Airline Baggage

If you are like us you hate being ripped off by airlines time and time again. There are many great ways to save money on airline flights and one to realize is Airline Baggage Fees. Understanding these will help you save time and money. A great resource we have found online to help save money is The Guide to Dirt Cheap Airfares. Since using this myself I save $300 on my families trip from Los Angeles to Hawaii. You can’t beat that. Even the free information on the site is fantastic.

When traveling it is even more important to watch what you are packing. Airlines are increasingly charging you for the excess baggage that you carry. Some even charge you for checking in. A new process that has recently come in is being able to check your bags in online electronically.

Below we have a list of some of the major airlines and there Baggage fees. If the airline you seek is not on here I would suggest going to there website and entering “Baggage Fees” in to there search engine. If this does not work look on the site map as it should be there.

Air France Each passenger is allowed to check two items at no charge. Each bag must not exceed a weight of 51 lbs or 23 kg. Baggage weighing over that amount will incur a fee of €50 or $50 each. Each additional item incurs a fee of $150 USD over the baggage allowance. If you are part of Air France’s Flying Blue members club you will be granted additional weight limits.

American Airlines Flying within the U.S., Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands and Canada, passengers pay $15 US for their first checked bag and $25 for their second bag. One carry-on is permitted at no charge(how nice of them J). On international flights, one carry-on and two checked bags at no charge. American Airlines charge $100 per piece for the 3rd, 4th and 5th bags that are checked in and $200 per bag after that.

Continental Airlines Continental Airlines charge their passengers within the U.S., Canada, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands with one checked bag in economy $15 USD so if you can fly business class go for it! If you have a read of The Guide to Dirt Cheap Airfares it can teach you how to upgrade to business class for next to nothing. Each bag can not exceed 51 lbs or 23 kg. If you take a second bag it will cost you $25. International travelers are permitted two checked bags at no additional cost. Continental Airlines has a host of discounts for certain groups including Military personnel and flyers paying the full price of a standard airfare. If your bag weighs between 50-70 lbs it will incur an additional fee of $50 per item. Bags weighing more than 70 lbs. are not accepted on the airline so split your luggage in to many.

Delta Airlines Delta Airlines have recently changed their rates too $15 USD for the bag checked in and $25 for a second. However if you are traveling outside the U.S. you can check two bags at no additional cost, this baggage must weigh less than 50 lbs. An extra bag in excess of 50lbs will attach a fee of between $90 to $300 per bag.

Japan Airlines Japan Airlines allows one carry-on bag weighing less than 22lbs or 10 kg, as well as two bags checked in. Excess fees are calculated using this formula: Normal economy class fare between boarding points (adult one-way) x 1.5% x excess baggage weight in kg, rounded up to the nearest hundred yen. Even if you purchased an airfare on sale they will still use the normal fare to make the calculation. As of April 01, 2009, the free baggage allowance on economy class on flights falls from 32 kg. (70 lbs.) to 23 kg. (50 lbs.). For each piece exceeding 23 kg. but no more than 32 kg., an extra charge of JPY 5,000 or $50 USD applies per piece.

Lufthansa Lufthansa allows two checked bags per passenger weighing 23-32 kg each. The airline uses a zone system to determine fees for excess baggage weight, the costs add up very quickly at 5€ for every excess kilogram on domestic flights within Germany, but long-haul flights can involve 40€/kg which would really ruin your holiday.

Northwest Airlines Northwest Airlines now charge for every piece of baggage checked in for economy class on domestic flights. The first bag on a domestic flight is $15 USD; the second costs $25; the third is $125 and bags four through 10 are $200 each. On international flights from the U.S. two pieces of baggage bags are free. However there are many additional charges for baggage that exceeds 50 lbs. The charges vary by destination and can add up quickly.

United Airlines United Airlines charge each passenger $15 for checking in one bag. Oversized bags over 50 lbs incur a fee of $175, and overweight bags are assessed $125. The charges and conditions on United Airlines are very complicated and confusing so we believe you read these very carefully before booking your flight.