Delta baggage allowance and fees
Updated September 2026
Delta's cabin bag policy is simple and consistent. The checked bag is where it gets complicated — the fee depends on your fare class, your route, and how many bags you're checking, and Basic Economy changes the math meaningfully.
Cabin bag: sized, not weighed
Every fare includes one cabin bag (up to 22 x 14 x 9 in / 56 x 35 x 23 cm) plus one personal item, free of charge. Unlike Lufthansa and most non-US carriers, Delta doesn't enforce a weight limit on cabin bags for most routes — size is what gets checked at the gate. Check your specific bag against this and 52 other airlines with our carry-on checker.
Checked bags depend on fare class and route
On US/Canada domestic Main Cabin fares, the first checked bag costs $45 and the second $55 — checked bags are not free by default the way they sometimes are on international full-service carriers. On Basic Economy between the US/Canada and Europe or North Africa, the first bag is $60 and the second $100. Book Standard Economy on that same route instead and the first bag is free, with the second still $100 — a meaningful reason to compare the two fares rather than automatically picking the cheapest headline price.
Checked bag size and weight limits on domestic fares: up to 50 lb (23 kg) and 62 in (158 cm) total dimensions. See our checked luggage guide for what to look for once you know your weight budget.
Extra and overweight fees stack
A third checked bag on domestic flights costs $150, and each additional bag after that is $200. Overweight fees run $100 for 51–70 lb and $200 for 71–100 lb; oversized bags (63–80 in total dimensions) add another $200. These fees are not mutually exclusive — a bag that's both overweight and oversized gets charged for both. Delta allows up to 10 checked bags on mainline flights, but only 4 on Delta Connection regional flights.
Bottom line
Don't assume a checked bag is free on Delta just because you're flying a full-service airline — on Basic Economy and most domestic Main Cabin fares, it isn't. Compare the fare difference against the bag fee before booking Basic Economy if you know you'll check a bag.
Sources
LuggageSearch is reader-supported. This page may contain affiliate links — see our disclosure. Airline policies change: always confirm on the airline's own site before flying.
