Delta Air Lines, the airline that recently purchased Northwest Airlines, decided to follow it’s new subsidiary by adding baggage fees. How much will this fee be? According to their website: “When traveling within the United States, U.S. Virgin Islands, or Puerto Rico you can currently check one bag, per passenger, free of charge. However, on December 5, 2008, our checked bags fees will be changing to $15 for the first bag and $25 for the second bag.” (Yes, that’s consistent with Northwest Airlines)
I’m a bit surprised that Delta didn’t jump on the bandwagon yet. However I’m sure many were expecting it to come, since airlines are more likely to add fees than get rid of them. It’s simply part of the integration process with Northwest Airlines. I guess Southwest Airlines can start another ad campaign, boasting their fee-free / no-strings-attached deal for travelers.
Image: flickr.com
Delta already charged – they had a $50 fee for the second bag but didn’t charge for the first one. Now they are just aligning their fee policy with NW’s – adding the $15 fee for the first, and bringing the fee for the second down to $25.
Generally, the average traveler does not check more than 1 bag per flight. And yes, technically most airlines had “Baggage Fees” prior to 2008, for 3 bags+.