Delta No. 2 in bag fees per passenger

Delta No. 2 in bag fees per passenger

Among major carriers, only US Airways brought in baggage fee revenue at a higher rate at $9.91 per passenger.
The U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics reported this week that Delta brought in $952 million in baggage fee revenue in 2010, the highest amount among all U.S. airlines. The AJC analyzed the numbers to scale baggage fee revenue based on the airline size as measured by number of passengers.
Delta carried the most passengers last year among U.S. airlines, with about 110.9 million boarding planes, according to Bureau of Transportation Statistics data.
Atlanta-based Delta has increased its baggage fees over time and currently charges $25 for the first checked bag and $35 for the second checked bag on domestic flights.
Southwest Airlines brought in an average of just 28 cents in baggage fee revenue per passenger. Dallas-based Southwest does not charge fees for the first two checked bags but does charge for additional bags beyond two.
Southwest held the No. 14 spot for baggage fee revenue with $29.8 million. But it came in second in passenger counts with 106.2 million passengers.
Southwest acquired AirTran Airways earlier this year and plans to eventually bring Southwest planes to Atlanta, along with its no bag fees policy. AirTran, which does charge fees for checked baggage, brought in an average of $6.20 in baggage fee revenue per passenger.
AirTran charges $20 for the first checked bag and $25 for the second checked bag.
United Airlines had an average of $5.79 in baggage fee revenue per passenger, while Continental Airlines' rate was $7.86. United merged with Continental last year to create the world's largest airline, but their combined baggage fee revenue was less than Delta's.
Airlines have increasingly turned to fees to boost revenue, amid stiff competition that makes it more difficult to raise fares. Air fares have declined 21 percent from 2000 to 2010 on an inflation-adjusted basis, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. In 2000, fares made up 84 percent of airline revenue, a rate that dropped to 71 percent in 2010.