Those airline baggage and reservation change fees add up , to the tune of more than $ 6 billion . U.S. airlines collected $ 3.5 billion in baggage fees and $ 2.6 billion in reservation change/cancellation fees last year , according to U.S. Department of Transportation data . That was a 3.8 % increase in baggage fees and a 7.8 % increase in reservation change/cancellation fees compared with 2011 . Delta Air Lines came out on top in baggage and reservation change/cancellation fees , collecting $ 1.6 billion last year . Delta 's baggage fees totaled $ 865.9 million and it collected $ 778.4 million in change/cancellation fees . United Airlines landed in second place in both categories , with $ 705.5 million in baggage fees and $ 660.9 million reservation change/cancellation fees . And the most satisfying airline is ... Those fees returned the airlines to profitability in 2012 . Total revenue for all passenger airlines last year was $ 159.5 billion , while total operating expenses were $ 153.6 billion . For the 10 largest U.S. airlines , that translated into net income of $ 201 million last year , up from a $ 500,000 loss in 2011 . And there 's no sign that the fees are going away . Delta , United , American Airlines and US Airways recently raised the cost of changing a reservation from $ 150 to $ 200 for many nonrefundable tickets for domestic flights . Frontier Airlines will soon start charging a $ 25 to $ 100 carry-on bag fee to many customers who book their tickets through third-party sites , excluding certain members of its frequent flier program . American was the first U.S. airline to charge customers for the first bag checked , starting in June 2008 . The fee was $ 15 , and other airlines quickly followed suit . That year , American collected $ 277,991 in baggage fees , according to U.S. Department of Transportation data . The U.S. airlines collected $ 1.1 million that year .
The baggage and reservation change fees added a lot to the bottom line . Delta Air Lines collected the most fees of any major airline reporting . Delta was the first U.S. airline to charge baggage fees , based in Chicago .