A Traveler’s Guide to Airline Checked Baggage Fees

In the span of two weeks, five major U.S. airlines have raised checked bag fees. All of the airlines cited rising jet fuel prices in the wake of the war in the Middle East.

This week, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and Southwest Airlines joined United Airlines, which raised fees earlier this month, and JetBlue Airways, the first airline to do so because of the effects of the war, at the end of March.

American boosted prices to $50 (an increase of $10) for the first checked bag and $60 for the second checked bag.

Delta’s $45 fee for the first checked bag is for tickets purchased on or after April 8. Southwest, which instituted checked bag fees last year, is raising prices by $10 — the first checked bag will be $45 and the second bag will be $55 — for tickets purchased or voluntarily changed on or after April 9.

JetBlue raised its fee by $9 during peak travel periods, while United travelers will now pay $45 for the first checked bag and $55 for the second.

The airline industry saw a major shift in baggage fees last year when Southwest Airlines announced that only select customers would qualify for free checked bags. The fees went into effect on May 28, 2025. Southwest had 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 2025.

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, prior to the fee going into effect. “A-List members and Rapid Rewards credit cardholders will get one freebie. Everyone else? You’ll be paying up.”

In 2025, excluding the fourth quarter, 13 airlines collected $5.5 billion in baggage, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics. In addition, the airlines reported a “mishandled baggage rate of 0.52 percent” in 2025, down from 0.55 percent in 2024, according to the DOT.

In the 2026 AARP Travel Trends report, 49 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 checked bag fees. Note: Prices are subject to change and can depend on route and fare class. Allegiant Air, Delta, United and other carriers provide a baggage fee calculator to assist with determining the cost.

Know your rights if a bag is lost, damaged or delayed

According to DOT, if your bag is lost, federal rules say the airline is responsible for compensating you for the contents of your bag, which is subject to depreciation and maximum liability limits. The maximum liability amount is $4,700 per passenger, DOT said. In addition, if you paid a baggage fee, you are entitled to a refund if the airline has declared that the bag is lost or it’s significantly delayed.

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. The fees below are for flights booked on or after April 10.