Bag fees
Checked bag weight limit: 50 lb, 23 kg and the airlines that differ
Enter the size and weight of your suitcase: the checker compares it with the checked bag limit of every airline on this site, in pounds or kilos.
Will my bag fit? Your bag against 16 airlines
Fits as a checked bag (hold)
13 of 14 airlines
- American AirlinesFits (62 linear in)
- Delta Air LinesFits (62 linear in)
- United AirlinesFits (62 linear in)
- Southwest AirlinesFits (62 linear in)
- Alaska AirlinesFits (62 linear in)
- JetBlueFits (62 linear in)
- Frontier Airlines5.0 lb too heavy (62 linear in)
- Allegiant AirFits (80 linear in)
- Hawaiian AirlinesFits (62 linear in)
- RyanairFits (81 × 119 × 119 cm)
- easyJetFits (275 linear cm)
- Jet2No published limit
- British AirwaysFits (90 × 75 × 43 cm)
- Wizz AirFits (149 × 119 × 171 cm)
- TUI Airways (tui.co.uk)No published limit
- Virgin Atlantic (archived figures)Fits (90 × 75 × 43 cm)
On American, Delta, United, Southwest, Alaska and Hawaiian, a standard checked bag may weigh up to 50 lb (22.7 kg) and measure 62 linear in (157 cm) in total, length plus width plus height. JetBlue sets the line just below 51 pounds, which comes to the same thing. Frontier is the outlier at 40 lb (18.1 kg): a bag of 41 to 50 pounds already pays a surcharge there. Allegiant keeps 50 pounds but accepts a larger case, up to 80 linear in (203 cm). UK and European airlines count in kilos and often sell the weight itself: Ryanair offers 10, 20 or 23 kg bags, easyJet bags of 15 to 32 kg, Wizz Air 10 to 32 kg. Jet2 sells bags of 22 kg (48.5 lb), British Airways 23 kg (50.7 lb) in Economy, and TUI 20 or 25 kg depending on the holiday. Among the UK airlines the heaviest bag you can book is 32 kg (70.5 lb), on easyJet, Wizz Air and in British Airways Business, and Ryanair carries no single item above that weight.
Kilograms or pounds: is it under the usual 50 lb (23 kg)?
In pounds
46.3 lb
| Margin to 50 lb | 3.7 lb under |
| Margin to 23 kg | 2 kg under |
1 lb = 0.45359237 kg exactly. Airline scales are the ones that count.
Sizes, fees and rules read by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How we check
US airlines: 50 pounds, with two exceptions
The standard US checked bag is a combination of two limits: a weight and a total size in linear inches. Both apply. A bag of 45 pounds that measures 64 linear inches is oversize, and a compact bag that weighs 52 pounds is overweight; each triggers its own surcharge.
| Airline | Weight per bag | Size per bag |
|---|---|---|
| American Airlines | 50 lb (22.7 kg) | 62 linear in (157 cm) |
| Delta Air Lines | 50 lb (22.7 kg) | 62 linear in (157 cm) |
| United Airlines | 50 lb (22.7 kg) | 62 linear in (157 cm) |
| Southwest Airlines | 50 lb (22.7 kg) | 62 linear in (157 cm) |
| Alaska Airlines | 50 lb (22.7 kg) | 62 linear in (157 cm) |
| JetBlue | less than 51 lb | 62 linear in (157 cm) |
| Frontier Airlines | 40 lb (18.1 kg) | 62 linear in (157 cm) |
| Allegiant Air | 50 lb (22.7 kg) | 80 linear in (203 cm) |
| Hawaiian Airlines | 50 lb (22.7 kg) | 62 linear in (157 cm) |
The two exceptions are worth remembering. Frontier counts its limit at 40 pounds, so a bag packed for another airline is often overweight there. Allegiant keeps 50 pounds but takes a bigger case than anyone else, which helps with sports gear and bulky items. Premium cabins and status can raise the weight: Delta One and Delta First passengers get 70 pounds per bag, and United Premier members 70 pounds as well.
UK and European airlines: you buy the kilos
Low-cost airlines in the UK and Europe do not sell one standard bag. They sell a weight, and the price climbs with it. The kilos you book are the limit that counts at the bag drop, not the maximum the airline can take.
| Airline | Largest bag | Size | What the airline offers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ryanair | 23 kg (50.7 lb) | 81 × 119 × 119 cm (31.9 × 46.9 × 46.9 in) | 20 kg and 23 kg hold bags; no item over 32 kg or 81 × 119 × 119 cm is carried at all |
| easyJet | 32 kg (70.5 lb) | 275 linear cm (108.3 in) | hold bags of 15, 23, 26, 29 or 32 kg; total size under 275 cm |
| Jet2 | 22 kg (48.5 lb) | no published size | 22 kg hold bags; no general hold size published |
| British Airways | 23 kg (50.7 lb) | 90 × 75 × 43 cm (35.4 × 29.5 × 16.9 in) | 23 kg in Economy and Premium Economy, 32 kg in Business and First; no hold bag on Economy Basic |
| Wizz Air | 32 kg (70.5 lb) | 149 × 119 × 171 cm (58.7 × 46.9 × 67.3 in) | hold bags of 10, 20, 26 or 32 kg |
| TUI Airways (tui.co.uk) | 25 kg (55.1 lb) | no published size | 20 kg on most packages, 25 kg on some; no bag over 25 kg accepted |
| Virgin Atlantic (archived copy of June 28, 2025) | 23 kg (50.7 lb) | 90 × 75 × 43 cm (35.4 × 29.5 × 16.9 in) | 23 kg in Economy Classic and Delight; no checked bag on Economy Light |
On Ryanair, the 10 kg check-in bag, the 20 kg bag and the 23 kg bag are three different products, and nothing over 32 kg is carried at all. easyJet lets you book 15, 23, 26, 29 or 32 kg, and its fee page lists extra weight on a pre-booked bag at up to £15 per 3 kg when added in advance, far below the airport rate. British Airways gives 23 kg in Economy and Premium Economy and 32 kg in Business and First, but no hold bag at all on Economy Basic. TUI sets 20 kg on most packages and 25 kg on certain holiday types, and refuses any single bag over 25 kg. The hold luggage page compares the sizes in detail.
How to weigh a bag at home
A hanging luggage scale is the most accurate tool: hook it to the handle, lift until the bag is off the floor and hold it still for a second. Without one, use a bathroom scale. Weigh yourself, then weigh yourself holding the bag, and subtract. Do it twice, because bathroom scales drift by a pound or so, and keep a margin of at least one pound or half a kilo below the limit, since the airline’s scale is the one that decides.
The checker above takes pounds or kilos. The converter below turns a reading in kilos into pounds and shows the margin to 50 lb and to 23 kg at once.
Kilograms or pounds: is it under the usual 50 lb (23 kg)?
In pounds
46.3 lb
| Margin to 50 lb | 3.7 lb under |
| Margin to 23 kg | 2 kg under |
1 lb = 0.45359237 kg exactly. Airline scales are the ones that count.
When the bag is too heavy at home
Before leaving, you have four options. Move dense items, such as shoes, books, chargers and toiletries, into your carry-on, keeping in mind the liquids rule. Wear the heaviest clothes and shoes. Split the load into a second checked bag, which on US airlines usually costs less than the overweight charge on the first. Or, on the UK low-cost airlines, upgrade to the next weight band online before the flight, which is cheaper than paying per kilo at the airport. The overweight fee page gives each surcharge, and the bag fee comparison the price of a second bag.