Delta Air Lines adds fee for first checked bag

Say goodbye to checking luggage for free on Delta Air Lines, one of the last holdouts on fees for the first bag.  Starting today (Nov. 5),  for travel on or after Dec. 5, you’ll pay $15 for the first bag and $25 for the second one each way on domestic flights.

The good news: If you’re a two-bag traveler, you’ll actually pay less under the new policy.  That’s because until now you paid $50 for the second checked bag and nothing for the first on Delta.  And of course, high-mileage frequent fliers and customers who pay premium fares are exempt.

Chalk up the change, made today without advance notice, to Delta’s merger with Northwest Airlines last week, which turned Northwest into a subsidiary of Delta. Saying it was the only major carrier that hadn’t charged for the first bag, Delta said its new policy matches Northwest’s.

The two airlines continue to merge operations. For details on what’s new — and not — see Delta’s FAQs. Here are more Delta changes:

SkyMiles and WorldPerks: You no longer pay fuel surcharges of $25 to $100 on award tickets originating from the U.S. and Canada.

Phone sales: Starting Thursday (Nov. 6) you’ll pay a fee of $20 instead of $25 to buy tickets or redeem award travel by phone.

Curbside check-in: Starting Dec. 5, Delta will stop charging a $3 “administrative fee” for this service. (Please remember to tip the skycap.)

Coach Choice Seats: Under this Northwest program, adopted by Delta last week, you pay $5 to $25 to get desirable seats, such as those in bulkhead, exit-row and forward-cabin locations. Premium fliers can get these for free. For details, see the FAQs.

—Jane Engle, assistant Los Angeles Times Travel editor

[Photo: Delta Air Lines jets at airport in Kentucky. Credit: Tom Uhlman/Bloomberg News]

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, November 5, 2008 at 5:06 pm by Jane Engle and is filed under Business Travel, Frequent Flier, News, Tips & Advice. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.