American Airlines baggage fees and fare rules

IATA: AA

Last verified: 2026-04-27

Answer-first summary

Carry-on allowance

One carry-on bag and one personal item are published as included on all fares.

Personal item rules

The published carry-on row states that size and placement requirements apply to the personal item.

Checked bag baseline

The published Economy (non-Basic) checked-bag baseline is split by booking date. On U.S., Canada, and short-haul international tickets booked on or after April 9, 2026, the first bag is USD 45 prepaid or USD 50 at the airport and the second bag is USD 55 prepaid or USD 60 at the airport, while route-specific transatlantic examples start at USD 75 for the first bag.

Notable restrictions

Published rows in this dataset are route- and product-specific. They do not include a separate Basic Economy baggage row, while same-day confirmed change starts at USD 60 on eligible domestic itineraries and seat pricing varies by product.

Last verified note: The newest American checked-baggage rows on this page were last verified on 2026-04-27. The carry-on, transatlantic baggage, seat, and same-day travel rows currently shown here were last verified on 2025-12-22.

Core fee breakdown

Published rows below are grouped by fee type and retain the route, fare, and timing limits shown in this dataset.

Carry-on rules

See also the broader carry-on fee reference.

Applies to	Region / route	Amount	Timing	Conditions	Source
All fares	All routes	0.00 USD	per flight	One carry-on bag and one personal item permitted; size and placement requirements apply	Source

Personal item rules

The published carry-on row states that size and placement requirements apply to the personal item.

Checked baggage fees

See also the checked baggage fee reference. For a side-by-side baseline comparison, review United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Alaska Airlines.

This site's current verified card dataset includes American Airlines co-branded cards with a published first checked bag benefit on domestic American itineraries. For the tracked card families, traveler counts, and booking limits, see the airline credit card baggage benefit reference.

Applies to	Region / route	Amount	Timing	Conditions	Source
Economy (non-Basic)	U.S., Canada, and short-haul international	35.00 USD	each way	Bag 1; $35 prepaid / $40 at the airport for domestic, Canada, and short-haul international tickets purchased before April 9, 2026; fees vary by destination and travel date	Source
Economy (non-Basic)	U.S., Canada, and short-haul international	45.00 USD	each way	Bag 2; $45 prepaid / $50 at the airport for domestic, Canada, and short-haul international tickets purchased on or after February 18, 2026, and before April 9, 2026; fees vary by destination and travel date	Source
Economy (non-Basic)	U.S., Canada, and short-haul international	45.00 USD	each way	Bag 1; $45 prepaid / $50 at the airport for domestic, Canada, and short-haul international tickets booked on or after April 9, 2026; fees vary by destination and travel date	Source
Economy (non-Basic)	U.S., Canada, and short-haul international	55.00 USD	each way	Bag 2; $55 prepaid / $60 at the airport for domestic, Canada, and short-haul international tickets booked on or after April 9, 2026; fees vary by destination and travel date	Source
Economy (non-Basic)	U.S. ↔ Europe	75.00 USD	each way	Bag 1 on transatlantic flights; exceptions apply for Basic Economy and certain fare products	Source
Economy (non-Basic)	U.S. ↔ Europe	100.00 USD	each way	Bag 2 on transatlantic flights	Source
Economy	U.S. ↔ Central America	30.00 USD	each way	Bag 1; fee applies on select Central America routes	Source
Economy	U.S. ↔ South America	45.00 USD	each way	Bag 1; fee applies on select South America routes	Source
All fares	International	200.00 USD	each way	Bag 3; applies on most international routes	Source

Overweight baggage

Applies to	Region / route	Amount	Timing	Conditions	Source
All fares	Most routes	100.00 USD	each way	Bags weighing 51–70 lbs (23–32 kg)	Source
All fares	Most routes	200.00 USD	each way	Bags weighing 71–100 lbs (32–45 kg); bags over 100 lbs are not accepted	Source

Oversized baggage

Applies to	Region / route	Amount	Timing	Conditions	Source
All fares	Most routes	200.00 USD	each way	Bags measuring 62–65 linear inches (158–165 cm); bags over 115 inches are not accepted	Source

Seat and fare-related fees

See also the seat selection fee reference.

