Southwest Held Out Until 2025. Now a First Checked Bag Starts at $45 on Six Big US Airlines, and Three of Them Charge More If You Pay Late

Six airlines raised their checked bag fees within 12 days this spring and all six now start at the same price, so the fees worth ranking are the ones you pay for being late.

Delta, Southwest, Alaska, United, American and JetBlue all list $45 as their lowest price for a first checked bag on a mainland US flight, one way, as of Nov. 1, 2026. Delta, Southwest and Alaska stop there.

United and American charge $50 if you wait, and JetBlue can reach $59. American also adds $5 on Basic Economy tickets, which The Points Guy called a first among US carriers.

How a $15 Fee From 2008 Became $45

The first-bag fee is a fuel story, and it has been from the start. American announced a $15 charge on May 21, 2008, with its chairman citing “high oil prices,” and the fee began that June 15.

Southwest went the other way for another 17 years, selling “Bags Fly Free” as a reason to book. That ended for tickets booked or changed on or after May 28, 2025, at $35 for a first bag and $45 for a second.

The money explains why. By July 2025, Sherwood News reported that Southwest expected more than $350 million from bag fees that year, tracking at $1 billion annualized. The airline has since dropped most of its old model, from open seating to no lounges.

Then came spring 2026. JetBlue moved first on March 30, followed by United on April 3, Delta on April 8, American and Southwest on April 9, and Alaska on April 10.

Alaska blamed “ongoing volatility in fuel prices and an uncertain global environment.” JetBlue cited “rising operating costs,” and the Alaska Journal of Commerce tied the round of increases to higher fuel costs from the war in Iran. We found no big US airline that has lowered its fee since.

Every First-Bag Fee, Ranked

The measure here is the standard economy fee for one bag, one way, on a domestic mainland flight. The ranking goes by lowest price, then by what you pay if you miss that price.

Rank	Airline and fare	First bag, lowest	First bag, paid late	Second bag, lowest
1 (tie)	Delta	$45	$45	$55
1 (tie)	Southwest	$45	$45	$55
1 (tie)	Alaska and Hawaiian	$45	$45	$55
4	JetBlue, off-peak dates	$45	$49	$59
5 (tie)	United	$45	$50	$55
5 (tie)	American, Main Cabin	$45	$50	$55
7	JetBlue, peak dates	$49	$59	$69
8	American, Basic Economy	$50	$55	$60
Varies	Allegiant	$15 to $70 by route	$75 at the airport	$15 to $70 by route
Varies	Frontier (one sample trip)	$69	$79, or $99 at the gate	$79

“Paid late” means something different at each airline. American gives its lower price online up to two hours before departure, while United and JetBlue want payment at least 24 hours out.

Alaska had a $5 online discount until April, then dropped it. Southwest and Delta each publish one standard price, so there is no early-payment discount to chase on either.

The bottom of the table cannot be ranked honestly, because those prices move. Frontier says its bag prices “vary depending on your travel dates and when you purchase them,” and U.S. PIRG’s numbers come from one Cleveland to Orlando round trip in June 2026.

Allegiant says its fees vary by route and by when you add the bag, so some of its routes can beat $45. Spirit Airlines shut down in May, which takes it off the list. We could not read a verifiable price for Breeze or Sun Country from their own sites, so we left them out rather than guess.

One exception to the $45 floor: short hops within Hawaii. Alaska, Hawaiian and Southwest all charge $30 for a first bag there, and residents get further breaks.

What the Same Bag Costs a Family at Thanksgiving

A $5 gap looks like nothing until it is multiplied. Four people checking one bag each on a round trip pay for eight bags, which comes to $360 at the $45 price, the same figure Delta uses on its own site.

On JetBlue, Nov. 19 to 30 and all of December count as peak dates. The same family paying inside 24 hours would spend $472, or $112 more, for the same eight bags. At American’s late Basic Economy price, it is $440.

Multiply it across the industry and you get a line item big enough to appear in federal data. The Bureau of Transportation Statistics counted $7.4 billion in baggage fees in 2025, or 2.9% of US airlines’ operating revenue, before any of this year’s increases.

The fee also moves bags from the hold into the cabin. Southwest’s fleet was 803 Boeing 737s on Sept. 30, 2026, narrow-bodies like the 737-800 with only so much bin space, and passengers avoiding the fee is part of why its boarding has not sped up.

Who Still Checks a Bag for Free

The simplest way out is still a carry-on. Delta, Southwest, American and Alaska all include one in a standard ticket, but United Basic Economy does not. United’s page puts that bag at $50 or more in the lobby and $75 or more at the gate, and Frontier sells carry-ons as an extra too.

Fare choice is the next route. Southwest’s Choice Extra fare includes two free bags, and JetBlue’s BlueFirst Base includes one. Premium is no longer a guarantee of two, though: United’s Base first class fare drops the second free bag.

Status works too. Delta Medallion members, American and JetBlue elites and Alaska’s elite tiers keep free bags, and co-branded cards at those airlines and Southwest waive a first bag under their own terms. Active-duty military get free bags on Southwest and up to five on Alaska.

You can also pay with something other than cash. Delta and United accept miles for bag fees on most domestic trips, and JetBlue takes TrueBlue points.

For everyone else, the only decision left is timing. The big airlines have converged on the price, so the one number a passenger still controls is the $4 to $10 that goes away by paying before the deadline.