# Airline Baggage Fees: Find Any Airline's Official Bag Policy in One Click

## Bag fees change faster than most fee tables can keep up

You found the award seat, transferred the points and paid the taxes.
Then you get to the airport and pay $100 or more to check two bags
each way. Miles cover the seat. They usually don't cover your luggage.

Bag rules are also a moving target. In spring 2026 alone, **United,
Delta, American, Southwest and JetBlue all raised their checked bag
fees**. Blog posts and comparison charts written a few months earlier
were suddenly wrong.

That's why the Baggage Fee Lookup doesn't try to copy fee tables.
It takes you straight to each airline's **official baggage policy
page** for **127 airlines**, from Delta and United to Emirates,
Qatar Airways, Ryanair and AirAsia. The airline's own page is the
only source that's guaranteed to match what the agent at check-in
will charge you.

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## How to use the Baggage Fee Lookup

1. **Search for your airline by name.** Type any part of the name,
   such as "lufth" or "singapore", and the list filters as you type.
   Search works on airline names, not two-letter airline codes.

2. **Or tap a popular airline.** Shortcuts for American, Delta,
   United, Southwest, JetBlue, Air Canada, British Airways, Emirates
   and Lufthansa sit under the search box.

3. **Browse the full list.** Leave the search empty to page through
   every airline, 12 at a time, in alphabetical order.

4. **Click an airline's card.** Its official baggage policy opens in a
   new tab, so you keep your place in the list.

> **Tip:** On a multi-airline award ticket, look up every airline on
> the itinerary, not just the one you booked with. The section below
> explains which airline's rules actually apply.

---

## What the big US airlines charge to check a bag in 2026

Here's where the four largest US airlines landed after the April 2026
increases, for domestic flights in economy:

| Airline   | First checked bag                 | Second checked bag              | Who gets at least one bag free (examples)                         |
| --------- | --------------------------------- | ------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------- |
| American  | $45 online, $50 at the airport    | $55 online, $60 at the airport  | AAdvantage status members, premium cabins                         |
| Delta     | $45                               | $55                             | Medallion members, eligible Delta Amex cardmembers, premium cabins |
| United    | $45 prepaid, $50 within 24 hours  | $55 prepaid, $60 within 24 hours | Premier members, United Chase cardmembers, premium cabins         |
| Southwest | $45                               | $55                               | A-List Preferred (two bags), A-List and Rapid Rewards cardmembers |

A third bag now runs $150 to $200 on these airlines. The new prices
apply to tickets bought after each airline's change in early April
2026, so an older booking may still carry the old fee.

> Fees as reported by the airlines in April 2026 for domestic and
> short-haul flights. Long-haul international allowances are
> different, and fees change often, so confirm on the airline's own
> page before you fly.

**Southwest no longer flies bags free.** It ended its free checked bag
policy in May 2025, and the April 2026 increase took its first bag fee
to $45. If your mental model of US bag fees is a few years old, it's
probably out of date.

---

## How baggage rules work on award tickets

Award tickets have a few quirks that catch even experienced points
travelers.

**Miles don't change your allowance.** An award seat generally comes
with the same bag allowance as a paid ticket in the same cabin and
fare type. A domestic economy award means you pay the same bag fees
as everyone else in economy. A business or first class award includes
checked bags, which is one reason premium cabin redemptions are worth
more than the miles alone suggest.

**Watch the fare type on cheap awards.** If your program sells a
basic economy award, basic economy rules come with it. On some
airlines that means higher bag fees or limits on carry-ons. American,
for example, now charges basic economy passengers $5 more per checked
bag than its regular economy fares. Check the fare name on the booking
screen before you pay.

**On partner awards, the first airline usually sets the rules.** For
tickets to or from the United States, US Department of Transportation
rules say the baggage policy of the **first marketing carrier** (the
airline whose flight number is on your first flight) generally applies
to the whole ticket. Most other international itineraries follow the
IATA "most significant carrier" rule, which usually points to the
airline flying the main international leg. So if you book a
Lufthansa flight with United miles or an Air France flight with
Virgin Atlantic points, look up the policy of the airline whose flight
number is on your ticket, not just the program you paid with.

**Separate tickets mean separate bag rules.** If you book a
positioning flight on its own ticket, your award's allowance doesn't
apply to it. You'll pay that airline's fees, and you'll usually have
to collect your bags and check them in again for the next flight.

**Piece rules versus weight rules.** Flights to and from the US, and
many transatlantic and transpacific routes, count bags by piece
(typically up to 50 lb or 23 kg each in economy). Some airlines on
other routes give you a total weight allowance instead. Many airlines
outside the US also weigh carry-on bags, so a bag that's fine on a
domestic US flight can be over the limit on a partner flight in Asia
or Europe.

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## Worked example: the positioning flight that costs $400

Say you live in Austin and you've booked two business class seats on
ANA from New York (JFK) to Tokyo with Aeroplan points. Business class
comes with checked bags, so you plan to bring two each.

