American Ups Ante In $5 Bag-Fee Increase (2)

American Airlines on Friday said it would charge passengers an extra $5 to check their first and second pieces of luggage. The charge, assessed on tickets purchased on or after Aug. 14, raises the carrier's domestic first-bag fee to $20 and second-bag fee to $30, whether those charges are paid online or at the airport.

US Airways in April was the first carrier to charge an additional $5 to check a bag, though customers paying bag fees on the carrier's Web site are exempt from the add-on fee, owing the original $15 for the first bag and $25 for the second.

Other carriers, including Continental Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines, have since matched US Airways' fee, waiving the extra $5 for passengers paying fees online. Continental on its Web site said the fee is effective for tickets purchased July 21 for travel beginning on Aug. 19. Delta enacted its $5 fee for tickets purchased after July 15 and travel beginning Aug. 15, while United initiated its surcharge on May 14 for travel beginning June 10.