United Bags & Airfare Are Increasing
United Airlines has shared two updates today and both of them will likely end up costing you more the next time you fly.
As of today the airline has increased checked bag fees. It has also announced that it will soon launch basic Business and Premium Plus fares that will exclude some of the perks that passengers currently enjoy.
Higher Baggage Fees
Starting with fares booked today, April 3, 2026, United Airlines will charge $10 more for the first and second checked bag. A third bag will cost you $50 more. Customers will still get a $5 discount when they prepay for bags online at least 24 hours before their flight.
So as of today, passengers will pay
- $50 ($45 when you prepay) for first bag
- $60 ($55 when you prepay) for second bag
- $200 ($195 when you prepay) for third bag
Basic Business and Premium Plus Fares
United Airlines is introducing tiered Polaris business and premium economy fares that include basic fares. These fares will exclude some of the perks that come with many of the same perks, but also plenty of restrictions. These new fares will be introduced in the spring of 2026.
So what does this new Base fare look like? Here are the three tiers for Polaris fares:
So if you book the new base Polaris fares, you will not be able to access United Polaris lounges, will have to pay extra for seat selection and you will not be able to make any changes. Base fares only get one checked bag instead of two.
These are the United Premium Plus fare categories:
Conclusion
This is bad news all around. We expected other airlines to increase checked bag fees as soon as JetBlue started the trend this time around. United last increased baggage fees in 2024. With these new increases you will pay $10 more for your first and second checked bag and $50 more for the third bag.
Moving to the new base business fares, United is framing this as “giving customers more options”. But it will likely result in higher prices as well. Seeing how basic fares have worked out in the past, the current business fare prices will be the new base business fares and then the two higher tiers will cost even more.
