How to deal with the new airline baggage regulations

• All six major airlines now charge $25 for checking a second piece of luggage: American, United, U.S. Airways, Delta, Continental and Northwest.

• American, United, and U.S. Airways charge $15 for the first piece of luggage. Elite members of these airlines’ frequent flier programs usually don’t have to pay the fees.

• If you bought your ticket before the baggage fees were announced, then you won’t have to retroactively pay them.

• Each ticketed passenger is restricted to one carry on piece of luggage and one “personal item” like a purse or briefcase. But a small child that doesn’t have a ticket (i.e. sitting on a parent’s lap) can’t bring on any luggage.

• Airlines are cracking down on size and weight restrictions. The general rule is 50 total inches (total circumference of the bag) and 50 pounds. Anything over that can incur extra fees. Items in excess of these luggage restrictions can cost up to $100 per bag.

• International travelers can generally check two bags for free, except in Canada, Mexico, and Latin America. Check your specific airline for their rules.

CYNTHIA: Hi, I’m Cynthia Guaba for howdini.com. Remember when the airlines said ‘there’s no free lunch – or dinner’? That was bad enough. But now they’re actually charging us to check our bags. Genevieve Brown is the senior editor at Travelocity. Welcome Genevieve.

GENEVIEVE: Thank you.

CYNTHIA: How does this work?

GENEVIEVE: So it’s a little bit tricky and hard to keep track of, but here’s the gist of it: all six major airlines, that’s American, United, U.S. Airways, Delta, Continental, and Northwest, charge passengers 25 dollars to check a second piece of luggage. Three of those major airlines, American, United, and U.S. Air, charge passengers fifteen dollars to check the first piece of luggage. So on those airlines, there is no free checked baggage anymore. There are some exceptions. If you are an elite member of their frequent flyer program, you will not have to pay the fee. But generally, leisure travelers traveling on the lowest cost tickets will have to pay to check their luggage.

CYNTHIA: And what is someone has bought a ticket in advance. Do those fees still apply?

GENEVIEVE: It depends on the day they bought the ticket. If they purchased that ticket before the policy of that particular carrier was announced, they do not have to pay the fee. In other words, the fee in not retroactive. However, if you purchased the ticket after the day the carrier announced their new baggage policies, then you’re going to have to pay for checking those bags.

CYNTHIA: What about carry-on bags? How many would a family of four be allowed to bring on board?

GENEVIEVE: Each ticketed passenger can carry on one piece of luggage and one personal item. A personal item would be something like a purse or a briefcase or a diaper bag. The trick is keeping in mind that it’s each ticketed passenger. So if a family is traveling with a very small child who’s traveling on the parent’s lap, that child is not entitled to bring any baggage on the plane. So a family of four, each being a ticketed passenger, can carry on four bags and four personal items.

CYNTHIA: And what are the size and weight restrictions for checked bags?

GENEVIEVE: The airlines are really cracking down on these checked bags size and weight restrictions. But, in general, the rule is fifty inches and fifty pounds. So that’s fifty inches measured across the top, down the side, around the bottom, and up the next side. Fifty total inches, and fifty pounds kept in the bag. Anything over that is going to incur overweight and oversize restrictions and fees that can add up to as much as 100 dollars per bag.

CYNTHIA: And what about for international flights? Do those charges apply for those flights as well?

GENEVIEVE: Generally, when you’re traveling internationally, you will be able to check two bags for free, as was the rule before these new baggage fees came into play. Now, there are some exceptions in Canada, Mexico, and Latin America, and they vary slightly by carrier. So you want to know exactly what your carrier allows. However, across the board, if you’re traveling to Europe or Asia, on all carriers, you can check two bags for free.

CYNTHIA: Genevieve, thank you very much.

GENEVIEVE: Thank you.

CYNTHIA: I’m Cynthia Guaba for howdini.com.