Alaska Airlines Is Increasing Its Bag Fee Next Year — What to Know for an Upcoming Flight
This isn’t the first time Alaska bumped up its checked baggage rates.
Ingrid Barrentine/Courtesy of Alaska Airlines
Checking a bag on Alaska Airlines will get slightly more expensive in the new year.
For tickets purchased on or after Jan. 2, 2024, Alaska Airlines will increase rates by $5 for a traveler's first checked bag ($35) and a second checked bag ($45), according to a new chart published on the airline’s website. Additional checked bags beyond the first and second remain unchanged with a $150 per-bag fee.
“Alaska Airlines is committed to providing exceptional service to our guests,” a spokesperson said in a statement shared with T+L. “As we navigate rising operating costs — including high fuel prices — we occasionally need to adjust our fee structure to maintain a high level of excellence in the service we provide. “
This isn’t the first time Alaska bumped up its checked baggage rates, nor is the airline alone in implementing these markups. In 2018, almost all of the major domestic carriers (including Alaska) increased checked baggage fees to $30 and $40 for the first and second checked bags, respectively.
Despite these steady increases, Alaska offers a checked bag waiver to Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® card and the Alaska Airlines Visa® Business credit card holders — and up to six travelers on their reservation. Both cards have a $70 annual fee, making either one a no-brainer for Alaska loyalists who want to avoid paying pesky checked bag fees.
Other travelers exempt from checked bag fees include Mileage Plan MVP elite members, Club 49 members in the state of Alaska and all active duty military members.
However, the recent increases could establish a new standard for airline incidental fees, and other carriers may follow suit as they did roughly five years ago.
With Alaska’s recently announced plans to acquire Hawaiian Airlines, the new checked baggage rates could impact the merged airline. As it stands, Hawaiian charges two rates for checked bags on its intra-island and North America flights. The current first and second bag rates are posted on the Hawaiian’s website at $25 and $35, while the airline charges the industry-standard rate of $30 and $40 for flights to the mainland.
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