A MAJOR airline has become the first to increase luggage charges in response to the fuel crisis caused by the Iran conflict.
American carrier JetBlue has confirmed that the cost of taking baggage onboard is to go up – and others could follow suit.
The new costs will see checked bags go up by $4 (£3) for off peak, economy travellers, so will now be $39 (£30).
And the cost for peak economy travellers will go up by $9 (£6.80) so to $49 (£37).
Passengers paying for luggage less than 24 hours before the flight will pay an extra $10 (£7.50).
A JetBlue spokesperson told local media: “Adjusting fees for optional services used by select customers, such as checked baggage, allows us to continue offering more competitive fares.”
So far, a number of airlines have already said they will be raising the cost of flights due to the fuel crisis.
Cathay Pacific, AirAsia and Thai Airways are just some that are increasing fares, along with Air New Zealand.
United Airlines said it could eventually see fares increase as much as 20 per cent.
Other airlines have said they are cancelling flights altogether.
United Airlines confirmed that it would be cutting five per cent of flights for the next few months, which works out to around 250 a month.
Air New Zealand has cancelled 1,100 fights, affecting 44,000 passengers, while Scandinavian airline SAS also cancelled 1,000 flights.
But airlines, especially budget ones, could choose to leave the cost of flights alone to remain competitive and instead raise the cost of extra fees.
In the UK, both Ryanair and easyJet have said their fares won’t be affected by the fuel crisis for now.
However, the crisis is being caused by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz – and the longer it continues, the more they will be at risk.
The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world’s most important oil routes, with around 20million barrels passing through every day – roughly 20 per cent of global supply.
Petrol and diesel fuel costs have increased by more than 17p a litre since the end of February, with a litre of unleaded petrol costing 150.11p as of March 30.
