Think You Can Save Money By Flying Out Of Midway? Think Again

Another day, another fee increase to know about.

If you've also been planning any travel, you too have been gagged by the price of flights so far this year. And if you make the grave mistake of packing too much and having to check a second checked bag, you'll regret it this time for sure.

A lot of us book flights out of Midway under the assumption it's cheaper than O'Hare right? My sweet summer child, no.

As of April 2026, most airlines that fly out of both Chicago O'Hare and Chicago Midway have all increased checked bag fees to some extent. Let's review what it's looking like now before we hop on a plane.

O'Hare Increases

We all know O'Hare isn't necessarily the cheapest place to fly out of since so many of the 'non-budget' airlines fly out of the airport. United, American Airlines, and Delta all have baggage fee increases that are going into place now so here we go:

• United: raised from $40 to $50 for first checked bag (for domestic or short-haul international tickets bought on or after April 3, 2026)
• American Airlines: raised from $45 to $50 on second checked bag (for domestic or short-haul international tickets bought on or after February 18, 2026)
• Delta: raised to $45 for first checked bag (for domestic flights booked April 8th or after)
• Spirit: can vary $30-$99 depending on size and weight
• JetBlue: raised $35 to $39 for first checked bag

Midway Increases

Midway, a hub for Southwest that also flies Delta, Frontier, Volaris, Porter, and Allegiant, isn't going to be cheaper for you this year than it has been in years past. Here's what those are looking like:

• Southwest: raised from $35 to $45 for first checked bag (for flights booked April 9th or after)
• Delta: raised to $45 for first checked bag (for domestic flights booked April 8th or after)
• Frontier: expected soon (normally charges based on bag's size and weight)
• Allegiant: expected soon (normally charges based on bag's size and weight)
• Volaris: $30 for first checked bag

So it doesn't look like the summer of checked bags. Personally, I highly recommend getting a handheld luggage scale to help yourself out so you're not stuck with overweight luggage fees too.

Why

The checked bag increases are ultimately connected to the fighting over the fuel at the Strait of Hormuz. The average price of a gallon of jet fuel in Chicago before the Iran situation started was $2.50. Now, it's $4.69.

Analysts say, in response to that situation, U.S. airlines are going to raise both ticket prices and ancillary fees.