue plane takes off in view of the air traffic control tower at Seattle-Tacoma global Airport, in Seattle.
Mr. St. George said JetBlue estimates that when the program is fully implemented, it will generate $200 million a year in additional revenue. It has launched and then expanded a first class product called Mint. Most others started doing it several years ago. Customers can not easily compare fares across airlines, hidden in fine print, because websites such as Expedia list prices without ancillary fees, according to Charlie Leocha, chairman of consumer advocacy group Travelers United. The cheapest, called Blue, doesn’t include a checked bag – although passengers can always add one later at a higher cost. Exceptions will be made for flights to 10 Caribbean and Latin American destinations, where Blue and Blue Plus fares will allow one free checked bag, the company said.
“Blue Flex” is JetBlue’s top-tier for its main cabin, offering two complimentary checked bags. But JetBlue says Blue Flex fares will “generally” be about $85 more than Blue Plus and about $100 more than basic Blue fares.
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Some fees are being cut.
