Atlanta, GA
Checking bags at the Atlanta airport? It just got more expensive
How global conflicts can disrupt your flight — even if you’re not headed there
International conflicts and foreign policy shifts can reshape air travel overnight — forcing longer routes, driving up costs and causing sudden cancellations or delays.
Air travel is back to normal as spring break season brings tens of thousands of travelers to airports across the country.
But now, passengers hoping to check bags for their trips are going to have to pay more with this airline.
Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines is increasing the fees for checked luggage starting Wednesday, April 8. The new fees will apply on any tickets purchased on or after Wednesday, but not to tickets purchased before this date.
Here’s what to know.
New pricing for checked bags with Delta
A price hike on the fee for checked bags with Delta will be applied to domestic and certain short-haul international flights, like those in and around North America, according to Delta Air Lines. Long-haul international bag pricing will not change.
A Delta spokesperson told USA TODAY the changes were “part of Delta’s ongoing review of pricing across its business and reflect the impact of evolving global conditions and industry dynamics.”
Your first checked bag will now be $45 and your second checked bag will be $55, both prices are a $10 increase from the previous fee. There is a $50 increase in price for the third checked bag, now reaching $200.
Delta premium cabin customers, elite frequent flyers and those with co-branded credit cards will keep their free checked bag benefits.
Why are airlines increasing prices?
Delta is now the third airline to announce increase bag prices this spring, following United Airlines and JetBlue. United will honor a lower price for passengers that pre-pay, and JetBlue will have slightly different prices based on whether it’s a peak travel time or not, like spring break season.
The conflict in the Middle East is driving up the price of jet fuel, and travel experts are encouraging people who anticipate flying over the summer to consider purchasing their tickets now before the price of flights also increase. This is also likely a primary driver in the increased bag prices.
A two-week ceasefire was announced Tuesday, but it’s unclear how long it will take for oil and gas prices to come down in the United States.
The airlines are also coming off of a period of chaos inside the airports as TSA agents went weeks without pay as part of a partial government shutdown. While the airlines are not responsible for airport security, many passengers missed their flights waiting in exceptionally long lines, and any flight delay only added to the network of issues.
Irene Wright is following the partial government shutdown and Iran conflict’s impact on Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. Find the Atlanta Connect reporter on X @IreneEWright or email her at ismith@usatodayco.com.
Attend a foodie block party at Sweet Auburn Barbecue, take free salsa classes and more things to do in May.
The Good Luck Smoke Show returns to Sweet Auburn Barbecue this year with more than 15 chefs and restaurants sharing bites and cocktails. (Courtesy of Peter Ho)
This May, enjoy a crawfish boil in Smyrna, snag a slot for NFA’s Burger Benefit, take part in the Meals on Wheels Taste fundraiser and celebrate Cinco de Mayo.
Here’s our running lineup of food-related things to do in metro Atlanta:
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.nosrep rep .m.p atnalta-daehkcub-atnalta-airotsa-frodlaw/r/moc.elbatnepo daoR eerthcaeP ,EN yaM .atnaltA 5 ,0057-599-404 6733 .2 58$
The NFA Burger Benefit will feature chefs serving their own twists on a burger. (Photo Courtesy of NFA Burger).
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.nosrep rep .m.p moc.tifenebregrub 03:7-.m.a ,daoR yaM .ydoownuD ydoownuD eelbmahC 5645 .3 11 76.69$-77.64$
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.m.p .m.p stneve/moc.yavhalc ,ecalP yaM yaM sdnegeL .atnaltA 03:9-03:6 03:7-03:4 554 ,0056-125-404 .3 .71
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.m.p atnalta-ellirg-dna-rab-sucram/r/moc.elbatnepo ,ES yaM doowegdE .evA .atnaltA .7 9-6 525 ,0071-098-074
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Attend the annual Kyma Champagne Social featuring glasses of Champagne and food to pair with it. (Courtesy of Kyma)
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.nosrep rep .m.p amyk/moc.elbatnepo daoR tnomdeiP ,EN yaM .atnaltA 9-5 ,2070-262-404 5803 .41 95$
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The Good Luck Smoke Show returns to Sweet Auburn Barbecue this year with more than 15 chefs and restaurants sharing bites and cocktails. (Courtesy of Peter Ho)
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Cinco de Mayo events
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Aerial Kitchen & Bar will reopen for the season this May with an all-day Cinco de Mayo event. (Courtesy of Epicurean Atlanta)
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AltaToro will offer three days of specials for Cinco de Mayo. (Courtesy of AltaToro)
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orotatlaoyamedocnic/moc.ytilatipsoh5k ecalP eerthcaeP ,EN yaM .atnaltA ,6768-599-074 33 .5-3
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Celebrate Cinco de Mayo with drink specials at St. Julep. (Courtesy of Kimpton Sylvan Atlanta-Buckhead)
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Olivia Wakim is a reporter on the lifestyle team. She joined the AJC as an intern in 2023 after graduating from the University of Georgia with a journalism degree. While in school, she reported for The Red & Black, Grady Newsource and the Marietta Daily Journal.
