Delta To Add $50 International Second-Checked-Bag Fee

Delta Air Lines on July 1 will begin charging $50 for international passengers to check their second piece of luggage, making it the first U.S. carrier to bring such fees to international routes.

Delta said it expects the new fee to generate more than $100 million annually. Reporting a $794 million first-quarter loss today, Delta said ancillary revenue during the first three months of the year grew 18 percent—one of the few categories of revenue growth during the demand-challenged quarter.

Delta has reaped $160 million in already-implemented baggage fees during the quarter, said president Ed Bastian during the carrier's first-quarter earnings call.

"Our strategy of unbundling products and services from the base ticket price clearly provides a valuable source of revenue and gives customers the opportunity to pay for only those services valuable to them," Bastian said.