American Airlines Quietly Makes Disappointing Change for Customers

For anyone who prioritizes a low price when booking airfare, checked baggage is often a hidden cost that can quickly add up, especially if you're booking a business, family, or group trip that includes several people. Unfortunately, American Airlines recently made a change that raised the price for some of those trips.

While American Airlines used to offer a slightly cheaper baggage fee for some nearby international destinations, the airline quietly removed that feature last month, forcing travelers to pay more for their checked luggage.

Customer-Friendly Pricing

Previously, American Airlines had a unique pricing quirk that actually made luggage fees on short-haul international flights cheaper than even domestic flights.

On flights to Canada, the Caribbean, Mexico, Central America, and Guyana, travelers could check their bag for $35, which was $5 cheaper than the checked bag fee for trips within the U.S., Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, which was $40.

Obviously, this was a very customer-friendly move, as it allowed for more affordable leisure trips, especially for larger groups where the individual baggage fees added up.

American Quietly Raises These Prices

As Simple Flying points out, American Airlines has quietly raised its checked baggage fees for these short-haul international flights, bringing the cost to $40 instead of $35.

"American has now aligned the cost of a first checked bag on these short international flights with its domestic bag charge. This means passengers will now pay $40 for their first checked bag, up from $35 previously, a $5 increase," Simple Flying wrote this week. "Notably, this price increase only applies to tickets issued on or after December 1, 2025, so passengers who booked their travel on American Airlines prior to this date will pay the old checked bag fee."

Obviously, this is just a $5 increase, but it will be disappointing to anyone who was looking to save a chunk of money on a business, group, or family trip.

Trick to Save on Checked Bags

Despite this disappointing change, it is still possible to save $5 per checked bag if you plan ahead.

Travelers who prepay for their luggage online before checking into their flight can still receive a $5 discount, which would bring the cost down to $35 for the first checked bag on flights within the United States or to these nearby international destinations.

Still, the discounted price for checked luggage on short-haul international flights is no more.