Contour Airlines is not a scheduled airline in the legal sense. It is registered as a public charter operator. Every seat you buy is technically a spot on a chartered flight, not a normal fare, and that distinction sits underneath the whole Contour Airlines baggage policy.
Why the ticket you buy is a charter, not a fare
Contour flies 30 seat regional jets. Most are Embraer ERJ or Bombardier CRJ200 aircraft. Routes connect small cities to hubs run by American, United, Alaska, and JetBlue.
Because Contour operates under public charter rules, it can staff flights with pilots who do not meet every qualification a normal scheduled carrier requires. That is the tradeoff behind the model, and it is disclosed in the airline’s own history, not hidden.
For the passenger, the practical effect is a signed charter agreement attached to your reservation. Refund language is stricter than on a normal airline. Book by phone instead of online and Contour adds a nonrefundable 25 dollar fee.
Carry-on allowance
The Contour Airlines baggage policy allows one carry-on bag up to 22 by 14 by 9 inches, or 56 by 36 by 23 centimeters. That is according to the carrier’s own baggage page. You also get one personal item, such as a purse, laptop bag, or small backpack, that fits under the seat.
Diaper bags, child safety seats, strollers, and medical devices do not count against either allowance. That matters more here than on a mainline jet. Overhead bins on a 30 seat regional aircraft run noticeably smaller than on a standard narrow body.
Checked baggage size, weight, and fees
Under the current Contour Airlines baggage policy, a checked bag cannot exceed 90 total inches. That figure adds length, width, and height together. Weight tops out at 99 pounds.
On Super Saver and Standard fares, the first checked bag costs 45 dollars. The second costs 55 dollars. Flexible fares include the first bag free, with the second still priced at 55 dollars.
A third or fourth bag runs 200 dollars each, on any fare type. Packing light genuinely pays off on this carrier.
Overweight and oversize charges
Contour charges 100 dollars for a checked bag between 51 and 70 pounds. Push past 70 pounds and the fee jumps to 200 dollars, up to the 99 pound cap. Sporting equipment between 63 and 80 linear inches carries a flat 200 dollar fee too.
Nothing over 99 pounds gets accepted at all. Weigh your bag at home before flying an EAS route on Contour. The gate is not the place to find out you are ten pounds over.
What the small aircraft actually mean at the gate
Traveler reports describe Contour gate checking carry-on bags as routine on some routes. Overhead bins fill fast on a 30 seat jet, so it is not treated as an exception. Passengers get the bag back planeside on arrival.
That works fine until the connection is tight, or the item is fragile. Riders also report confusion at shared baggage carousels. Contour sometimes shares a claim belt with a partner airline like American, without its own flight number posted on the sign.
Watch the flight number on the monitor above the belt. Do not rely on the airline name alone if your bag does not show up right away.
The bottom line
The Contour Airlines baggage policy itself lands close to what other regional carriers charge. A modest carry-on, a 90 inch checked limit, and fees that climb fast past 50 pounds are not unusual.
The part worth remembering is the public charter structure underneath it. That structure shapes refunds, booking fees, and the small jet realities of gate checking and shared carousels more than the stated baggage numbers ever will.
If you are connecting to or from a bigger airline, confirm your Contour segment’s allowance separately. Do not assume it matches the partner carrier’s rules. Check current baggage fees before you fly.
Compare Contour against other small US carriers too. Cape Air and Silver Airways both fly similar Essential Air Service routes, each with its own quirks.
Run your bag through the carry-on size checker before you pack. That beats being the one gate checking a bag you thought would fit.
The baggage cost calculator is worth a look too. Use it to see whether a Flexible fare’s free first bag beats paying Standard fare plus a checked bag fee.
Security rules at the smaller regional airports Contour serves still follow the standard airport security process. If a bag goes missing on an interline connection, our guide to lost, delayed, and damaged bags covers who to file the claim with first.
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