American globetrotters have spoken, and they’re saying they value one specific travel perk more than all others.
Some 43 percent of U.S. travelers say free checked bags at the airport is the one perk that matters most to them, according to Forbes Advisor’s recent “The State of Travel Rewards In 2026” survey and analysis.
“With travelers prioritizing savings in 2026, it makes sense that many of the most popular perks are those that can provide relief to their wallets,” the survey noted.
After free checked bags, travelers said their favorite perks were early hotel check-in (27 percent), bonus reward points (26 percent), flexible cancellations (22 percent) and airline seat upgrades (20 percent).
A preference for money-saving bag perks aligns with changes to the airline industry as it tries to cope with higher fuel prices stemming from the Iran war.
Oil prices shot up past $100 in March after shipping slowed in the Strait of Hormuz, the waterway responsible for 20 percent of the world’s oil supply.
Jet fuel prices followed. By May, the price tag for a gallon of were double what they were before the war, a 2026 market analysis by the International Air Transport Association found.
“The speed of these price increases, rather than their absolute levels, poses the greatest challenge over the short term,” the analysis said. “Airline profitability is highly sensitive to rapid fuel price increases.”
CEOs of multiple airlines announced increases to bag fees this spring to offset their soaring fuel costs. American Airlines, United Airlines, Delta Air Lines and Southwest Airlines all increased their checked baggage fees by $10, according to a May press release from Democratic Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren.
Though fuel prices have fallen since May, airlines haven’t lowered their baggage fees to pre-war levels.
That may have to do with the strong demand for air travel, Atmosphere Research Group Airline Industry Analyst Henry Harteveldt told Bloomberg in late June.
The U.S. travel industry has been a tale of two travelers, and it largely has to do with rising prices – those who can afford to travel this summer and those who can’t.
Households earning $100,000 or more are twice as likey to travel as those earning less than $100,000, according to a May study from research firm Deloitte.
Summer travel plans reached their lowest point in six years, the study found.
“Costs are keeping others home, as one-third of non-travelers say travel is too expensive (32%), and they cannot afford it (35%),” the study said.
