Checked bag size

The 62-inch rule refers to a checked bag's linear dimensions, meaning you add its length, width, and height together (including the wheels and handles) rather than checking each dimension separately the way carry-on rules work. Air Canada, Air France, Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Avelo Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Frontier Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Lufthansa, Qatar Airways, Southwest Airlines, Sun Country Airlines, Turkish Airlines, United Airlines all use 62 total inches (about 158 cm) as the standard checked bag size.

That overlap across 15 carriers is exactly why 62 inches functions as an informal industry standard, even though no regulator requires it. It's simply the number enough airlines converged on that a suitcase built to 62 linear inches will clear the large majority of domestic and international full-service carriers without a second look.

Ryanair allows up to 125.98 linear inches, and British Airways allows up to 82 linear inches, and Allegiant Air allows up to 80 linear inches. British Airways publishes its limit as a 90 x 75 x 43 cm box (about 35 x 30 x 17 in) rather than a combined linear figure, which works out to roughly 82 linear inches.

Emirates is the tighter side of the table, capping checked bags at 59 linear inches. Frontier uses the same 62 total inches as the majority, but its base checked bag weight limit is only 40 lb rather than 50, making it an outlier on weight even though its size limit matches the norm.

Size and weight are separate checks, and a bag can clear one while failing the other. 15 of the 19 airlines in the table pair their size rule with a 50 lb standard weight limit. British Airways' standard allowance is 23 kg (about 51 lb). Frontier's is lower, 40 lb, even though its size limit matches the 62-inch majority.

Nearly every airline also publishes an absolute ceiling above which a bag won't be accepted at any price. United, American, Alaska, and Hawaiian all cap out at 100 lb and 115 total inches. Air Canada tops out at 70 lb and 115 inches before requiring cargo shipping instead of standard checked baggage. Turkish Airlines caps a single piece at 32 kg (70 lb) under any circumstance, splitting heavier loads across two bags rather than allowing one oversized piece.

Going over the base size or weight limit doesn't get your bag refused, it gets you a surcharge, and the surcharges are frequently steeper than the base checked bag fee itself. American Airlines charges $30 for a bag 62 to 65 inches, jumping to $200 for anything from 65 up to 115 inches. Delta and Alaska both charge $200 for a bag over 63 inches. On the weight side, American charges $30 for 50 to 53 lb, $100 for 53 to 70 lb, and $200 for 70 to 100 lb, while Delta and Alaska charge $100 for 51 to 70 lb and $200 above that, up to their ceilings.

Note that the size of the oversize band itself varies by carrier too. American's $200 oversize tier applies from 65 up to 115 inches, Delta's $200 tier applies from 63 up to 80 inches (with bags larger than 80 inches refused outright), and Alaska's $200 tier stretches all the way from 63 up to 115 inches. The dollar amount being identical across carriers doesn't mean the rule behind it is identical, so check the specific cutoff for your airline, not just the headline fee.

The pattern across nearly every carrier is the same: a bag that's only slightly over the limit gets charged the same flat fee as one that's dramatically over, so there's no partial credit for being an inch or a pound over the line. If your bag is close to 62 inches or 50 lb, it's worth confirming the exact total before you leave for the airport rather than finding out at the check-in counter.

No. TSA's own guidance states that bag size restrictions "vary by airline," directing travelers to their airline rather than to any TSA rule. TSA screens what's inside a checked bag, including rules around batteries and certain restricted items, but it does not publish a size or weight limit for the bag itself. The 62-inch figure common across so many airlines is an industry convention, not a federal or aviation-safety regulation.

That's worth knowing before you buy luggage marketed as "TSA-approved size" for checked baggage. TSA doesn't approve bag sizes; the airline you're flying does, and that's the number to check against.

Measure length, width, and height with the wheels, side handles, and any external pockets included, since nearly every airline's stated policy counts those parts in the total. A bag whose case body alone measures 60 inches can easily hit 63 or 64 once you add protruding wheels and a handle, which is enough to trigger an oversize fee even though the "suitcase" itself looked compliant on the shelf.

If you're deciding between two similarly sized bags for checked luggage, run the exact measured numbers, not the marketed size, through the fit checker against your specific airline before you buy, especially if your itinerary includes an airline outside the 62-inch majority.