United has joined JetBlue in hiking its checked bag fee to $30, and people are furious

Seth Wenig / AP Photo

United Airlines is raising its baggage fees.

• United Airlines became the second major US carrier to increase its fee for checked baggage on Friday, joining JetBlue in charging $30 for a passenger's first checked bag and $40 for a second. 
• The move by the Chicago-based carrier comes just a week after JetBlue raised its fees for checked baggage.  
• "These changes allow us to continue investing in the overall customer experience in today's marketplace," United Airlines said in a statement to Business Insider.
• Many took to social media to complain about the change. 

United Airlines became the second major US carrier to hike its fee for checked baggage in recent weeks, joining JetBlue Airways in charging $30 for a passenger's first checked bag and $40 for a second checked bag.

United announced on Friday, on the eve of the Labor Day holiday weekend, that it will be increasing fees for checking a first bag from $25 to $30 and a second bag from $35 to $40 for tickets issued on or after August 31. The fees apply to flights to and from North America, Central America, and the Caribbean. 

"As we continue to make investments that make travel on United better, we are making adjustments to our checked bag fees in select markets - most of which have not been changed for the past eight years," a United Airlines spokesperson said in a statement to Business Insider. "These changes allow us to continue investing in the overall customer experience in today's marketplace."

United customers with MileagePlus Premier status or who purchase their ticket with a MileagePlus credit card will still receive complimentary checked luggage, the airline added. 

The move by the Chicago-based carrier comes just a week after JetBlue raised its fees for checked baggage to new highs.  

Delta Air Lines and American Airlines both charge $25 for the first bag and $35 for the second, while fees for the third piece of luggage vary. Southwest Airlines is the only large US airline that doesn't charge for a passenger's first two pieces of checked luggage.

In recent years, the airline industry has become increasingly reliant upon ancillary revenue generated by the unbundling of airfares. 

Unbundling is the practice of charging for various services like baggage check, security check, seat assignments, meals, WiFi use, and early boarding outside of the posted ticket price. In short, it's charging little fees for different elements of travel that were once rolled into the price of a ticket. 

After the fee was announced on Friday, multiple users took to Twitter to share their displeasure with United's latest price hike.