WestJet Increases Fees for First Checked Bags

For the third time in less than two years, WestJet has made amendments to the structure of its baggage fees. This time, WestJet has increased the amount you’ll have to pay for your first checked bag in most markets by around $5.

The change was quietly implemented on September 16, 2025, though it’s just starting to get attention in the media.

WestJet Increases Fees for First Checked Bags

On September 16, 2025, WestJet quietly increased its checked baggage fees by $5–6 for passengers travelling on UltraBasic, Econo, and Member Exclusive Fares to most markets.

As a reminder, WestJet introduced an additional $10 fee for checking bags at the airport in October 2023, and then increased checked baggage fees by around $5 across the board in February 2024.

This latest change is the third such amendment to the Calgary-based airline’s baggage policy in the last two years.

For passengers travelling in Canada and the US, the following table illustrates the baggage fee increases:

For passengers travelling to/from Latin Caribbean and Mexico, the following table illustrates the baggage fee increases:

For passengers travelling to/from Europe, the following table illustrates the baggage fee increases (if any):

For passengers travelling to/from all other locations, the following table illustrates the baggage fee increases:

As you can see, WestJet has increased the checked baggage fee by $5–6 (if at all) for your first checked bag.

It’s worth noting that baggage fees for travel to/from Asia remain unchanged.

Note that the amount that you need to pay for checked baggage (if any) is based on the date of purchase, not on the date of travel.

This means that if you purchased your WestJet ticket on or before September 15, 2025, you’ll be subject to the “old” set of fees, which can be found on the WestJet website (or in the above tables).

WestJet Doubles Down on Ancillary Revenue… Again

In the past few years, WestJet has found creative ways to generate ancillary revenue from passengers.

Aside from introducing an extra fee for checking bags at the airport and increasing its checked baggage fees (twice), the airline brought in UltraBasic fares and introduced Extended Comfort as an ancillary option in 2024.

The former fare promises a low price in exchange for a seat on a plane (and not much else), while the latter option offers passengers a bit more legroom, a drink, and Zone 2 boarding.

Extended Comfort also promises passengers early access to overhead bin space (which comes as a function of Zone 2 boarding, but only really matters if the flight is full or if you board early), as well as a quicker exit upon arrival (which is simply because Extended Comfort seats are towards the front of the economy cabin).

More recently, WestJet announced a major cabin reconfiguration that will see (amongst other things) the introduction of “fixed-recline seats” (e.g., seats that don’t recline) as well as the addition of an extra row (e.g., less leg room) in the economy cabin compared to previous layouts.

In the press release, the changes are described as a reflection of the airline’s commitment “to elevating every aspect of the travel experience and meeting guest demand for a broader range of product offerings.”

My read on these changes is that they’re just another way to generate more revenue from passengers by charging for things (baggage, leg room, a seat that reclines) that used to be included as part of the travel experience or that used to cost less.

In fact, I’d argue that WestJet is adjusting its approach to economy travel to be more aligned with ultra-low-cost carrier Flair Airlines (which also features seats that don’t recline), and less with the likes of Air Canada and Porter Airlines (both of which offer passengers complimentary beer, wine, and snacks, as well as seats that recline).

Of course, the easiest way to skirt WestJet’s increasing baggage fees is to hold the WestJet® RBC World Elite Mastercard^ǂ, which offers a first free checked bag for the cardholder and up to eight passengers on the same booking^†.

Note that as of November 5, 2025, you’ll need to pay for your WestJet flight with your WestJet credit card to be eligible for complimentary first checked bags. Plus, you’ll need to book directly with WestJet to enjoy the perk, which means that if you book through an online travel agency, it won’t count.

Even with the annual fee on the card increasing from $119 to $139 as of November 5, 2025, it’s still a great deal for anyone who would otherwise pay to check a bag on at least three WestJet flights in a year.

Conclusion

WestJet has quietly increased its checked baggage fees by around $5 in most markets. This change came into effect for UltraBasic, Econo, and Member Exclusive Fares purchased on or after September 16, 2025.

This is the third amendment to WestJet’s baggage fee structure in the past two years.

It remains to be seen if Air Canada and/or Porter Airlines will follow suit, as was the case in previous baggage fee hikes.

Otherwise, if you’re shopping for a WestJet fare and don’t have baggage included through status or credit card benefits, be sure to compare the price differences between fares that include baggage and those that don’t. Sometimes, the cost of paying more for a more inclusive fare is less than adding things a la carte after the fact.

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