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Incidental airline fees are a big business for the major airlines in the U.S., and checked bag fees<\/a>, in particular, are a key driver of airline profitability nowadays. These added services brought in over $6.7 billion <\/em>in 2022 alone \u2014 and they’ve continued to increase. The last few years have seen airlines like JetBlue<\/a> and United<\/a> boost their fees for checked bags.<\/p>\n It’s safe to say that no one wants to pony up an additional $60 to $75 to check a bag on a round-trip, domestic flight \u2014 especially when summer airfare is already quite high<\/a>.<\/p>\n Fortunately, there are a handful of simple ways to avoid paying these fees. Today we’ll go through how to avoid checked baggage fees on the major carriers in the U.S.<\/p>\n There are several common bag fees imposed by most of the major airlines in the U.S. The first is for any checked bag, typically starting at $30 each way but quickly increasing as you add a second or third suitcase. You might also fall victim to an additional fee for checking an overweight bag, which generally kicks in once you surpass 50 pounds. Finally, there’s a size element: Massive suitcases will almost certainly require an additional fee, as will certain kinds of specialty luggage, like scuba equipment.<\/p>\n For more details, here are links to our individual guides on U.S. airlines’ bag fee policies:<\/p>\n However, it’s worth noting that published policies may have some wiggle room. I’ve sometimes had an airline accept my 52-pound bag without tacking on an overweight fee, and if you have status and are traveling with a companion on a separate reservation, you may still be able to convince a sympathetic check-in agent to waive that bag fee.<\/p>\n And fortunately, there are some tried-and-true ways to get around these added costs ahead of your next trip.<\/p>\n Generally speaking, there are five main ways to avoid paying checked baggage fees on your next flight:<\/p>\n Of course, you could also opt to fly with Southwest Airlines, which allows all customers to check two bags weighing up to 50 pounds each for free. Alternatively, you could try to fit everything into a carry-on suitcase, which is still complimentary on many airlines.<\/p>\nMost common bag fees<\/h2>\n
Best ways to avoid checked bag fees<\/h2>\n
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