To get to JFK, you buy separate economy tickets on American from
Austin to New York. That domestic ticket doesn't know about your
award, so you pay American's bag fees, prepaid online:

| Per traveler, each direction | Fee  |
| ---------------------------- | ---- |
| First checked bag            | $45  |
| Second checked bag           | $55  |
| **One way, one traveler**    | **$100** |
| **Round trip, two travelers** | **$400** |

Pay at the airport instead and it's $440. You also have to collect
your bags at JFK and check them again for Tokyo, and if your
positioning flight is late, neither airline has to protect your
connection.

**The alternative:** search [Routes](/tools/route-finder) for Star
Alliance connections from Austin. United flies Austin to Chicago and
San Francisco, and ANA flies from both to Tokyo Haneda. If the program can put that
connection on the same award ticket, your bags are checked through to
Tokyo and the ticket's allowance covers the whole trip. Compare what
the extra flight does to the price in the
[Award Flight Pricer](/award-charts) before you decide.

If you do need a separate positioning ticket, a co-branded card or
elite status on that airline can bring the bag fees down, sometimes to
zero.

---

## How to avoid paying for checked bags

**Fly in a premium cabin.** Business and first class fares, paid or
award, include checked bags on major airlines. If the award price gap
is small, the included bags can tip the math.

**Carry an airline co-branded credit card.** Most US airline cards
include a free first checked bag on that airline, often for
companions on the same reservation too. Read the terms: some require
you to add your frequent flyer number to the booking, or to pay for
the ticket (or the award taxes) with the card. Browse airline cards in
the [Credit Card Browser](/tools/cc), and check whether the annual fee
is worth it for you with the
[Card Value Calculator](/tools/card-value-calculator).

**Use elite status.** Status with an airline usually adds free checked
bags, and alliance-level status often extends that to partner flights
in the same alliance.

**Use an airline fee credit.** Some premium travel cards include a
credit for incidental airline fees that can cover checked bags. Check
your card's terms for which charges qualify.

**Go carry-on only.** The standard carry-on limit on major US airlines
is 22 x 14 x 9 inches (56 x 36 x 23 cm), including wheels and handles.
Ultra-low-cost airlines like Ryanair and Frontier often include only a
small personal item in the base fare, so check before you assume a
roller bag is free.

**Weigh your bags at home.** Overweight fees are often higher than the
bag fee itself. On most piece-based economy tickets, the line is 50 lb
(23 kg).

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## What the Baggage Fee Lookup doesn't do

Knowing the limits keeps you from relying on it for something it
doesn't do:

- **It doesn't show fee amounts.** The tool links to each airline's
  official policy page rather than repeating its fees, so you always
  see the airline's current numbers instead of a copy that may be out
  of date.
- **It doesn't calculate fees for your trip.** Allowances depend on
  your route, fare type, cabin, status and cards. The airline's page
  (or your booking) is where you'll find the answer for your exact
  ticket.
- **It doesn't cover every airline.** The list has 127 airlines,
  focused on major international, US and low-cost carriers. Some
  smaller regional airlines aren't included, and a few older entries
  point to airlines that have since merged or stopped flying. If a
  link doesn't load, search the airline's current website.

---

## Frequently asked questions

### How much does it cost to check a bag in 2026?

On the largest US airlines, the first checked bag on a domestic
economy ticket costs about $45 after the April 2026 increases, and the
second about $55. American and United charge $5 more if you don't pay
in advance. International fees and allowances vary by airline, route
and fare.

### Does Southwest still offer free checked bags?

No. Southwest ended its free checked bag policy in May 2025. As of
April 2026 the first checked bag costs $45 and the second $55, though
A-List members, A-List Preferred members and Rapid Rewards cardmembers
still get free bags.

### Do award tickets include free checked bags?

Only if the cabin and fare type you booked include them. Business and
first class awards include checked bags on major airlines. Domestic
economy awards usually don't, so you'll pay the same bag fees as a
paid economy ticket unless you have status or an eligible card.

### Which airline's baggage rules apply on a partner award?

For tickets to or from the US, the rules of the first marketing
carrier (the airline whose flight number is on your first flight)
generally apply to the whole ticket. For most other international
trips, it's the "most significant carrier", usually the airline flying
the main international leg. Look up that airline's policy here.

### What is the standard carry-on size?

Most major US airlines allow a carry-on up to 22 x 14 x 9 inches
(56 x 36 x 23 cm), plus a personal item that fits under the seat.
Many airlines outside the US also set a carry-on weight limit, and
low-cost airlines often charge for anything bigger than a personal
item.

### Does my credit card cover checked bag fees?

Airline co-branded cards usually include a free first checked bag on
that airline, and some premium travel cards have airline fee credits
that can cover bag fees. General travel cards don't waive bag fees on
their own. Check your card's benefit terms before you fly.

### Does the Baggage Fee Lookup show baggage fees?

No. It's a directory of official baggage policy pages for 127
airlines. Click any airline to see its current fees, allowances, size
and weight limits on its own website.

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## The bottom line

A free award flight can come with a very real luggage bill,
especially on a separate positioning ticket or a basic economy fare.
Before you book, use the Baggage Fee Lookup to check the official
rules for every airline on your trip. Then use
[Routes](/tools/route-finder) and the [Award Flight Pricer](/award-charts)
to find an itinerary where your bags are covered from start to finish.

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Source: https://awardhack.com/tools/airline-baggage-fees | Updated 2026-10-13