There were only nominal charges for checking airline bags four years ago when they started. But it can now cost $450 for an overweight checked bag up to 100 pounds.
The $450 figure was cited by USA Today as what American Airlines charges on its Asian flights for bags up to 100 pounds, while United charges $400 for checking bags of that weight.
They also found:
- The first checked bag can cost up to $43.
- Fees for the same service vary widely. Frontier Airlines charges $50 to change an international ticket, while Delta Air Lines and United charge five times that.
- Spirit Airlines so far is the only carrier charging for carry-on bags. Spirit fliers pay $30 for notifying the airline online about a carry-on bag, $35 when calling on the telephone and $40 at the airport, the newspaper says.
By David Wilkening
