If you have a trip to Costa Rica booked on JetBlue or you’re planning one it’s time to take a close look at what your total travel cost is actually going to be. A new round of fee increases just went into effect, and with volatile fuel prices showing no sign of easing, this likely isn’t the last adjustment travelers will face.
JetBlue has raised the price to check a first piece of luggage for domestic, Caribbean, and Latin America flights to $39 for off-peak periods, up from $35. During peak periods which cover much of the summer and major holidays that fee jumps to $49, up from $40. For anyone flying from JFK, Fort Lauderdale, Boston, or Orlando to San José or Liberia, that means your baggage costs are heading up immediately.
The timing matters too. Passengers who check bags within 24 hours of departure will be charged an additional $10 per bag on top of those rates. In other words, if you’re the type to handle logistics at the airport rather than in advance, that first checked bag could now run you $59 during peak season before you even reach the gate.
A second checked bag now costs at least $59, up from $50, for bags checked more than 24 hours before departure. For families traveling to Costa Rica with gear — think snorkeling equipment, surf boards, fishing rods, hiking boots, and extra luggage for a week-long trip those costs add up fast. Two passengers each checking two bags during peak summer travel could easily be looking at $200 or more in baggage fees alone, round-trip.
The driving force behind the increases is not JetBlue’s pricing strategy so much as global instability. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has constrained oil supplies, and jet fuel costs have soared since the Iran war began. Brent crude rose as high as $115 a barrel recently. Fuel prices in major U.S. cities averaged $4.57 a gallon last week, up nearly 83% since before the conflict began. Airlines are absorbing what they can and passing the rest to passengers.
Critically, when one airline raises fees, competitors often follow. That means even if you pivot to another carrier for your Costa Rica flight, similar increases may already be in motion or coming soon across the board. United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby recently told CBS News that elevated oil prices create significant stress for airlines, and that United’s airfares have increased between 15% and 20% over the past month alone.
So what can you do? The easiest way to sidestep the new fees entirely is to check your fare type. TrueBlue Mosaic elite status holders receive free first and second checked bags, as do travel companions booked on the same reservation. If you’re a frequent JetBlue flyer to Costa Rica, it may be worth running the math on whether a co-branded credit card pays for itself in bag fee savings alone.
For everyone else, the best move is simply to prepay for bags as early as possible at least 24 hours before departure and pack strategically. JetBlue allows one free carry-on bag up to 22 x 14 x 9 inches and one personal item up to 17 x 13 x 8 inches on all fare types. Maximizing those dimensions can help you avoid checking anything at all on shorter trips.
The broader lesson here is that the era of treating the ticket price as your true cost of flying is definitively over. Between checked bag fees, peak-period surcharges, last-minute penalties, and airfares that are rising independently of ancillary fees, a trip to Costa Rica requires budgeting more carefully than it did even six months ago. Build a full cost picture before you book AND check that bag well in advance.
