Airlines may be making less money on baggage fees now than in years past, but that doesn’t mean carriers aren’t trying. In fact, United Airlines just raised the price of checking a second bag on transatlantic flights.

While there’s no additional cost to check the first bag on such flights, the fee for checking a second suitcase is now $100, up from the previous $70. The new amount matches an increase instituted by rival Delta Airlines in January, and analysts think US Air and American Airlines may soon follow suit.

Even though airline analyst Hunter Keay said jet fuel costs have declined, United explained the bump by saying, “This change reflects an increase in costs associated with carrying bags, such as fuel and handling.”

So how much will United make on all those travelers carrying two checked bags overseas? About $30 million, a number Keay calls “modest.”

He also wrote in a report that although passengers have been paying less in bag fees in recent years, it isn’t because airlines are charging less — it’s because travelers have “modified their behavior.”

[Chicago Tribune]

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