Part of Delta SkyMiles hub
Status: checked against official sources; automated independent review
FREQUENT FLYER GLOSSARY
What are excess and overweight baggage fees?
Excess and overweight baggage fees are the separate charges an airline adds when a checked bag goes past the allowance that comes with the ticket: one charge for checking more pieces than the fare includes, and another for a bag that is too heavy or too large. Delta Air Lines bills each limit separately, so a single bag that is extra, heavy and bulky can attract three fees at once. [1]
Facts checked: 18 October 2026
Key takeaways
- Piece count, weight and size are three separate limits, and a bag that breaks more than one is billed more than once. [1]
- Both Delta Air Lines and American Airlines charge baggage fees per person or per bag and for each direction of travel, so a return trip doubles the amount. [1] [3]
- American sells its first two checked bags $5 cheaper when they are paid online rather than at the airport, on the routings where the discount applies. [3]
- Exceeding the maximum weight or size does not just cost more: on some routes the bag is not accepted at all. [1]
How do excess, overweight and oversized baggage fees differ?
Three limits sit behind these charges. A piece limit caps how many checked bags the fare includes. A weight limit caps how heavy each individual bag may be. A size limit caps the bag's linear dimensions, which are calculated by adding length, width and height. Going past any one of those limits creates a charge of its own, and a bag can breach more than one limit at the same time.
Delta Air Lines states that principle directly: there are separate fees for each limitation a bag exceeds — size, weight and quantity — so an extra piece that is also over the weight and size limits is subject to three fees, one for the extra bag, one for the weight and one for the size. [1] Delta charges those amounts for each additional bag, each way. [1]
American Airlines measures size the same way, by adding the total outside dimensions of length, width and height. For every region except to or from Australia and New Zealand, its checked bag allowance is 62 in / 158 cm and 50 lbs / 23 kg, and First or Business customers get 70 lbs / 32 kg for free bags but 50 lbs / 23 kg for bags that are charged as excess. [3] On flights to or from Australia and New Zealand, free bags may weigh 70 lbs / 32 kg and charged excess bags are held to 50 lbs / 23 kg. [3]
Baggage allowances that come from a loyalty programme are tied to the reservation itself. United Airlines' MileagePlus rules say that Premier benefits including additional baggage allowance are based on the member's status at the time of travel rather than at the time the ticket was booked, and that the member must keep their MileagePlus number in the reservation throughout. [6] The same rules say a companion travelling on the member's status loses those benefits if the member is no longer on the reservation. [6]
What does Delta Air Lines charge for extra, overweight and oversized bags?
Delta publishes one table for travel within the United States, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, and separate tables by route for international trips. The amounts below are those in force on 18 October 2026. [1]
| Limit exceeded | Fee or rule |
|---|---|
| Third checked bag | $200 USD |
| Bags 4 to 10 | $200 USD each |
| Weight 51–70 lbs (23–31.75 kg) | $100 USD/CAD |
| Weight 71–under 100 lbs (32–45.36 kg) | $200 USD/CAD |
| Weight 100 lbs (45.36 kg) or more | Not permitted |
| Linear size 63–80 in (161–203 cm) | $200 USD/CAD |
| Linear size over 80 in (203 cm) | Not permitted |
Delta states that Canadian dollar and euro amounts are charged when a traveller exits Canada or Europe respectively. [1]
Long-haul pricing is higher and follows the route rather than a single global rate. Between North, Central or South America and Europe or North Africa, Delta charges $285 USD, $330 CAD or €240 EUR for each of bags 3 to 10, and $300 USD, $345 CAD or €250 EUR for a bag measuring 63–80 in (161–203 cm). [1] On that same pairing a 51–70 lb bag costs $100 USD, $120 CAD or €85 EUR, and bags over 70 lbs (31.75 kg) are not accepted. [1] Bags over 70 lbs are also refused on flights to, from or within Australia and New Zealand, and to, from or through Europe, South Africa or the United Arab Emirates. [1]
Do extra bags cost less if you pay online before the airport?