Award-winning actor and rapper Daryl “Chill” Mitchell discusses his legendary career and his latest role in the hit sitcom “Shifting Gears.” Joined by his sons, Justen and Desmin, Chill opens up about fatherhood, the life-altering accident that fueled his advocacy for spinal injury awareness, and the unwavering resilience that keeps his family moving forward.
Atlanta, GA
Review: Pink Lotus is more than a pretty face, it’s a Westside standout in Atlanta’s Thai evolution
Photograph by Martha Williams
Atlanta’s Thai scene has decisively shifted in the past two decades. If you asked me where to go for Thai food in the 1990s, my list would have included a handful of dependable spots for pad thai and standard curries. For so long, Little Bangkok reigned on Cheshire Bridge. That is, until the arrival of chef Nan Niyomkul and her late husband, Charlie, who opened Tamarind in 1998 and Nan Thai Fine Dining in the early aughts. Those early anchors helped cement the foundation of Thai food in Atlanta, but the real evolution occurred when homegrown restaurateurs and chefs began responding to diners’ growing demand for dishes with a point of view.
Today, Thai offerings in Atlanta are more regional, expressive, and personal. The growth is most evident in greats such as Tum Pok Pok on Buford Highway and Talat Market in Summerhill. Both helped prove Atlanta was ready for more complex Thai flavors and dishes. They pushed the dialogue forward, and now, Pink Lotus is carrying the conversation into the Westside.
Photograph by Martha Williams
The restaurant’s location at the Stockyards Atlanta is savvy, given how few Thai restaurants exist in the industrial neighborhood. Owner Niki Pattharakositkul, the engine behind the ubiquitous 26 Hospitality Group, has built a reputation for approachable Thai across the metro area. The group’s dependable workhorse is 26 Thai; Pink Lotus is its shiny new jewel with a clear aesthetic and culinary identity. The restaurant educates diners about regional Thai dishes that are bold in color and intense in flavor, with a splash of drama.
The fuchsia-soaked restaurant’s name is a tribute to the Hindu goddess Lakshmi, who is also revered by Buddhists in Thailand. She is traditionally depicted standing on a giant pink lotus. Embodying an ethos of abundance, she watches over the dining room from a hand-painted mural that sets the mood for the plush velvet banquettes and gold accents throughout. The enormous custom lanterns in orange, green, and pink add warmth to the industrial space.
The menu, approachable and expansive, highlights Thailand’s main culinary regions—northern, southern, central, and Isaan. I knew this was a different type of restaurant the minute I saw the beautiful plating of the miang kham. The starter sets the mood early with neat piles of herbaceous betel leaves, coconut, lime, ginger, peanuts, and palm sugar syrup, all meant to be combined for a perfect sweet, salty, herbal, and sharp bite.
Photograph by Martha Williams
Nearly every table seems to order the crispy tempura-fried kale mixed with ground chicken and punchy lime dressing. It arrives piled high, and it’s a crunchy bite that’s fun to eat and share. The restaurant offers numerous salads, such as papaya, as well as heartier options, including grilled pork jowl served on a mini tabletop grill. Skip the pad thai; there are more interesting dishes on the menu. Instead, order the branzino, either steamed or fried. We opted for the fried, which was perfectly greaseless and served with a vinegary, bright-green apple salad.
The crab fried rice, with its plump pieces of sweet lump crab, is a pricey splurge ($39) but worth it for any seafood lover. It comes with a green chili sauce for drizzling. The bone-in beef short rib looks like something out of The Flintstones. But it was the beef cheek curry served in a Southern Thai yellow-green curry sauce with eggplant that scratched the itch for something saucy and slightly spicy.
Not every dish is successful. The dry charcoal-grilled chicken lacked sufficient char. The khao soi was over-reduced: The sugar and salt were so intense that not even a trace of heat or a squeeze of lime could save it. (Otherwise, the soup of egg noodles and a chicken leg in a coconut-based yellow curry is well-constructed.) Service also needs improvement and the staff more training. One of our servers forgot to put in our order but played it off as managing the pacing.
Photograph by Martha Williams
A lengthy cocktail list from the gem of a bar, lined with colorful glass jars and clay vases, names inventive cocktails such as the Somtum Martini, a gin-based drink with flavors inspired by the tang of papaya salad.
Pink Lotus isn’t just filling a gap on the Westside; it’s raising the bar. As our city’s Thai food scene grows more varied and regionally expressive, Pink Lotus’s cooking and transportive design demonstrate how far we have come.
This article appears in our April 2026 issue.
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