American Air Boosts Bag Fee to $75 on No-Frills Fares to Europe

(Bloomberg) -- American Airlines Group Inc. raised the cost of checking a bag on a trans-Atlantic flight by 25% for customers buying its cheapest ticket as carriers worldwide struggle with the collapse of travel demand due to coronavirus.

The fee to check a first bag rose to $75 from $60 for passengers who purchase a Basic Economy ticket after April 21, American said in a statement. The increase brings American’s fees into line with those charged by its transAtlantic joint-venture partners -- IAG SA’s British Airways and Iberia, and Finnair Oyj, the carrier said. The change applies on flights to Europe, Israel and Morocco.

American’s fee to check a second or third bag on such routes remains the same -- $100 and $200, respectively -- for both Basic Economy and Main Cabin tickets paid in U.S. dollars, the airline said.

Charges will increase to 60 British pounds for the first bag, then to 75 and 155 pounds for the next two bags to be “better aligned with” the U.S. dollar equivalent, the statement said. In Euros, fees rise to 70, 90 and 180.

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