Table 1.
Baggage and pet fees, by airline
Carry-on | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th- 5th | 6th- 10th | On-board pet | Checked pet | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Network carriers | |||||||||
Alaska | 2010 | $0a | $15 | $25 | $50 | $100 | $100 | $100 | $100 |
2021 | $0 | $30 | $40 | $100 | $100 | $100 | $100 | $100 | |
American | 2010 | $0a | $25 | $35 | $100 | $100 | $200 | $100 | $150 |
2021 | $0 | $30 | $40 | $150 | $200 | $200 | $125 | $200s | |
Delta | 2010 | $0a | $25 ($23) | $35 ($32) | $125 | $200 | $200 | $125 | $200 |
2021 | $0 | $30 | $40 | $150 | $200 | $200 | $125 | $245** | |
United | 2010 | $0a | $25 ($23) | $35 ($32) | $100 | $100 | $200 | $150 | $250 |
2021 | $0 | $35 ($30) | $45 ($40) | $150 | $150 | $150 | $125 | $328s,** | |
Low-cost carriers (LCC) | |||||||||
Southwest | 2010 | $0a | $0 | $0 | $50 | $50 | $50 | $75 | N/A |
2021 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $75 | $75 | $75 | $95 | N/A | |
JetBlue | 2010 | $0a | $0 | $30 | $75 | $75 | $75 | $100 | N/A |
2021 | $0 | $35 ($30) | $45 ($40) | $150 | $150 | $150 | $125 | N/A | |
Ultra low-cost carriers (ULCC) | |||||||||
Frontier | 2010 | $0a | $20 | $30 | $50 | $50 | $50 | $75 | $150 |
2021 | $60 ($36)* | $60 ($36)* | $55 ($48)* | $95 ($83)* | $95 ($83)* | $95 ($83)* | $99 | N/A | |
Spirit | 2010 | $45 ($30)a | $25 ($19)b | $25b | $100b | $100b | N/Ab | $100 b | N/Ac |
2021 | $67 ($39)* | $67 ($34)* | $60 ($44)* | $100 ($87)* | $100 ($87)* | N/A | $110 | N/A |
Prices represent airport check-in fees for economy class, assuming one-way domestic travel. ($) = Lowest price available for online or early booking of baggage service, if applicable. N/A = service is not available. sService was still suspended temporarily due to COVID-19 as of the time of data collection; fees are reported using pre-suspension prices
*Baggage fees vary due to dynamic pricing: Los Angeles, California (LAX) to Boston, Massachusetts (BOS) was used for a flight booked two months in advance
**Checked pet fees vary due to dynamic pricing: LAX to BOS was used for a small 20–30 lb. dog traveling in the smallest crate available
Sources Data for 2010 pulled from Garrow et al. (2012), except as indicated: aEllis (2010), bU.S. GAO (2010), cSmarter Travel (2012). Data for 2021 collected from airline websites