Are Checked Bags Free on International Flights? By Airline

Kiwitours EditorialUpdated September 20, 2026 · 13 min read

Passengers walk through Istanbul Airport's international departures area with flight information displays

The short answer

Whether a checked bag is free on international flights depends on the airline and the region, not on the word “international” itself. American, Delta, United, Alaska and JetBlue each waive the first Main Cabin bag on many long-haul routes they would charge for domestically, while Southwest and Frontier make no such exception. Basic Economy narrows or removes the benefit on nearly every airline. Confirm the exact route before you book.

You checked a bag for $45 on a domestic flight last month, so a long-haul international itinerary with the same airline should cost the same or more. Then the fare summary shows a free checked bag included. It is not obvious whether that is a mistake, a promotion, or just how the route is priced.

It is usually the third one. This post goes through American, Delta, United, Alaska, JetBlue, Southwest and Frontier region by region. It also covers what happens on a connecting itinerary that crosses onto a different carrier, and what an overweight or Basic Economy bag costs when the free allowance does not apply.

What to check before you compare bag fees

Fare class, not just “economy.” Basic Economy narrows or removes the international free-bag benefit on most of these airlines.
The region, not just “international.” Europe and Asia are often treated differently than Mexico, Canada or the Caribbean on the same airline.
Whether it is one marketing carrier or a connecting itinerary onto a partner airline, since federal rules can make the first carrier’s baggage policy apply for the whole trip.
Elite status or a co-branded credit card, since either can add a free bag that the fare alone does not include.
The date you are flying. Several of these policies changed at least once in 2026, so a route that was free a year ago may not be now.

Why international flights often include a bag that domestic ones don’t

US airlines started charging for domestic checked bags in the 2008 fuel-price spike and never fully walked it back. Most long-haul international fares kept a free bag instead. The foreign carriers competing on those same routes usually still include one, and an airline that dropped it would look worse on the same itinerary search.

Federal rules add a second reason every airline publishes this clearly. US Department of Transportation disclosure rules require carriers to show checked-bag fees at the point a passenger is comparing fares, not only at checkout. That is why a dedicated baggage page exists for every route type rather than one buried policy document.

Which international routes get American Airlines’ free checked bag?

American includes one free checked bag on Main Cabin tickets to most of the world beyond Mexico, Canada and the Caribbean. That covers transatlantic routes and transpacific routes to China, Hong Kong, India and South Korea.

It also covers several Latin American countries, including Cuba, Haiti, El Salvador and Panama, several South American countries including Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Uruguay, and the Middle East routes to Israel and Qatar.

Note: Australia and New Zealand are the one exception where even Basic Economy keeps the free bag. Everywhere else on this list, Basic Economy loses it and pays the standard fee instead.

Weight and size follow the same figures American uses domestically: 50 pounds (23 kg) per bag, except 70 pounds (32 kg) on the Australia and New Zealand routes. See carry-on and checked bag fees on American Airlines for the domestic fee schedule and the overweight brackets.

American, Delta and United each waive the first Main Cabin checked bag on most long-haul routes, but the regions and Basic Economy exceptions differ by airline.

Does Delta include a free checked bag on international flights?

Yes, on most long-haul Main Cabin fares. Delta’s first checked bag is free between the US and Europe, most of Asia Pacific, the Middle East excluding Israel, and much of Africa and South America, subject to a handful of country exceptions.

Delta treats Canada, the Caribbean and Mexico differently, closer to its domestic pricing than its long-haul international pricing, at $45 for a first bag.

Basic Economy pays extra on the routes that would otherwise be free, commonly in the $60 to $75 range for a first bag to Europe. The exact figure depends on the route and booking date, so confirm it at checkout rather than assuming either number.

Size and weight match Delta’s other routes: 50 pounds (23 kg) in Main Cabin, 70 pounds (32 kg) in Delta One, First or Business. Is a checked bag free on Delta? covers the domestic side of the same fee schedule.

