U.S. Airlines Collected a Record $6.4 Billion in Bag and Change Fees in 2014
Skift Take
These ancillary fee revenues will only continue rising until passengers get totally tired of them or the government steps in.
Airline bag and change fee revenue hit a record $6.4 billion in 2014 and the third quarter, propelled by summer travel, generated the highest fees, new data from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics show.
Bag fee revenue was up 5.3% year-over-year to $3.5 billion in 2014 from the 27 U.S. carriers with scheduled passenger service, a record high for U.S. airlines. Delta historically collects the most bag fee revenue each year and 2014 was no exception: The airline got $875 million from these fees, and United and American followed at $651 million and $574 million, respectively.
Airlines also notched a record year for change fees, collecting $2.9 billion last year, and that was 5.7% more than in 2013. Delta, United, and Ame
