Luggage Fees Go Transatlantic — Business of Loyalty
Photo Credit: A Delta plane is shown at Manchester Airport in England. The airline recently announced it will start charging passengers for checked bags on transatlantic flights if they choose basic economy fares. Flickr / Riik@mctr
Skift Take
SkyTeam airlines just announced a series of new baggage fees for transatlantic basic economy routes. But is it competition or gouging?
Basic economy is moving to international markets, and with it all of the associated bag fees.
Last week, Delta Air Lines quietly introduced checked bag fees on a portion of its transatlantic international flights that include basic economy fares. For passengers booked into the basic economy fare class as of December 6, an initial checked bag will now cost $60 while the second will cost an additional $100.
Until now, most international travel on Delta came with a free first checked bag. All non-elite customers booked in domestic economy on Delta, by comparison, pay $25 for the first and $35 for the second checked bag.
Delta introduced the changes in a statement made on December 5. Alitalia and Air France-KLM, Delta's SkyTeam partners in Europe, announced similar fees later in the week along with news around new fare classes roughly incorporating a basic economy cabin. With those fees, passengers will pay 50 euros per bag.
Across each carrier, the fees will only apply t
