Secret New Fee For Many Flyers In New York State Discovered

A service that used to be free is now going to cost even more for many New Yorkers.

New York-based JetBlue is making changes to its luggage fees.

JetBlue To Charge More For Luggage During Peak Flying Times

Get ready for surged pricing for checked luggage on JetBlue. Think about how Uber sometimes charges you more during peak travel times.

This new policy secretly went into effect on March 22, with no notice from the airline, reports say.

"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," JetBlue told CBS News in a statement.

How Much More Are You Paying

JetBlue confirms the changes on its website.

For "Blue," "Blue Basic," and "Blue Extra" fares, during peak hours your first checked bag now costs $40 while a second checked bag costs $60.

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It's $35 for your first checked bag during off-peak times and $50 for a second off-peak bag.

That's only if you pay for your bags over 24 hours before departure.

It will cost $10 more if you pay for your bags within 24 hours of departure.

JetBlue Blames Cost Of Bags, COVID

JetBlue says the new fees are because the "cost of transporting bags has gone up significantly due to increased wages and higher fuel costs," adding the airline has been "unprofitable since COVID."

Last month, JetBlue confirmed the airline is completely leaving Newburgh, New York to "improve financial performance."

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JetBlue also dropped 13 New York routes. CLICK HERE to find out where.

What Are Peak Times

Peak hours make up about half the year and include most of April, the weeks around holidays and the entire summer.

Below are peak times, according to JetBlue

• 4/11-4/29/24
• 6/20-9/3/24
• 11/21-12/2/24
• 12/19/24-1/6/25
• 2/13-2/24/25
• 4/3-4/28/25

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All other times are considered off-peak.

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