United: free in Economy, not in Basic Economy, except across the Pacific

United’s standard Economy fare includes one free checked bag on most transatlantic, transpacific and South America routes. Basic Economy is where it gets specific: on transatlantic and South America routes, Basic Economy never includes a checked bag, full stop.

Transpacific Basic Economy breaks that pattern. Flying the Pacific to most of Asia or Australia in Basic Economy still includes one free checked bag. Routes to mainland China and Tahiti are the exception, where Basic Economy pays like it does on the Atlantic.

United's Basic Economy drops the checked bag on transatlantic and South America routes, but keeps it on most transpacific routes.

Weight and size limits stay at the standard 50 pounds (23 kg) across every route in this section. Are carry-on bags free on United? has the domestic figures and the Basic Economy carry-on rules that go with them.

Alaska and JetBlue: free abroad, priced like home nearby

Alaska includes a free first checked bag on Main Cabin fares to Europe, Asia, Oceania, Africa, the Middle East and South America. Mexico and Central America are the exception: Alaska prices those routes the same way it prices domestic flights, $45 for a first bag and $55 for a second.

JetBlue splits the benefit by fare rather than by region on its transatlantic routes. Blue Plus and Mint both include a first checked bag. Blue and Blue Extra include a first bag but charge for a second, and Blue Basic includes no free checked bag at all, on any route.

Airline	Free 1st bag included	Fare needed	Standard weight limit
Alaska	Europe, Asia, Oceania, Africa, Middle East, South America	Main Cabin and above	50 lb (23 kg)
Alaska, Mexico/Central America	No, priced like domestic	Any	50 lb (23 kg)
JetBlue, transatlantic	Yes	Blue, Blue Extra, Blue Plus, Mint	50 lb (23 kg), 70 lb (32 kg) on Mint
JetBlue Blue Basic	No	N/A	50 lb (23 kg)

Alaska's free international bag depends on the region flown, while JetBlue's depends on the fare booked.

Southwest and Frontier: no international exception

Southwest ended its decades-old “bags fly free” policy in May 2025, and what replaced it applies the same way on international and domestic routes alike. As of the April 2026 fee update, a first checked bag costs $45 and a second $55.

That fee is waived only for Rapid Rewards A-List Preferred members, Choice Extra fares, co-branded cardholders and active-duty military, not by flying internationally.

Frontier never included a free checked bag on any fare, domestic or international, and its pricing runs through the airline’s own Bag Price Checker rather than one fixed figure. Spirit Airlines, which followed the same no-free-bag model, ceased all flight operations on May 2, 2026, so it no longer applies to any route.

Are carry-on bags free on Southwest? and Is carry-on free on Frontier? cover both airlines’ full fee schedules.

International checked bag policy, compared

The pattern across the seven airlines above is consistent. Legacy carriers waive the first Main Cabin bag on genuinely long-haul routes and price nearby countries like domestic flights, while the two carriers built around unbundled fares never waive it at all.

Airline	Free on long-haul international	Free on Mexico/Canada/Caribbean	Basic Economy exception
American	Yes, Main Cabin	No	Australia/NZ only
Delta	Yes, Main Cabin	No	None
United	Yes, Economy	No	Most transpacific routes
Alaska	Yes, Main Cabin	No	None
JetBlue	Yes, most fares	N/A	None (Blue Basic never included)
Southwest	No, same as domestic	Same as domestic	N/A, elite/fare-based only
Frontier	No, no free bag anywhere	No	N/A

Five of the seven airlines compared waive the first Main Cabin or Economy checked bag on genuine long-haul international routes.

What happens if your itinerary connects onto a different airline?

Federal rule 14 CFR 399.87 answers this. The baggage allowance and fees of the airline whose code is on the first leg of your ticket apply for the entire itinerary, including any codeshare segments operated by a different carrier.

The airline you paid, not the one that operates a later leg, is generally the one whose bag rules follow you to your destination.

