NEW YORK — JetBlue is proving that not even your baggage is safe from dynamic pricing, with the airline rolling out fees that vary depending on the day of departure.
The price of a first checked bag now ranges from $35 to $50 under a recently revealed fee structure that depends on a number of factors, including dates JetBlue determines to be peak or off-peak.
JetBlue is giving flyers a $10 discount if they add a checked bag during booking and at least 24 hours before check-in, with prices ranging from $35 for off-peak dates and $40 for peak dates.
FILE- In this Jan. 30, 2017, file photo, luggage sits on a baggage claim carousel at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Atlanta. The Transportation Department is dropping an Obama administration proposal that would have required airlines to disclose checked and carry-on bag fees at the start of a ticket purchase rather than later. (AP Photo/David Goldman, File)
Peak dates encompass about half of the year, including most of the busy summer travel season as well as dates before and after the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays in 2024. For next year, the dates range from mid-February (Valentine’s Day and President’s Day) and most of April for spring break and Easter. Full dates are listed on its website.
If a customer checks a bag within 24 hours of departure, the price jumps to $45 for off-peak dates and an industry high of $50 for peak dates.
The first checked bag remains free on its transatlantic flights, except for customers flying on its cheapest fare (Blue Basic), which now costs between $60 to $70.
JetBlue said in a statement that the cost of “transporting bags has gone up significantly due to increased wages and higher fuel costs, and we remain unprofitable since Covid.”
Workers clear the runway near JetBlue planes as snow falls at John F. Kennedy International Airport, Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
“While we don’t like increasing fees, we are making these adjustments to help get our company back to profitability and cover the increased costs,” the carrier said.
JetBlue flyers who have an airline-branded credit card, buy tickets in its premium Mint cabin or fares that include checked bags or have Mosaic status are largely exempt from the price increases.
U.S.-based airlines started hiking baggage fees a few months ago, with American Airlines becoming the first carrier, increasing the price from $30 to as much as $40. Soon after, rivals United Airlines, Delta Air Lines and JetBlue hiked their fees. This will be JetBlue’s second increase since February.
JetBlue has also been mired in losses since the pandemic, reporting an adjusted loss of $151 million in 2023, although that was an improvement from the $260 million it lost in 2022. The airline tried to purchase Spirit Airlines, but a federal court blocked the merger. JetBlue agreed to pay Spirit $69 million as part of its decision to end the deal.
In February, activist investor Carl Icahn bought a 10% stake in the company and announced plans to win two seats on its board of directors for his allies at the upcoming shareholders’ meeting.
A few weeks ago, JetBlue announced a major reduction in flights at Los Angeles International Airport and exits from five cities as it attempts to shift flying to profitable routes.
9 unusual things confiscated by TSA
The Transportation Security Administration usually shuffles airline passengers’ clothing, laptops, and shoes with little to no contention. According to the TSA, 5.5 million carry-on bags go through its security checks every day. Flagged items tend to be oversized bottles of liquids, gels, aerosols, lighters, or sharp objects.
But occasionally, TSA gets an item that would shock even the most seasoned agent. These items go through screening and come out somewhere unique: Instagram.
TSA’s Instagram account shares stories of strange things that may raise eyebrows but successfully make it through screening, like this zombie-looking movie prop that went through Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. The account also shares examples of some items that don’t make the cut and must be confiscated. Some stir up great debates, like a jar of peanut butter that TSA counts as a liquid and therefore can’t fly in a carry-on. Other confiscated items aren’t quite as…wholesome and often leave the traveling public asking, “Someone tried to bring THAT on a plane?!”
Bounce combed through TSA’s Instagram account to compile a list of 10 of the most unusual things confiscated during security checks across the United States.
TSA officers at the Tampa International Airport probably wished that “Snakes on a Plane” was just a fictional movie when they found a 4-foot boa constrictor stashed in a roller bag. Coiled among shoes and toiletries, the reptilian stowaway was promptly discovered by agents as a passenger attempted to send it through the X-ray machine.
This very strange combination had Honolulu International Airport TSA officers scratching their heads when they found bundles of plastic-wrapped breadfruit in a passenger’s carry-on. The fruit itself was not so much the issue as what the passenger had stuffed inside one: a bottle of baby oil that was more than 3.4 ounces.
A passenger in Miami found out the hard way it’s eel-legal to travel with a bag of live eels—yes, the elongated fish. Also along for the ride in the smuggler’s bag were 163 fish and 22 invertebrates. The Fish and Wildlife Service came to the rescue, collecting the sea creatures before the fish took flight.
Oversized ceremonial scissors are a must-have for ribbon-cutting ceremonies at groundbreakings and other celebrations. While they were likely needed for a good photo op rather than a malicious purpose, Nashville International Airport TSA officers still had to confiscate them for safety reasons from a passenger.
In an attempt that was no doubt uncomfortable for both the reptile and its owner, a live turtle was hidden inside a passenger’s pants at Spokane International Airport. TSA points out that typically, small pets are allowed through the checkpoint—with a proper carrying case and checking for your airline’s rules ahead of time, of course.
Here’s another screening straight out of a horror movie: A traveler moving through security at Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport security tried to bring their Freddy Krueger-shaped glove through a checkpoint in Silicon Peach. The passenger learned an important lesson that day: gloves with knives attached are, unsurprisingly, not allowed in carry-on luggage.
According to TSA agents who stopped this suitcase at LaGuardia Airport, if the smell didn’t get you, the sight of maggots spilling out of the bag would. Everyone in the area needed to vacate, and an entire cleaning crew came in to decontaminate after this foul discovery.
TSA agents at Syracuse Hancock International Airport stopped someone from boarding with a small shark inside a jar. It wasn’t the shark that was fishy, but the liquid in the container. First, it was more than 3.4 ounces; second, the liquid chemical preservative was deemed hazardous and, thus, not permitted.
History buffs or not, passengers are still discouraged from bringing historic weapons. One passenger decided to bring an old cannonball and antique flare gun through security at Hawaii’s Kahului Regional Airport. While they no doubt had an interesting history, they were promptly held by security.
This story originally appeared on Bounce and was produced and distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio.
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