Are airlines passing the point of no return with the industry's latest extra fee?
Today's Rubicon: making customers pay a fee to put their bags in the overhead storage bins.
The airline crossing that line is Jetstar, the Qantas-owned budget airline with about 100 planes flying in Australasia and Japan.
Basic airfare on Jetstar will soon only cover a bag that can be stored under a seat. To use the overhead luggage bins, passengers will have to pay a "Priority Carry-On" fee.
How much are Jetstar's new overhead bin fees?
Because it's an airline, Jetstar refuses to post fixed prices. Instead, it's telling customers that rates will depend on the length of the flight. So far, journalists have found Jetstar is charging as much as US$76 (AU$108) per flight for the Priority Carry-On upgrade.
What's more, no bag can weigh more than 10 kilograms (22 pounds).
The new charge comes into effect for all flights as of Feb. 2, 2027. Passengers who cough up the cash for the perk will also be allowed to be "one of" the first customers to board so that they can snag the bin space they paid for.
Previously and until the change, Jetstar has had a free weight limit of just 7 kilograms (15.4 pounds) per bag, a rule that was ruthlessly enforced by staff. Under current Jetstar policies, passengers who find at the gate that they need another 7 kilograms of weight allowance pay AU$85 (US$60) for the privilege.
As expected, the airline presented the new fee as if people were begging for it. "The change follows extensive research and feedback from customers and crew who consistently identified having bags weighed at the gate and struggling to find room in overhead lockers as the more stressful parts of the airport experience," Jetstar said in a statement.
The airline already has a reputation in Australia for chaos and nonstop fees, not just for baggage but also for drinks, food, and entertainment.
"Is this new fare fair? That’s not what Jetstar is about," wrote Sydney-based comedian James Colley in The Guardian. "Every Jetstar flight is a rabid fight for survival as you hold white-knuckled on to your shared seat-divider and pray that the brawl in the back rows isn’t large enough to get the flight turned around before you land in Bali."
Overhead bin fees are spreading
The new bin upcharge will free Jetstar workers from policing the weight of every passenger's bag and convert the saved time into a new revenue stream for the airline—and a new way for customers to fight for resources in the airplane cabin.
American flyers (and hotel guests and cruisers and theme parkgoers) have grown accustomed to getting charged for things that used to be included. But in Australia, where Jetstar is essentially the only mainstream budget airline, the backlash has been loud. Even government officials are expressing skepticism.
"Jetstar claim this change is to keep fares affordable. It will be up to them to demonstrate that to passengers," transport minister Catherine King said in a statement.
Some U.S. airlines, like Frontier and United, require certain customers to pay a fee to carry hand luggage into the cabin. In Europe, budget airlines like Ryanair and easyJet charge for cabin baggage when it's large enough to have to go into the overhead bins. But up to now, overhead bins have not been specifically charged for rental.
Incoming passenger protections in Europe will require airlines to include basic luggage allowances in the base airfare quoted to prospective customers.
Now that renting overhead bin space has crept into the industry, will U.S. airlines dare to introduce the practice on a widespread basis here? Americans already feel like they have to pay to breathe in 2026.
So it depends. How much do you think the U.S. airlines care about their customers in economy class?