Joins United, US Airways in charging $25 for second checked bag

The change hasn’t yet been posted on the airline’s web site, but trade journal Business Travel News reports that Delta will soon join United and US Airways in assessing a $25 fee for checking a second bag in addition to one free piece. The publication said that Delta president Ed Bastian mentioned the policy change, due to take effect in May, at a JP Morgan airline conference in New York. Both United and US Airways exempt certain customers – mainly elite frequent flyer members – from the second-checked-bag fee, and it is considered likely that Delta would do the same. Meanwhile, a United official reportedly told the same conference that his airline expects to bring in an extra $100 million from its second-checked-bag fee this year, and he predicted that passengers are likely to see continued “unbundling” of services from basic fares in the future.