Passengers struggling to meet the 50-pound weight limit for their checked luggage will soon have a lot more work to do if they’re flying Frontier Airlines.
The discount carrier is changing its limit to 40 pounds before additional fees kick in, forcing flyers to be a little more economical in their choices or pay the price.
The fee takes effect for flights after March 1 on the airline. Passengers who booked flights prior to January 18 but are flying after March 1 can still use the 50-pound limit, according to the airline.
The airline already charges a fee to check bags, but the new fee structure adds $50 for any bag between 41 and 50 pounds, and $100 for bags checking in between 51 and 100 pounds.
Frontier did not make any announcement of the change, simply updating its page of optional services on the company website. That page shows fees for changing reservations, bringing a pet, or other services that the airline provides at a cost.
Frontier is not the first airline to adjust its baggage fees. Fellow discount carriers Spirit Airlines and Allegiant Airlines also dropped the baggage limit to 40 pounds in recent months.
The move comes just as Frontier is about to expand the number of routes it is flying. Eighteen new flights have been added to the airline’s itinerary starting in mid-February.
“We’re excited to announce 18 nonstop routes today and two new destinations; Aguadilla and Fort Lauderdale,” Daniel Shurz, senior vice president of commercial, said late last year when the routes were announced. “These new flights complement our already expansive network in the Caribbean, Mexico, and South Florida, and we look forward to welcoming travelers onboard to these popular vacation destinations this winter, and beyond.”
The new routes include to and from:
- Cancun (Buffalo, New York; Providence, Rhode Island; Hartford, Connecticut)
- San Juan (Boston; Hartford, Connecticut)
- Fort Lauderdale, Florida (Atlanta; Buffalo; Islip, New York; Orlando; Philadelphia; Providence; Stewart, New York; Trenton, New Jersey; Albany, New York; Rochester, New York; Green Bay, Wisconsin; Portland, Maine)
- Aguadilla, Puerto Rico (Orlando)
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