Alaska Airlines Baggage Fees: Checked Bag Costs

For flights ticketed on or after April 10, 2026, Alaska charges $45 for a first checked bag and $55 for a second, each way, on standard fares within North America (the contiguous US, Canada, and Mexico). That's up from $40 and $45 before that date.

Intra-Hawaii flights get a lower rate: $30 for the first bag and $40 for the second. First Class passengers check bags free up to 70 pounds, a heavier allowance than the standard 50 pound limit. The Hawaii discount applies only to flights that both start and end within the Hawaiian islands, not to flights connecting Hawaii with the mainland, which price under the standard North America table instead. Double-check which table your specific route falls under before you assume the cheaper Hawaii rate applies.

The standard checked bag allowance is 50 pounds and 62 linear inches, length plus width plus height combined. Go over either number and Alaska adds a separate fee on top of your base checked bag charge.

Overweight bags between 51 and 70 pounds add $100. Bags between 71 and 100 pounds add $200. Oversize bags between 63 and 115 linear inches also add $200. Alaska's absolute ceiling is 100 pounds and 115 linear inches; past that, the bag isn't accepted as standard checked luggage.

Checking more than two bags costs more too: a third checked bag runs $200, and every bag after that is priced the same flat $200 each, regardless of weight or size as long as it doesn't also trigger a separate overweight or oversize charge. That flat $200 third-bag rate matches Southwest's own third-bag pricing almost exactly, even though the two airlines' first and second bag fees only converged recently.

Alaska's free carry-on allowance covers one bag up to 22 by 14 by 9 inches, or 45 linear inches including wheels and handle, with no published weight limit. You also get one free personal item, like a purse, briefcase, or laptop bag.

The detail worth knowing: Alaska's Saver fare, its cheapest ticket type, still includes the full carry-on plus personal item, unlike some competitors that shrink their lowest fare down to a personal-item-only allowance. Saver's real restrictions are about seat selection and change fees, not carry-on baggage. Our free carry-on fit checker will confirm in seconds whether your specific bag fits Alaska's 45-inch limit.

Alaska's own announcement of the change confirmed the first checked bag moved from $40 to $45, and the second moved from $45 to $55, for flights ticketed on or after April 10, 2026. If you're comparing Alaska's price to a quote you got from a travel site or an old itinerary, double-check the ticketing date before assuming the fee still applies, since Alaska ties the fee to when the ticket was issued, not when you actually fly.

The overweight and oversize fee structure didn't change alongside the base fee increase, so the $100 and $200 add-on tiers described above still apply the same way they did before April 2026.

Alaska's First Class cabin gets a meaningfully better checked bag deal than the standard fares described above: checked bags fly free in First Class, up to 70 pounds per bag instead of the 50 pound standard limit, with no per-bag fee to worry about.

That 20 pound gap matters most for travelers who pack heavier gear, like ski equipment or camera bags close to the 50 pound line. If your bag consistently runs 55 to 65 pounds, the First Class fare's free 70 pound allowance can offset a meaningful chunk of the fare difference versus paying a Main Cabin overweight fee every direction. Run the math both ways before you book: a $100 overweight fee on a Main Cabin ticket, paid each way on a round trip, adds up to $200 round trip, which sometimes closes most of the gap to a First Class fare on shorter routes.

Alaska's $45 first bag and $55 second bag fee for North America routes matches Delta's domestic fee exactly, and also matches Southwest's fee under its post-2025 structure. All three of the largest US carriers now converge on the same $45/$55 checked bag pricing, a change from a few years ago when Southwest still marketed free checked bags as a core selling point.

On the carry-on side, Alaska's 45 linear inch limit (22 by 14 by 9 inches) matches American Airlines and Delta's carry-on standard almost exactly, while Southwest allows a noticeably bigger 50 linear inch carry-on. If you fly a mix of these airlines, pack to the tighter 45 inch standard so the same bag clears every sizer.

If you fly more than just Alaska, it helps to browse every airline's carry-on rules in one place, since a bag that clears Alaska's 45 inch limit won't automatically clear every international carrier's stricter rules.

Our luggage size directory breaks down real bag dimensions pulled from actual product listings, which makes it easier to shop for one suitcase that works across every airline you actually fly.