Checked bag size is nearly universal. Checked bag fees are not. Almost every airline here uses 62 linear inches and 50 pounds as the line, then charges wildly different amounts to cross it, and two of them won't publish a price at all.
We read each airline's own baggage page on September 12, 2026. Ten airlines published enough to chart. Eight blocked us, and they're listed at the end rather than filled in from elsewhere.
The Standard Almost Everyone Uses
Sixty-two linear inches. That means length plus width plus height, wheels and handles included.
Fifty pounds, or 23 kilograms. Above that you're overweight, and the fee usually stacks on top of the bag fee rather than replacing it.
Two airlines break the pattern. Frontier's standard bag is 40 pounds, not 50. Emirates uses a piece system on US routes at 23 kilograms a bag.
US Airlines: Size, Weight and Fees
| Airline | First bag | Second bag | Size | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American | $50, or $45 online | $60, or $55 online | 62 in threshold | 50 lb threshold |
| Delta | $45 | $55 | 62 in (157 cm) | 50 lb (23 kg) |
| United | Varies by route and purchase date | Varies | 62 in, or 30 x 20 x 12 in | 50 lb economy, 70 lb business |
| Alaska | $45 | $55 | 62 linear in | 50 lb |
| JetBlue | $45 off-peak | $59 off-peak | 62 in (157.48 cm) | 50 lb (22.68 kg) |
| Southwest | $45 | $55 | Not on the fee page | Not on the fee page |
| Frontier | Priced dynamically | Priced dynamically | 62 linear in | 40 lb |
American charges "$50 ($45 if you pay online)" for the first bag and "$60 ($55 if you pay online)" for the second on travel within and between the US, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and much of Central America. Basic Economy tickets pay "$5 more for 1st and 2nd checked bag fees." Fees are per person, each direction, and bags paid for at the airport are non-refundable.
Delta publishes "$45 USD For your first standard checked bag under 50 lbs. (23 kg), each way" and $55 for the second, for Delta Main and Delta Comfort passengers flying domestically without a Delta co-brand card, Medallion status or a military exception.
United is the one airline here that publishes no flat price. Its page says "Checked bag fee changes depend on when you bought your ticket and where you're flying" and sends you to a calculator. It does publish the limits: "The maximum size of a checked bag can be 30 in x 20 in x 12 in (76 cm x 52 cm x 30 cm) or 62 total in., including handles and wheels," with 50 pounds in economy and 70 in business.
Alaska charges $45 and $55, each "Up to 50 lbs. and 62 linear inches," and spells out the stacking rule: "Overweight and Oversize fees compound with base bag fees, and with each other."
JetBlue prices by season. Off-peak it's "1st Bag: $45" and "2nd Bag: $59," and peak dates run $49 and $69. Blue Plus includes a bag, Mint includes two, and the airline says "Bags that exceed 70 pounds (31.75 kg) are not accepted."
Southwest now charges. Its fee page carries two tables split by ticketing date: bags booked before April 9, 2026 pay $35 and $45, and bookings on or after that date pay "$45" and "$55" for Basic, Choice and Choice Preferred fares. Choice Extra fares and A-List Preferred members still get two free bags.
Frontier publishes limits but not prices. Its checked bag "May weigh up to 40 pounds" and "Must not exceed 62 linear inches," while the price is dynamic: "Add when you book for the best price!"
International Airlines
| Airline | Fees | Size | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Canada | Calculator only, no published figure | 158 cm / 62 in, wheels and handles included | 23 kg / 50 lb |
| easyJet | Priced dynamically | Under 275 cm total | 15 kg or 23 kg tiers, 32 kg ceiling |
| Emirates | Included by fare, not per bag | 150 cm (59 in) | 23 kg a piece on US routes |
Air Canada states the allowance precisely and the price not at all: "Maximum linear dimensions per bag (greatest outside height, width and length, wheels and handles included): D + W + H: 158 cm/62 in. Maximum weight per bag: 23 kg/50 lb." Every fee routes to its baggage calculator.
easyJet sells hold bags by weight tier: "You can select a 15kg or 23kg hold bag, and add extra weight online in 3kg increments." Total size must be "under 275cm," and "For safety, no single bag can weigh more than 32kg."
Emirates works differently. On flights to and from the Americas it uses the piece concept, where economy gets "One piece up to 23 kg for Special and Saver fares" and two pieces for Flex and Flex Plus. Size is 150 cm total, and bags over 203 cm can't be checked at all. Its excess fees on Americas routes are USD 75 overweight, USD 250 oversized and USD 325 for both.
The Free Bag Exceptions
Most people who never pay a bag fee aren't using a trick. They're flying a fare or holding a status that includes the bag.
Cabin does it at three airlines. Delta says Delta One and Delta First passengers "should follow the 70 lb" limit rather than the standard 50. American's checked bag page says "Business and Domestic First confirmed customers can check 2 bags up to 70 lbs / 32 kgs at no extra cost," and Emerald members get three. Alaska's page offers the same trade on its fee chart: "Purchase up to Business/First Class and receive 2 free bags at 70 lbs."
