Passengers flying JetBlue will now have to pay even more to check a bag.
About JetBlue’s Updated Checked Luggage Fees:
For the second time this calendar year, JetBlue has hiked fees for checked luggage. Now, a single checked bag could cost as much as $70 depending on when flyers travel and when they add their bags to their reservation.
JetBlue has multiple tiers of checked luggage pricing, as it not only charges more for bags paid for less than 24 hours before departure but also observes peak pricing for select travel dates. Below is a table of the latest pricing for first and second checked bags:
| First Checked Bag | Second Checked Bag | |
| Off-Peak, More than 24 Hours Before Departure | $50 | $70 |
| Peak, More than 24 Hours Before Departure | $55 | $75 |
| Off-Peak, Less than 24 Hours Before Departure | $60 | $75 |
| Peak, Less than 24 Hours Before Departure | $70 | $85 |
Currently, Peak dates include November 5th through 11th and 19th through 30th, all of December, January 1st through 18th, and more. In fact, every month of 2027 has some Peak dates except for March. Entire summer months are also Peak. Here’s the full list:
- November 2026: 5-11, 19-30
- December 2026: 1-31
- January 2027: 1-18
- February 2027: 11-22
- March 2027: N/A
- April 2027: 1-26
- May 2027: 20-31
- June 2027: 1-30
- July 2027: 1-31
- August 2027: 1-31
- September 2027: 1-8
- October 2027: 9-13
While these new bag fees apply to most flyers, those booking BlueFirst Base or Mint Base fares continue to get their first checked bag free. Similarly, Mosaic 1 status members get one free checked bag while those with Mosaic 2 status or higher can get two free checked bags.
Another option for avoiding checked bag fees on JetBlue is with their co-branded credit cards. Both the JetBlue Plus and JetBlue Premier cardholders enjoy a complimentary first checked bag. The JetBlue Plus card has a $99 annual fee, while the JetBlue Premier card carries a $499 annual fee.
My Thoughts:
If you don’t have an airline credit card or frequent flier status and plan on checking a bag on your next trip, you should almost certainly prepare to pay more. That’s because, while JetBlue is often a first mover on these price hikes, history shows that other domestic airlines are very quick to follow suit. That’s exactly what happened earlier this year. Although, JetBlue’s peak pricing scheme has yet to truly catch on, thankfully.
While airlines may peg these recent fee hikes to jet fuel prices, they’ve also been trying to push their co-branded credit cards. Sure enough, when you’re looking at potentially paying $70 for one checked bag, picking up a $99 annual fee credit card that not only erases that bag fee but also includes some extra perks, it starts to look like a no-brainer. So, while JetBlue fans may be taking a closer look at their options today, I suspect even more flyers will be exploring airline credit card offers within the next couple of weeks.
