The United States airlines have made more money on baggage fees than ever before. In the second quarter of 2017 the airlines made $1.2 billion in fees for checking bags and $737.5 million for reservation change fees.
This is higher than its ever been, but the fifth quarter in a row where the checked bags fees have been over a billion dollars. The fees for other costs on flights such as choosing seats are not reported to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, so things like that are in addition to these numbers.
Airfares are currently quite low in comparison to other year averages, but they don’t always stay so low when it comes to checking bags and other fees. Those things tend to be necessary evils, and they can really add up.
