Domestic Airlines Baggage Fees Chart for Canada

Gone are the days of all-in pricing. Now travelers need to be aware of all the additional fees that can run up the bill on their next vacation. As a a follow up to our popular US domestic baggage fees chart, we created a similar one for our Canadian users.

Domestic Airlines Baggage Fees

The below chart includes most major and budget carriers. All fees are for Canada domestic flights and travel to/from the United States. Fees for international flights will vary, though most carriers offer the first checked bag for free (as it’s pretty difficult to travel without clothing and personal belongings on longer trips).

Updated: October 17, 2014

Airline 1st Checked Bag 2nd Checked Bag Carry-On
Air Canada
  • $25 when traveling within Canada
  • $25 when traveling to/from USA
  • $25 when traveling within Canada
  • $35 when traveling to/from USA
FREE
Air North FREE FREE FREE
Air Transat FREE FREE FREE
Alaska Airlines
  • $20 (tickets purchased on or before Oct. 29, 2013)
  • $25 (tickets purchased on or after Oct. 30, 2013)
  • $20 (tickets purchased on or before Oct. 29, 2013)
  • $25 (tickets purchased on or after Oct. 30, 2013)
FREE
American Airlines $25 $35 FREE
Delta Air Lines $25 $35 FREE
Kenmore Air FREE FREE FREE
Porter Airlines
  • FREE when traveling within Canada
  • $25-$28.25 when traveling to/from USA
  • $20-$23 when traveling within Canada
  • $35-$40.25 when traveling to/from USA
FREE
Sunwing Airlines FREE FREE FREE
United Airlines $25 $35 FREE
US Airways $25 $35 FREE
WestJet 1st bag: $25-$29.50*
  • 2nd bag: $25-$29.50*
  • *Certain fare classes receive free checked bags (more info)
FREE

Keep in mind, the fees change pretty often, so we will update this as best we can.

The above chart does not take oversize or overweight bags into consideration. Just about every airline charges for bags that exceed weight (usually 50 lbs) and size limits (varies by carrier). More information is available by clicking on any of the airline links above, which will take you directly into the baggage policy section of their respective websites. For more than two bags consult the airline, but prices usually skyrocket, so avoid it if possible.

Also, larger items like strollers, skis or golf clubs may also face an additional fee, so again check with the airline directly. Delta and United accept golf clubs and skis as regular checked baggage as long as its in a suitable case (this means no oversize baggage fees will be assessed, though overweight charges may still apply).

Other Airlines

For information on other carriers and international flights, consult the links below.

Adria Airways
Aegean Airlines
Aer Arann
Aer Lingus
Aero Galapagos
Aeroflot
Aerolineas Argentinas
Aeromar
Aeromexico
Aeropelican Pty
AeroSur
Aerosvit Airlines
Afriqiyah Airways
Air Algerie
Air Alps
Air Astana
Air Austral
Air Baltic
Air Berlin
Air Botswana Corp
Air Burkina
Air Canada
Air Caraibes
Air China
Air Choice One
Air Dolomiti
Air Europa
Air France
Air Greenland
Air India
Air Italy
Air Jamaica
Air Malta
Air Mauritius
Air Moldova
Air Namibia
Air New Zealand
Air Nigeria
Air Niugini Pty
Air One
Air Pacific Ltd.
Air Seychelles
Air Tahiti
Air Tahiti Nui
Air Transat
Air Uganda
AirAsia
Albanian Airlines
Alitalia
All Nippon
Arik Air
Arkefly
Arkia Israel
Armavia
Aserca Airlines
Asiana Airlines
Athens Airways
Atlantic Airways
Atlasjet
Aurigny Air
Austrian Airlines
Avianca Aerovias
Azerbaijan Airlines
B&H Airlines
Bahamasair
Bangkok Airways
Bearskin Airlines
Blue1
bmi
British Airways
Brussels Airlines
Bulgaria Air
Calm Air Intl
Canadian North
Cape Air
Caribbean Airlines
Carpatair
Cathay Pacific
Cayman Airways
CCM Airlines
Central Mountain
China Airlines
China Eastern Air
China Southern
Cimber Sterling
Cirrus Airlines
City Airline
CityJet (VLM)
Condor
Copa Airlines
Corsairfly
Croatia Airlines
Cyprus Airways
Czech Airlines
Danish Air
Dragonair
Dutch Antilles
Eastern Airways
easyJet
Egypt Air
El Al Israel Air
Emirates
Era Aviation
Estonian Air
Ethiopian Air
Etihad Airways
Eurostar
EVA Air
Finnair
First Air
Fly Thomas Cook
Flybaboo
Flybe
Gabon Airlines
Germanwings
go! Mokulele
Golden Air
Great Lakes Airlines
Gulf Air
Hainan Airlines
Hong Kong Airlines
HongKong Express
Iberia
Iceland Express
Icelandair
Indigo
Insel Air
Iran Air
Island Air
Islas Airways
JAL Express
JALways
Japan Airlines
Japan Transocean
Jet Air
Jet Airways
Jet2
JetLite
Jetstar
Jetstar Asia
Kenmore Air
Kenya Airways
Kingfisher Air
KLM Royal Dutch
Korean Air
Kuwait Airways
LACSA
LAN Airlines
LOT Polish Air
Lufthansa
Luxair
Malaysia Airlines
Mandarin Airlines
Manx2
Meridiana
MIAT Mongolian
Moldavian Airlines
Monarch Airlines
Montenegro Air
Myanmar Intl
Nas Air
NextJet
Nordavia
Norwegian
Olympic Air
Oman Air
OpenSkies
Orenair
Pacific Coastal
Pacific Wings
Pakistan Intl Air
Penair
Philippine Air
Pluna
Porter Airlines
PrecisionAir
Provincial Air
Public Charters
Qantas Airways
Qatar Airways
Rex
Rossiya
Royal Air Maroc
Royal Brunei Air
Royal Jordanian
Ryanair
S7 Airlines
SAS
SAT Airlines
SATA International
Saudi Arabian Air
SeaPort Airlines
Shenzhen Airlines
SilkAir
Singapore Air
Skyways Express
SmartWings
Solomon Airlines
South African
SriLankan Airlines
Sun d’Or
SunExpress
Surinam Airways
SWISS
Taca Intl Air
TAM Airlines Paraguay
TAM Linhas Aereas
TAP Portugal
Tarom
Thai Airways
Thomson Airways
Transaero Airlines
Tunisair
Turkish Airlines
Ukraine Intl Air
Ural Airlines
Valuair Ltd.
Vanuatu
Vietnam Airlines
Virgin Atlantic
Virgin Australia
Vision Airlines
Volaris
Vueling Airlines
Welcome Air
WestJet
Wideroe
Windward Is Intl
Wizz Air
XL Airways France
Yemenia Yemen