Applies to	Region / route	Amount	Timing	Conditions	Source
Main Cabin	All routes	Varies USD	per segment	Preferred seat pricing varies by flight; published range approximately $4–$139	Source
Main Cabin	All routes	Varies USD	per segment	Main Cabin Extra pricing varies by flight; published range approximately $20–$280	Source

Change and cancellation references

For cancellation, significant schedule change, and refund timing rules in U.S. markets, see the U.S. DOT refund rules reference.

Applies to	Region / route	Amount	Timing	Conditions	Source
Eligible fares	Domestic	Varies USD	per request	Same-day confirmed change pricing varies by itinerary; starting at $60	Source
Eligible fares	Domestic	0.00 USD	per request	Same-day standby available on select routes; eligibility restrictions apply	Source

Fare-class behavior

Basic Economy

The current published rows in this dataset do not include separate Basic Economy baggage or change rows. Carry-on inclusion is published for all fares, and the transatlantic first-bag row separately notes exceptions for Basic Economy and certain fare products.

Economy (non-Basic)

Published checked-bag rows show the domestic first bag at USD 45 prepaid or USD 50 at the airport and the second bag at USD 55 prepaid or USD 60 at the airport on tickets booked on or after April 9, 2026. Earlier published rows for pre-April 9, 2026 tickets remain at USD 35 prepaid or USD 40 at the airport for the first bag, and USD 45 prepaid or USD 50 at the airport for the second bag, with route-specific international pricing also listed.

Main Cabin seat products

Preferred seats and Main Cabin Extra are listed separately with variable per-segment pricing on top of the base fare.

Premium cabins

No separate premium-cabin baggage or cancellation row is published in this dataset.

Real-world scenarios

For international delay and cancellation coverage on itineraries that fall within EU261 scope, see the EU261 passenger rights reference.

Traveling with only cabin items

Published carry-on rows show one carry-on bag and one personal item included.

Checking one standard bag on a U.S., Canada, or short-haul international trip

The published first-bag baseline is USD 45 prepaid or USD 50 at the airport for Economy (non-Basic) on tickets booked on or after April 9, 2026.

Checking two standard bags on a newer domestic or short-haul ticket

Published pricing is USD 55 prepaid or USD 60 at the airport for the second checked bag on tickets booked on or after April 9, 2026, in the domestic, Canada, and short-haul international group shown in this dataset.

Checking one overweight bag

Published overweight pricing is USD 100 each way for 51-70 lbs and USD 200 each way for 71-100 lbs.

Checking one standard bag on a transatlantic trip

The published first-bag amount is USD 75 each way for Economy (non-Basic) on U.S. to Europe itineraries.

When fees may not apply

Published same-day standby is USD 0 on eligible domestic fares.
Published checked-bag rows are split by booking date: pre-April 9, 2026 domestic, Canada, and short-haul international rows remain at USD 35 prepaid or USD 40 at the airport for the first bag and USD 45 prepaid or USD 50 at the airport for the second bag, while later-ticket rows move to USD 45, USD 50, USD 55, and USD 60.
No explicit elite-status or co-branded card bag waiver is included in the published fee rows shown on this page, even though the separate card-benefit reference tracks verified American card baggage benefits.

Compare with other airlines

Comparison links below are limited to airlines with closely related fee structures or booking models.

United Airlines Delta Air Lines Alaska Airlines

Legal Disclaimer

• Information subject to change without notice.

• This site is an independent reference and is not affiliated with any airline.

• Fees are documented only from verifiable, airline-published sources.

This reference page reflects only the published rows included in the current dataset and their linked source documents.