American Airlines raises baggage fees by $5

KEY POINTS

• The new prices will be up to $30 from $25 for the first checked bag and $40 up from $35 for the second, effective for tickets purchased beginning Sept. 21.
• United Airlines, Delta Air Lines and JetBlue Airways have also raised their fees. JetBlue and Alaska Airlines also increased date-change fees.

An American Airlines employee scans baggage at the San Francisco International Airport.

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American Airlines, the world's largest airline, will charge customers $5 more for the first and second checked bags for travel in the U.S., Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands and the Caribbean, the company said Thursday.

The new prices will be up to $30 from $25 for the first checked bag and $40 up from $35 for the second, effective for tickets purchased beginning Sept. 21. Certain AAdvantage members will continue to be eligible for free checked bags.

United Airlines, Delta Air Lines and JetBlue Airways have also raised their fees. JetBlue and Alaska Airlines also increased date-change fees.

Several lawmakers want to include a regulatory provision for federal officials to evaluate fees in a bill to reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration. This comes after lawmakers asked airlines to explain the reasoning behind some of their fees, including those for checked baggage and seat assignments, earlier this month.