Fare does it at two more. JetBlue includes a bag on Blue Plus and two on Mint. Southwest's Choice Extra fares include two.
Status and cards do it everywhere else. Southwest gives A-List Preferred members two free bags and A-List members one. Delta's baggage overview puts co-brand cardholders, Medallion members and active military outside the standard fee table entirely.
An airline co-brand card is usually the cheapest route to a free bag if you check one a few times a year. Our United Explorer review works through whether that one bag justifies the fee.
One warning from American, because it costs real money: "If you pay for checked bags and later buy or receive an upgrade that includes free checked bags, any bag fees you already paid will not be refunded." Buy the upgrade first, then check the bag.
Route Rules That Override the Chart
The chart above is domestic. Cross a border and the numbers change, sometimes drastically.
American publishes several route exceptions. Travel to Cuba is capped: "Each passenger traveling to Cuba may only check up to 2 bags with a maximum weight of 70 lbs / 32 kgs per bag." From Madrid, "the maximum length of any side of a checked item cannot exceed 43 in / 110 cm." To and from Australia or New Zealand, American allows one free bag in Basic or Main and more in premium cabins.
JetBlue includes the first checked bag on all transatlantic routes, and on flights to and from a specific list of Latin American cities. Its third bag on those transatlantic routes runs $200 off-peak and $210 peak.
Southwest runs a separate Hawaii interisland table, where the numbers drop to $15 and $20 for the first two bags.
Emirates switches systems by region. On flights within the Americas it counts pieces at 23 kilograms each. Elsewhere it counts total weight, where "Each individual bag must not weigh more than 32kg (70.5lb)." Applying the 32 kilogram figure to a US itinerary is the most common way to get this wrong.
Extra Bags, Priced Separately
The third bag is where airlines stop being reasonable.
Delta charges $200 for a third bag, and $200 each for bags four through ten. Southwest charges $150 for the third and beyond. JetBlue charges $200, and more on transatlantic routes.
Emirates sells allowance instead of bags: "You can buy extra baggage allowance in blocks of 5 kg, up to a maximum of 50 kg."
easyJet charges by the kilogram over your tier, and it charges for leaving it to the airport: "Adding bags online before you travel is always cheaper than paying at the airport, where bag drop desk fees are £60."
Air Canada adds a cost most travelers never see coming. Check in at the airport and "you'll need to provide a credit card for pre-authorization of gate handling fees of CA/US $65-$78 (tax inclusive)."
Overweight and Oversize, Where the Money Is
This is where a bag gets expensive, and the amounts are not small.
- American: bags over 100 lb or over 115 inches aren't accepted. Its fee bands run from just over 50 lb up to 100 lb, and the page warns that when a bag is both oversize and overweight, "the higher fee between oversize and overweight applies, in addition to the checked bag fee."
- Delta: 51 to 70 lb costs $100, 71 to under 100 lb costs $200, and bags 100 lb or more aren't permitted. Oversize bags of 63 to 80 inches cost $200.
- Alaska: 51 to 70 lb is $100, 71 to 100 lb is $200, and oversize from 63 to 115 inches is $200, all compounding with the base fee.
- JetBlue: oversized bags of "63-80 inches (160-203.3 cm), including wheels and handles: $150" and overweight bags of "51-99 pounds (23.13-44.91 kg): $150."
- Southwest: "Overweight items from 51-70 pounds will cost $100," 71 to 100 pounds costs $200, and oversize over 62 inches up to 80 inches costs $200.
- Frontier: 41 to 50 lb costs $75, and 51 to 99.99 lb costs $100 or $129 depending on when you booked. Oversize from 63 to 110 inches is $75.
The pattern is simple. One pound over is the same fee as nineteen pounds over. Weigh the bag at home.
Odd Items and Hard Ceilings
Every airline has a point where it stops negotiating and simply refuses the bag.
American won't take anything over 100 pounds or over 115 inches. JetBlue won't take bags over 80 inches or over 99 pounds. Frontier stops at 110 linear inches. Delta stops at 100 pounds and 80 inches.
Air Canada hands the problem to its freight arm instead. Bags over 32 kilograms, over 203 centimeters in length, or over 292 centimeters in total dimensions have to go through Air Canada Cargo.
One useful exception if you're moving house. JetBlue says televisions travel as a checked bag "as long as they remain in their factory-sealed box," with no extra bag fee, though the TV counts as one of your bags.
Three Ways to Pay Nothing
Fly a fare that includes it. JetBlue's Blue Plus includes a bag and Mint includes two. Southwest's Choice Extra includes two. Emirates includes them by fare and cabin.
Hold the airline's card or status. Delta says its co-brand cardholders and Medallion members are outside the standard fee table, and Alaska shows free bags in its chart. Our roundup of cards with free checked bags covers which cards do it, and our guide to avoiding baggage fees covers the status routes.