At American Airlines, the channel matters. For Main Cabin travel within and between the United States (including Hawaii and Alaska), Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Canada, the Caribbean except Cuba and Haiti, Mexico, Central America except Panama, and Guyana, the first checked bag is $50 ($45 if paid online) and the second is $60 ($55 if paid online) for tickets issued on or after 9 April 2026. Basic Economy tickets pay $5 more on each of those two bags — a $55 first checked bag fee ($50 if paid online) and a $65 second checked bag fee ($60 if paid online) — only for tickets issued on or after 18 May 2026. For tickets issued 9 April–17 May 2026, Basic Economy pays the same $50 ($45 if paid online) for the first bag and $60 ($55 if paid online) for the second as Main Cabin. [3] A third checked bag on the same markets costs $200 for tickets issued on or after 9 April 2026. [3]
Paying ahead is the cheaper option on those routes. American lets travellers pay for up to three bags when checking in on aa.com or in the app, up to two hours before departure, and describes that price as the best available on its marketed and operated itineraries, except to or from Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, India and Peru. [3] The saving is $5 on each of the first two checked bag fees. [3]
The saving does not come with a refund right. American says checked bag fees paid at the airport are non-refundable, that fees apply per person and each way even if the traveller later buys or receives an upgrade that includes free checked bags, and that a mistaken charge must be raised within 45 days. [3]
When is a bag refused rather than charged?
- Delta refuses bags of 100 lbs (45.36 kg) or more within the United States and Canada, and refuses bags larger than 80 in (203 cm) linear on the routes where that size ceiling is published. [1]
- Up to 10 bags may be checked per passenger on flights operated by Delta or Delta Shuttle, but only up to 4 bags on Delta Connection carrier flights, where excess baggage is accepted on a space-available basis and may travel on the next available flight if it cannot fly with the passenger. [1]
- Any bag that exceeds the ticketed itinerary allocation — in number of pieces, weight or size — is accepted on a standby basis. [1] Delta may also limit the amount of excess baggage when carrying it would prevent the airline from transporting up to two bags per passenger. [1]
- Delta says exceptions may apply to active military and Medallion members, and sends items with a unique size, shape or weight to its special items rules instead. [1]
- American checks up to 10 bags on its own operated flights on domestic, trans-Atlantic and trans-Pacific trips, and up to 5 bags to, through or from Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America, South America and Brazil, with seasonal and year-round restrictions in some markets. [3] Each passenger travelling to Cuba may check only 2 bags, at a maximum of 70 lbs / 32 kg per bag, plus one carry-on and one personal item. [3]
- Free checked bags earned through status or a co-brand card may not apply to codeshare flights operated by partner airlines; American directs travellers to the operating airline for those. [3]
How does elite status change the bill?
Status mostly removes bags from the chargeable count rather than discounting the overweight fee. American says AAdvantage or oneworld status may bring up to 3 free checked bags on itineraries marketed and operated by American Airlines, that the number depends on the member's highest status at the time of ticketing or check-in, and that the AAdvantage number must be in the reservation. [3] A first checked bag is free for AAdvantage Gold and oneworld Ruby members, two bags for AAdvantage Platinum and oneworld Sapphire, and three for AAdvantage Executive Platinum, AAdvantage Platinum Pro and oneworld Emerald. [3] If status is higher at check-in than at ticketing, the current benefit applies automatically; if it is lower, the member shows the ticket receipt to the airport agent. [3]
For United MileagePlus members the allowance is a travel-time benefit: Premier status benefits such as baggage allowance depend on the status held on the day of travel, and a member must keep their MileagePlus number on the reservation and any reservation created from it for the benefit to hold. [6]
Bulky or awkward items are priced outside these tables. Sports equipment, instruments and similar objects are handled under special item rules at both carriers, and the sports and special item baggage guide covers those cases. [1] [3]
Frequently asked questions
Can one bag trigger more than one excess fee?
Yes. Delta bills size, weight and quantity separately, so an extra bag that is also over the weight and size limits is charged three times. [1]
Is the fee charged once per trip or per direction?
Per direction. Delta charges each additional bag each way, and American charges checked bag fees per person and each direction of travel. [1] [3]
Does paying for a checked bag online cost less?
At American it does, on qualifying routings: paying on aa.com or in the app up to two hours before departure saves $5 on each of the first two checked bag fees. [3]
What happens if my bag is over the maximum weight?
It is refused rather than surcharged. Delta does not accept bags of 100 lbs (45.36 kg) or more within the United States and Canada, or bags over 70 lbs (31.75 kg) on several international routings including Europe, Australia and New Zealand. [1]
Do I get the fee back if I later receive a free-bag upgrade?
No. American says fees already paid are not refunded when a traveller later buys or receives an upgrade that includes free checked bags, and airport payments are non-refundable. [3]
Sources
Sources checked on 18 October 2026. Baggage fee schedules for carriers other than Delta Air Lines and American Airlines are not covered here; United Airlines appears only through the MileagePlus programme rules on baggage allowances.
- Delta Air Lines excess and overweight baggage policy, checked 18 October 2026
- American Airlines checked bag fees and policies, checked 18 October 2026
- United MileagePlus programme rules, checked 18 October 2026