Bag fees are lucrative. There is no disputing this and, really, it’s kind of old news at this point. But it’s still staggering to see just how lucrative they are. The top ten airlines in terms of bag fee revenue brought in a staggering $669 million in the second quarter (April through June) of 2009. Here are the top earners:
- American: $118.44 million
- Delta: $118.36 million
- US Airways: $104.14 million
- United: $67.41 million
- Northwest: $67.19 million
- Continental: $63.16 million
- AirTran: $40.54 million
- Spirit: $16.18 million
- Frontier: $13.46 million
- JetBlue: $12.35 million
JetBlue is the only carrier listed that doesn’t charge a first-bag fee. My quick and rough guess is that a first-bag fee would bring its revenue up around AirTran’s number, so theoretically it’s leaving between $20 and $30 million on the table. One has to imagine that Southwest would appear in the upper half of this list if it charged for the first and second bag.
As always, you can keep track of all the airline fees with our Ultimate Guide to Airline Fees.
We hand-pick everything we recommend and select items through testing and reviews. Some products are sent to us free of charge with no incentive to offer a favorable review. We offer our unbiased opinions and do not accept compensation to review products. All items are in stock and prices are accurate at the time of publication. If you buy something through our links, we may earn a commission.
Related
Top Fares From
Today's Top Travel Deals
Brought to you by ShermansTravel
Black Friday Sale: 6-Night India Tour,...
Exoticca
vacation $1599+Amsterdam to Copenhagen: Luxe, 18-Night Northern...
Regent Seven Seas Cruises
cruise $12399+Ohio: Daily Car Rentals from Cincinnati
85OFF.com
Car Rental $19+