A Traveler’s Guide to Airline Checked Baggage Fees

Southwest began charging for the first two checked bags on May 28. Here’s what to know about the costs – and other carriers’ fees

a yellow suitcase with money floating around it

The cost of a checked bag will drive up the price of your plane ticket. Here’s what to know about what airlines charge for checked bags.

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Nicole Gill Council,

Updated May 28, 2025

AARP

En español

Published March 28, 2025

/ Updated May 28, 2025

Airline Baggage Fees

When Southwest Airlines announced on March 11 that only select customers would qualify for free checked bags, it sent a shockwave through the industry. Southwest built its brand on free checked bags.

“Southwest is doing a 180-degree shift from its long history of free bags and will start doing what almost every U.S. airline does: charging customers for checked bags, effective May 28,” Sean Cudahy, senior aviation reporter at The Points Guy, said ahead of the change in March.

The airline’s “A-List Preferred flyers and Business Select passengers will retain the precious perk of two free checked bags,” says Sally French, NerdWallet’s travel expert. “A-List members and Rapid Rewards credit cardholders will get one freebie. Everyone else? You’ll be paying up.”

The cost? It will be $35 for the first checked bag and $45 for a second, according to a Southwest spokesperson. This applies to flights booked or voluntarily changed on or after May 28.

Excluding the fourth quarter, 13 airlines collected $5.5 billion in baggage fees in 2024, according to the Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics. And the airlines reported a “mishandled baggage rate of 0.55 percent” in 2024, down from 0.58 percent in 2023, according to the DOT.

In the 2025 AARP Travel Trends report, 46 percent of travelers 50-plus said they plan to travel domestically by plane, and 66 percent plan to travel internationally by plane. Therefore, it’s important to know how much it costs to check a bag before you book your flight.

For many airlines, if you have elite status or above, book a business- or first-class or other higher fare, or carry the airline’s credit card, you’ll still get free checked baggage. But for those travelers without those perks, “be sure to include those ‘ancillary’ costs into the budget for your trip,” Cudahy says. “Add-on fees are a huge part of airlines’ bottom lines today – and not just for bags.”

Here’s what you need to know about the checked bag fees. Note: Prices are subject to change and can depend on route and fare class. Allegiant Air, Delta Airlines, United Airlines and other carriers provide a baggage fee calculator to assist with determining the cost.

Alaska Airlines

Whether you must pay for a checked bag is determined by member status, fare class and being a credit card holder. Fees can be paid during check-in online, at airport ticket counters or at a bag tag station.

$35 for the first checked bag.
$45 for the second checked bag.

Allegiant Air

The budget airline’s pricing is based on when a checked bag fee is purchased. Depending on the route and date, the price for purchasing a checked bag upon booking will change and be cheaper than if you added the checked bag at the airport.

$70 for the pre-departure baggage fee.
$75 if you’re paying for a checked bag at the airport.

American Airlines

American’s checked bag fees depend on the region you’re traveling in, whether it’s within the U.S. and its territories or to and from Canada, the Caribbean, Central America, Guyana and Mexico.

$40 for the first checked bag ($35 if purchased online) when traveling within the U.S., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
$45 for the second checked bag when traveling within the U.S., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Breeze Airways

Checked bag fees apply to the “No Flex Fare” and “Nice Bundle.” Pricing is dependent on where you’re traveling. Prices can vary depending on departure, arrival and date of travel, as well as when you pay the fee. For example:

$35 for the first checked bag if purchased at initial booking, $40 online before check-in begins, $45 online after check-in begins and $75 at the airport.
$55 for the second checked bag if purchased before arriving at the airport; $75 at the airport.

Delta Airlines

According to the airline’s website, “the checked baggage allowance each way price varies by route and fare class.”

$35 for the first checked bag for customers in Delta Comfort and Delta Main.
$45 for the second checked bag for customers in Delta Comfort and Delta Main.

