Baggage Fee Lookup

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.

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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:

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.

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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:

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 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 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.

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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, and check whether the annual fee is worth it for you with the 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.

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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 and the Award Flight Pricer to find an itinerary where your bags are covered from start to finish.