[AIRLINE] WestJet Charges $25 for Checked Bags

Unfortunately, WestJet has gone into the customer unfriendly mode, by charging 25 for the first checked bag on economy-fare flights within Canada and to the United States. Fortunately, customers flying to Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America and Europe can still get one free checked bag to those destinations. Hopefully it stays that way for the international flights. Also fortunately, the baggage allowances for military personnel (with identification), infant and child equipment, mobility devices, and code-share and interline passengers remain the same.

WestJet is saying: “Unbundling means travellers only pay for services they use”. Unbundling in the sense that the check bag fee is not longer included in the price of the plane ticket. I highly doubt that plane tickets will drop by $25. The fee begins on bookings starting for travel as of October 29, 2014.

It is too bad that WestJet had to take this approach, but it is probably inevitable. The industry is changing rapidly towards pay per use fees, rather than all-inclusive. That is why I always preach that is a valuable to earn as many points, especially during bonus promotions with the airlines to get some sort of return.