US airlines
Southwest 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 fare, the number of bags and any card or A-List status: the calculator gives the Southwest total for the trip.
Bag fees for your trip
Southwest Airlines, round trip, 1 traveler
$90
| Checked bag 1, each way | $45 |
| Per traveler, each way | $45 |
Fees read on Southwest Airlines’s page on October 26, 2026.
Southwest charges for checked bags on three of its four fares. On U.S. Mainland flights booked, ticketed or changed from April 9, 2026, the Basic, Choice and Choice Preferred fares pay $45 for the first bag and $55 for the second, each way, and $150 for a third. The price is the same online and at the airport. The top fare, Choice Extra, includes two checked bags. Each bag can weigh 50 lb (22.7 kg) and measure 62 linear in (157 cm). The cabin is where Southwest stays generous: every fare, Basic included, keeps one carry-on and one personal item free, and the carry-on limit of 24 × 16 × 10 in (61 × 41 × 25 cm) is larger than the 22 by 14 by 9 inches of the network carriers. Southwest gives no measurements for the personal item, only that it goes under the seat in front. The figures were read on Southwest's fee page and help center on October 26, 2026.
Does my bag fit on Southwest Airlines?
Smallest way it travels on Southwest Airlines
Carry-on
| Personal item | no published limit |
| Carry-on | fits |
| Checked bag | fits |
Limits read on Southwest Airlines’s page; measure with wheels and handles.
Sizes, fees and rules read by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How we check
Bag fees by Southwest fare
Southwest publishes its bag fees on its optional travel charges page, set by fare. Three of its four fares pay for every checked bag, and the fourth includes two. The amounts below are those for the U.S. Mainland. Before April 9, 2026, the same bags cost $35 and $45; any booking made, ticketed or changed on or after that date pays the new price, so changing an older ticket moves it to the new fees.
| Fare | Carry-on and personal item | First bag | Second bag |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | included | $45 | $55 |
| Choice | included | $45 | $55 |
| Choice Preferred | included | $45 | $55 |
| Choice Extra | included | included | included |
A third bag costs $150 on the fares that pay. No online discount appears: unlike some network carriers, Southwest charges the same whether you add the bag in advance or at the counter.
Hawaii: a separate interisland price
Flights between the Hawaiian islands follow their own scale. For travelers who are not Hawaii residents, the first interisland bag went from $15 to $30 and the second from $20 to $40, on the same date as the Mainland change. Flights between the Mainland and Hawaii are not in the interisland scale. If your trip combines both, price each segment separately in the calculator above, or compare with Hawaiian Airlines, which also flies between the islands.
Still the roomiest carry-on of the big airlines
The help center allows one carry-on, a roller bag, garment bag or tote, of 24 × 16 × 10 in (61 × 41 × 25 cm) on every fare, plus a personal item that goes under the seat. The two inches of extra length and width over the 22 by 14 by 9 inch norm are enough for a 24 inch case or a weekend duffel. Southwest does not publish a weight for either bag and gives no personal item size; anything that slides under the seat ahead of you passes.
Heavy or oversized bags
The checked bag policy caps a standard bag at 50 lb (22.7 kg) and 62 linear in (157 cm). Overweight items of 51 to 70 pounds cost $100, and 71 to 100 pounds $200. Oversized items above 62 inches and up to 80 inches pay $200 per item. In each case the charge is added to the standard bag fee, it does not replace it.
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.
Free bags without Choice Extra
Three groups check bags free on any fare. Primary holders of the airline's co-branded credit card get the first standard checked bag free, and so do up to eight passengers on the same reservation, provided the Rapid Rewards number is in the booking. A-List members get the same first bag for themselves and up to eight others, and A-List Preferred members the first and second bags. Active-duty military with a valid military ID check the first and second bags free.
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.
Checklist for a Southwest booking
Compare the Choice Extra fare with a cheaper fare plus bags: for two checked bags each way, the bag fees alone can exceed the fare difference. Add the Rapid Rewards number before travel if anyone in the party holds the card or A-List status. Do not change an old ticket without checking the bag fee, since a change made after April 9 moves it to the new scale. And weigh the bag: the fee at 51 pounds is more than twice the first bag fee.