Checked Bag Fees Just Jumped Again. Don’t Expect Them to Drop

Cruising Altitude is a weekly column about air travel. A higher checked bag fee? In this economy? Yes. All the major U.S. airlines — American, United, Delta, Southwest, and JetBlue — announced in the last few weeks that they are raising their bag fees. I’m sorry to say the $45 checked-bag fee is the new normal. The price won’t go back down. The carriers all generally cited higher operational…