US airlines
American Airlines bag fees and carry-on size
Independent site, not the airline. Fees are charged only by the airline, at booking, check-in or the gate.
Pick the number of bags and how you pay: the calculator gives the American Airlines total for one way or a round trip, with the online saving shown apart.
Bag fees for your trip
American Airlines, round trip, 1 traveler
$90
| Checked bag 1, each way | $45 |
| Per traveler, each way | $45 |
Fees read on American Airlines’s page (archived copy) on July 13, 2026.
On a domestic Main Cabin ticket, American Airlines charges $45 for the first checked bag when you pay on its website or app, and $50 when you pay at the airport. The second bag costs $55 online or $60 at the counter, and a third bag $200 whichever way you pay. Each fee applies each way, so a round trip doubles it. Basic Economy tickets issued from May 18, 2026 pay five dollars more: $50 online and $55 at the airport for the first bag. A checked bag may weigh up to 50 lb (22.7 kg) and measure up to 62 linear in (157 cm). In the cabin, every fare includes a carry-on of 22 × 14 × 9 in (56 × 36 × 23 cm), handles and wheels counted, plus a personal item of 18 × 14 × 8 in (46 × 36 × 20 cm) that fits under the seat. These figures were read on an archived copy of American's pages captured on July 13, 2026, because the airline site refuses automated reading.
Does my bag fit on American Airlines?
Smallest way it travels on American Airlines
Carry-on
| Personal item | too big |
| Carry-on | fits |
| Checked bag | fits |
Limits read on American Airlines’s page (archived copy); measure with wheels and handles.
Sizes, fees and rules read by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How we check
The two prices of every American bag
American is one of the few large US carriers that still sells the same checked bag at two prices. Pay on its checked bag page or in the app, up to two hours before departure, and you get the lower one. Wait until an agent tags the bag and you pay five dollars more for each of the first two pieces. On a family of four with one bag each, that is forty dollars on a round trip for doing nothing different but tapping a button the day before.
The fee runs per direction and per passenger, so the numbers below double on a return trip and multiply by the size of the group. The scope of the table below is domestic travel, which American defines as flights within or between the US mainland, Hawaii, Alaska, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands.
| Bag, each way | Main Cabin online | Main Cabin airport | Basic Economy online | Basic Economy airport |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First bag | $45 | $50 | $50 | $55 |
| Second bag | $55 | $60 | $60 | $65 |
| Third bag | $200 | $200 | $200 | $200 |
What changed on April 9 and May 18, 2026
The archived page dates two increases. For tickets issued from April 9, 2026, the first Main Cabin bag went from $40 to $50 at the airport, the second from $50 to $60, and the third bag from $150 to $200. A second step followed for Basic Economy tickets issued from May 18, 2026: a surcharge of five dollars per bag on the first and second piece, which puts the first Basic Economy bag at $55 at the counter and $50 online. The ticket date counts, not the flight date, so a trip booked in March and flown in June keeps the old price.
For a traveler who checks one bag, the cheaper Basic Economy fare therefore saves less than its headline suggests. Once the bag is added both ways, the gap with Main Cabin shrinks by ten dollars on a round trip. The basic economy comparison runs that sum for American and United side by side.
Free bags: card, status and military
Three groups skip the fee. The first is the holder of the airline's co-branded credit card: the first checked bag is free on domestic itineraries operated by American, provided the AAdvantage number is in the reservation. The archived page does not say how many companions share the benefit, so do not count on it for the whole party. The second group is elite members: AAdvantage Gold and oneworld Ruby get the first bag free, Platinum and oneworld Sapphire the first two, Executive Platinum, Platinum Pro and oneworld Emerald the first three. The third is the military: active US service members with ID check the first three bags free on personal travel, and on orders they and their dependents check up to five.
Does the airline’s co-branded card pay for itself in bag fees?
First checked bag fees avoided in a year
$360
| Net of the annual fee | $360 |
| First bag, each way | $45 |
Airline co-branded credit card: first checked bag free for eligible cardholders on domestic American-operated itineraries (AAdvantage number must be in the reservation). Number of companions covered is not stated on this page.
Heavy and oversized bags
The standard bag stops at 50 lb (22.7 kg) and 62 linear in (157 cm). Beyond that American charges by band, as written on its oversize and overweight page. The page captured in February 2026 says these amounts were updated on February 20, 2024 for travel from April 17, 2024; a later change cannot be ruled out. When a bag is both too heavy and too big, only the higher of the two charges applies.
| Weight or size of the bag | Charge on top of the bag fee |
|---|---|
| Over 50 lb, up to 53 lb | $30 |
| Over 53 lb, up to 70 lb | $100 |
| Over 70 lb, up to 100 lb | $200 |
| Over 62 in, up to 65 in (length + width + height) | $30 |
| Over 65 in, up to 115 in | $200 |
| Over 100 lb or over 115 in | not accepted |
Overweight or oversize: what one checked bag costs extra
American Airlines, each way, on top of the bag fee
$100
| Overweight charge | $100 |
| Oversize charge | $0 |
| Checked bag limit | 50 lb, 62 in |
When a bag is both overweight and oversize, American applies the higher fee only.
Carry-on, personal item and the small jets
American's carry-on page is short: one bag of 22 × 14 × 9 in (56 × 36 × 23 cm) that must fit the sizer at the airport, and one personal item of 18 × 14 × 8 in (46 × 36 × 20 cm) under the seat. No weight limit is written for either. On American Eagle regional jets the bins are smaller, and a full-size carry-on is valet-checked at the gate at no charge instead of going in the bin. Keep a power bank and medicines in the personal item for that reason: the valet bag travels in the hold.
What to check before you pay
Look at the ticket's issue date, since it decides between the old and new prices. Check whether the fare is Basic Economy, which pays the surcharge. Add the AAdvantage number to the booking if you hold the airline's card or status, before you reach the airport. Then pay for the bag online, ideally the day before, and weigh it at home: three pounds over the limit already costs $30.