How To Save on Baggage Fees

Fly.com’s search results has a baggage icon (coming soon Fly.com/ca) that tells you exactly how much the airline is charging for checked baggage. To compare baggage fees side-by-side, just conduct a Fly.com flight search as you normally would. In search results, click on the suitcase icon to see airline and route-specific baggage fee information. This information is customized based on your travel search, so you can avoid the confusing airline policy pages.

Fly.com Baggage Fee Icon

Baggage Fee Icon

Alternatively, only bring a carry-on bag and remember to pack light (consult our packing tips for help). Keep in mind, many travelers employ the same strategy as a means to save money, so overhead bin space will likely be extremely limited. Here are a few tips to make the process easier:

  • Consult the airlines’ carry-on size policies before heading to the airport. Make sure you are clearly below the limits. Gate attendants will rarely measure your carry-on luggage, but if it looks too big, you will be forced to check it. This is usually based on their discretion, which can vary quite a bit from airport to airport, airline to airline and even person to person.
  • Make sure you are prepared to board the aircraft as soon as your boarding group or row number is called.
  • If you see that space is already an issue while boarding, place your carry-on in any overhead bin in front of your seat, which makes for an easy grab on the way out. Just try to step back a few rows while tired, grumpy passengers are deplaning! Not going to happen.
  • If all else fails and no space is available, the flight attendant will “gate check” your bag. This simply means it will go with all the other checked luggage, but you will not be charged a checked baggage fee. Pretty nifty trick!

Why Baggage Fees May Not be Such a Bad Thing

All in all, these fees make it appear as though we are paying more for a service that should be included with our ticket. However, as was explained in a previous post called Lost Baggage Stats and Tips, airlines are improving when it comes to the handling of luggage:

“Since the Department of Transportation (D.O.T.) started keeping statistics on mishandled baggage reports, 2011 marked the lowest total at 3.39 reports per 1,000 U.S. domestic passengers. That is nearly 40,000 less mishandled baggage reports filed than in 2010, when the average was 3.51 reports per 1,000 passengers.”

We’d like to think the improvement is partly due to airlines investing some of the revenue generated from baggage fees directly into their luggage handling departments. There are also a few clear examples of this including Delta’s Baggage Track Status website and Alaska Airlines’ program that offers passengers compensation if their bag does not arrive on the carousel within 20 minutes. These programs are just some of what the airlines are doing to improve service and make that $20-$30 fee worth something. Although, the former TSA administrator suggests that eliminating baggage fees can improve airport security, by doing away with the “checkpoint nightmare.”

Featured Image: Baggage Carousel (Shutterstock.com)

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