That matters most when a low-cost domestic leg connects onto a long-haul international one, or the other way round. Look up the baggage allowance under the confirmation number you actually booked, not the operating carrier printed on the boarding pass for a later segment.

Federal rule 14 CFR 399.87 keeps the first ticketed carrier's baggage allowance in force across a connecting itinerary, even onto a different operating airline.

What it costs to get this wrong

An overweight or oversized bag is charged on top of whatever the base checked-bag fee already is, on every airline in this comparison, whether or not the first bag itself was free.

Weight or size	Typical extra fee
51 to 70 lb (23 to 32 kg)	Around $100
71 to 100 lb (32 to 45 kg)	Around $200
Oversized, 63 inches and up	$100 to $300, higher on Delta’s Europe and Africa routes
Basic Economy first bag, where not included	$60 to $75 on most long-haul routes

A bag that is both overweight and oversized is charged for each separately on every airline here, not just the higher of the two. If a bag is delayed or damaged rather than merely expensive, American Airlines lost baggage: claims, tracking and payouts covers what happens next and how the claim process works.

Overweight, oversized and Basic Economy surcharges stack on top of the base checked-bag fee across every airline in this comparison.

Your app shows a different bag fee than the airline’s own site

Check the fare class shown, not just “economy.” Basic Economy is priced as its own bucket on every airline in this comparison.
Confirm the exact country pair, not just “international.” Mexico, Canada and the Caribbean are frequently priced like domestic routes even on airlines that waive the fee elsewhere.
Look up the policy under the marketing carrier on your ticket, not a connecting partner’s, if your itinerary crosses airlines.
Recheck the date. Several of these fees changed at least once during 2026, and a third-party app can lag the airline’s own update.
Call the airline directly if the fee still looks wrong once you have a confirmed booking, rather than disputing it again at the airport.

Frequently asked questions

Are checked bags free on international flights?

On many of them, yes. American, Delta, United, Alaska and JetBlue each waive the first Main Cabin or Economy checked bag on long-haul international routes, while Southwest and Frontier charge the same on international and domestic flights alike.

Does Basic Economy ever include a free international checked bag?

Occasionally. American includes it on Basic Economy to Australia and New Zealand, and United includes it on most Basic Economy transpacific routes except to mainland China and Tahiti. Every other Basic Economy fare in this comparison pays for the first bag.

Are checked bags free from the US to Mexico or Canada?

Usually not, even on airlines that waive the fee to Europe or Asia. American, Delta, Alaska and Southwest all price Mexico, Canada and the Caribbean closer to their domestic fee schedule than their long-haul international one.

Does a connecting flight on a different airline change my baggage allowance?

It can, but federal rule 14 CFR 399.87 generally keeps the baggage policy of the airline that issued your first ticketed segment in force for the whole itinerary, including codeshare legs operated by a partner.

Is Southwest still bags-fly-free on international routes?

No. Southwest ended that policy for most passengers in May 2025. The fee that replaced it, $45 for a first bag and $55 for a second as of April 2026, applies the same way on domestic and international flights.

What happened to Spirit Airlines' baggage policy?

There is not one anymore. Spirit ceased all flight operations on May 2, 2026. Passengers who once flew Spirit on international routes are now paying Frontier’s fees instead, which do not include a free checked bag on any fare.

In short

Whether an international checked bag is free comes down to the airline and the specific region, not the word “international.” American, Delta, United, Alaska and JetBlue each waive the first bag on genuine long-haul routes while pricing Mexico, Canada and the Caribbean closer to domestic. Southwest and Frontier make no such exception anywhere.

Basic Economy removes the benefit on most of these routes, with United’s transpacific exception and American’s Australia and New Zealand exception the two notable holdouts. A connecting itinerary onto a different airline usually keeps the first ticketed carrier’s baggage rule in force under federal law.

Rules change without much notice. If something here no longer matches what you were told at check-in, tell us and we will correct it.