Excess Baggage / Baggage Allowance — Checked Baggage Allowance

Overview

Baggage allowance defines how much checked luggage a passenger can bring at no extra cost, based on their ticket type, cabin class, route, and frequent-flyer or alliance status. Baggage carried beyond the allowance — in weight, size, or number of pieces — is called excess baggage, and airlines charge a fee (per kilogram, per piece, or a flat overweight/oversize charge) to carry it.

Two Global Concepts

IATA recognizes two baggage allowance systems used industry-wide:

Cabin (carry-on) baggage allowances are separate and generally smaller, governed by size and weight limits that vary by carrier and aircraft type.

Excess Baggage Charges

When a bag exceeds the free allowance, airlines apply one or more of:

Excess baggage fees can typically be pre-paid online at a discount versus paying at the airport counter, and vary widely by route, carrier, and fare bundle (basic economy fares often include no free checked bag at all).

Special Categories

Sporting equipment, musical instruments, and mobility aids are often handled under separate allowance rules rather than as standard excess baggage, and are frequently exempt from normal weight/size limits (particularly wheelchairs and other mobility devices for passengers with reduced mobility).

Why It Matters

Baggage allowance and excess fees are a significant ancillary revenue source for airlines, especially low-cost carriers, and a frequent source of passenger disputes at check-in. Passengers connecting between carriers with different allowance systems (e.g., a piece-concept US carrier to a weight-concept partner) may need to follow the more generous of the two allowances under IATA interline baggage guidance, or whichever the ticketing carrier specifies.