Frontier Airlines

To tally checked bag fees, travelers making a new reservation must select the route and time of day.

$34 for the first checked bag when purchased during booking on the web or the app; $39 before or at check-in on the web or the app; $79 at the airport kiosk or ticket counter; $99 at the boarding gate.
$59 for the second checked bag when purchased during booking on the website or the app; $59 before or at check-in on the website or the app; $89 at the airport kiosk or ticket counter.

Hawaiian Airlines

Hawaiian, which is now a part of Alaska Airlines, has different checked bag fees for traveling within Hawai‘i, within the U.S., or internationally.

$30 for the first checked bag when flying to neighboring islands; $40 for North America.
$40 for the second checked bag when flying to neighboring islands; $45 for North America.

JetBlue Airways

The airline’s checked baggage policy accounts for peak (peak spring and summer travel seasons, Thanksgiving and the winter holidays) and off-peak travel and whether the checked bag is added more than 24 hours before departure or within 24 hours of departure. The below fees apply for Blue, Blue Basic and Blue Extra fares.

$35 for the first checked bag off-peak when purchased more than 24 hours before departure; $40 for peak travel when purchased more than 24 hours before departure; $45 for the first bag during off-peak travel within 24 hours of departure; $50 for the first bag during peak travel within 24 hours of departure.
$50 for the second checked bag during off-peak travel when purchased more than 24 hours before departure; $60 for peak travel when bought more than 24 hours before departure; $60 during off-peak travel when purchased within 24 hours of departure; $70 during peak travel when bought within 24 hours of departure.

Silver Airways

The regional airline’s checked baggage fees depend on where you’re traveling.

$35 for the first checked bag for domestic travel within the continental U.S. and to and from the U.S. Virgin Islands.
$55 for the second checked bag for domestic travel within the continental U.S. and to and from the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Southwest

The carrier’s new checked bag fees went into effect for reservations made or voluntarily changed on or after May 28, 2025. A-List Members and Rapid Rewards Credit Cardmembers get one free checked bag, and A-List Preferred Members and those traveling on Business Select get two.

$35 for the first checked bag.
$45 for the second checked bag.

Spirit Airlines

At Spirit, the price of a checked bag may differ based on the route and fare class. There’s a “bag price finder” to calculate the cost of the checked bag.

For the first checked bag: For Saver$ Club tickets, $54 if bought during booking online; $64 for bags purchased before online check-in; $69 if purchased during online check-in. For Standard tickets, $55 if purchased during online booking; $65 if purchased before online check-in; $70 if purchased during online check-in. It’s $79 at the airport or reservation center; $99 at the gate for both fare classes.
For the second checked bag: For Saver$ Club tickets, $74 if purchased during online booking; $84 if purchased before online check-in; $84 if purchased during online check-in. For Standard tickets, $75 if purchased during online booking; $85 if purchased before or during online check-in. It’s $99 for both fare classes if purchased at the airport or reservation center.

Sun Country Airlines

Baggage fees at Sun Country may differ based on the route and when you add on the checked bag fee. For example:

$40 for the first checked bag at the time of booking online; $50 before check-in online, at the time of check-in online and with a reservation agent; $55 at the airport.
$45 for the second checked bag at the time of booking online; $60 before check-in online, at the time of check-in online and with a reservation agent; $65 at the airport.

United Airlines

A bag fee may be required depending on the cabin, flight and Premier status. If so, United provides a calculator to determine checked bag costs. A $5 discount may apply if the fee is prepaid. For example:

$40 for the first checked bag in economy and basic economy cabins.
$50 for the second checked bag in economy and basic economy cabins.

Contributing: Berit Thorkelson, AARP

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Nicole Gill Council is a writer and editor of travel and diversity, equity and inclusion content for aarp.org. Previously, she was a digital planning manager and a news editor at USA Today and Gannett News Service, and a copy editor at the Los Angeles Times and Newsday.

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