Pay early where paying early is cheaper. American discounts $5 a bag for paying online. JetBlue says you "Save up to $10 each on your first 2 checked bags when you add them before check-in."
The Eight We Could Not Read
Tried repeatedly on September 11 and 12, 2026: Spirit (domain did not resolve), Hawaiian (403, then a redirect loop), Allegiant (403 behind a Cloudflare challenge), British Airways (timeouts with zero bytes), Lufthansa (403 on every locale), Air France (connection reset), Qatar Airways (403), Ryanair (200, but 48 characters of text and no baggage content).
Their numbers are widely republished. They are not in this chart, because we could not read them at the source, and bag fees change more often than almost any other published number in travel.
Before You Go
Weigh the bag. Measure it with the wheels. Add the three numbers.
Then check whether your fare, your card or your status already covers the bag, because that is worth more than any of the fee tables above. Our packing checklist covers what belongs in the checked bag in the first place, and our carry-on size chart covers the bag you keep with you.
This article contains affiliate links. If you apply through our links, we may earn a commission at no cost to you, which helps us continue sharing points and miles strategies with the community.
Sources
- American Airlines, checked bag fees and policies plus the oversize and overweight page (read 2026-09-12 in a browser): first bag $50 or $45 paid online and second bag $60 or $55 online on US, Canada, Mexico, Caribbean and Central America routes, $5 more on Basic Economy, fees per person each direction and non-refundable at the airport, bags over 100 lbs or 115 inches not accepted, and the rule that the higher of the oversize or overweight fee applies on top of the bag fee
- Delta Air Lines, baggage overview and excess baggage pages (read 2026-09-11): $45 first and $55 second standard checked bag each way under 50 lbs (23 kg) for Delta Main and Delta Comfort domestic customers, 62 inches (157 cm) total, overweight 51 to 70 lbs $100 and 71 to under 100 lbs $200, oversize 63 to 80 inches $200, and third bag $200
- United Airlines, checked bags (read 2026-09-12 in a browser): maximum size 30 x 20 x 12 inches (76 x 52 x 30 cm) or 62 total inches including handles and wheels, 50 pounds (23 kg) in economy and 70 pounds (32 kg) in business, and fees that vary by purchase date and route with no flat figure published
- Alaska Airlines, checked baggage fees and policies (read 2026-09-12 in a browser): first bag $45 and second $55 up to 50 lbs and 62 linear inches, overweight 51 to 70 lbs $100 and 71 to 100 lbs $200, oversize 63 to 115 inches $200, and the statement that overweight and oversize fees compound with base bag fees and with each other
- JetBlue, checked bag policy (read 2026-09-12 in a browser): 62 inches (157.48 cm) and 50 pounds (22.68 kg), bags over 70 pounds not accepted, off-peak first bag $45 and second $59 with peak at $49 and $69, third bag $200, oversized 63 to 80 inches $150, overweight 51 to 99 pounds $150, and savings for adding bags before check-in
- Southwest Airlines, travel fees page (read 2026-09-11): $45 first and $55 second checked bag for Basic, Choice and Choice Preferred fares booked on or after April 9, 2026, the earlier $35 and $45 table, third and subsequent bags $150, overweight 51 to 70 pounds $100 and 71 to 100 pounds $200, oversize over 62 up to 80 inches $200, and free bags for Choice Extra fares and A-List Preferred members
- Frontier Airlines, bag options (read 2026-09-11): checked bag up to 40 pounds and 62 linear inches including handles, wheels and straps, dynamic pricing rather than a published fee, overweight 41 to 50 pounds $75 and 51 to 99.99 pounds $100 or $129 by booking date, oversize 63 to 110 linear inches $75
- Air Canada, checked baggage (read 2026-09-11): 158 cm / 62 inches per bag including wheels and handles and 23 kg / 50 lb maximum weight, with all fees routed to the baggage calculator and no dollar figure published
- easyJet, hold luggage (read 2026-09-11): hold bag total size under 275 cm, 15 kg or 23 kg tiers with 3 kg increments, no single bag over 32 kg, and dynamic pricing
- Emirates, checked baggage and additional allowance pages (read 2026-09-11): piece concept on flights within the Americas with one piece up to 23 kg on Special and Saver fares and two on Flex and Flex Plus, 150 cm (59 inches) per bag with 203 cm the cargo cutoff, and excess fees of USD 75 overweight, USD 250 oversized and USD 325 for both
- Airlines whose baggage pages could not be read (attempted 2026-09-11 and 2026-09-12): Spirit (domain did not resolve), Hawaiian (403 then redirect loop), Allegiant (403 Cloudflare challenge), British Airways (timeout with zero bytes), Lufthansa (403 on every locale), Air France (connection reset), Qatar Airways (403), Ryanair (200 with 48 characters of text)
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