El Al allowance at a glance
| Bag | Maximum size | Maximum weight | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carry-on | 22x10x18 in56x25x45 cm | 17 (economy); 35 (business); 35+17 (first); 26 (elite economy) lb8 (economy); 16 (business); 16+8 (first); 12 (elite economy) kg | Weight-based allowance by cabin class. Length, depth, and width are each capped separately (56x25x45cm / 22x10x18in). No separate free personal item listed for standard economy. |
| Checked bag | 62 in158 linear cm | 50 (economy, 1 bag); 70 each (business, 2 bags); 70 each (first, 3 bags) lb23 (economy, 1 bag); 32 each (business, 2 bags); 32 each (first, 3 bags) kg |
El Al checked bag fees
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Overweight bag | Not published; hard cap of 32kg/70lb per bag regardless of fee |
Economy: 1 cabin bag (8kg/17lb), no stated personal item, 1 checked bag (23kg/50lb). Business: 1 cabin bag (16kg/35lb) plus free laptop, 2 checked bags (32kg/70lb each). First: 2 cabin pieces (16kg+8kg), 3 checked bags (32kg/70lb each). Gold/Platinum economy members get 12kg/26lb cabin allowance.
This page goes deeper on one part of the policy. The full record is at El Al Baggage Rules.
El Al does not publish a fixed price for an extra checked bag. Its own conditions of carriage say only that baggage beyond the free allowance is chargeable. No bag, paid or free, may pass 32kg regardless of what you spend at the counter.
That single line explains most El Al baggage charges questions. Travelers used to airlines like Frontier or Lufthansa expect a posted price list. El Al does not run one.
This page covers what El Al does publish about extra bag pricing. It also covers the hard weight ceiling, and how to avoid the fee zone entirely.
What El Al actually publishes about extra bag pricing
El Al’s own passenger ticket contract says baggage past the free allowance is subject to an extra charge. It stops there.
No flat dollar or shekel figure appears in the document. That covers the first, second or third excess bag alike.
El Al prices most add ons through its booking and check in system. The price depends on route, cabin and how far ahead you buy.
If a number for El Al baggage charges shows up elsewhere online with no date attached, be careful. Treat it as one route on one day, not a fixed price.
The table below is the free allowance El Al does publish, by cabin. Anything past it sits in the unpublished excess baggage charge zone.
| Cabin | Free checked bags | Weight per bag | Excess bag charge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Economy | 1 bag | 23kg / 50lb | Set at booking or check in, not a published flat fee |
| Elite Economy (Gold and Platinum) | 1 bag | 23kg / 50lb, plus extra cabin weight | Set at booking or check in, not a published flat fee |
| Business | 2 bags | 32kg / 70lb each | Set at booking or check in, not a published flat fee |
| First | 3 bags | 32kg / 70lb each | Set at booking or check in, not a published flat fee |
The 32kg ceiling no El Al baggage charge buys you past
Whatever an excess bag costs, El Al caps every bag at 32kg or 70lb. Free or paid, that line does not move.
There is no option to pay more for a heavier piece. A bag over that line gets split in two, or shipped as cargo instead of baggage.
This turns El Al baggage charges from a fee question into a hard stop. Pack with that ceiling in mind, not just the fare rules.
Weigh a heavy bag at home first. A hanging luggage scale like the Etekcity digital luggage scale catches an overweight bag before you ever reach the airport.
Overweight and oversize bags at the counter
El Al does not publish a separate flat overweight fee schedule. The airline’s stated position is the 32kg hard cap above.
Excess weight inside that cap gets billed as part of the same unpublished excess baggage pricing. There is no separate posted oversize fee either.
Here is what is safe to plan around. A bag right at 23kg in economy leaves no room for a last minute souvenir.
Pack with a few kilos of margin. Weigh again before you leave for the airport, since the counter scale is the one that counts.
Frequent flyer status and El Al baggage charges
Matmid Club Gold and Platinum members flying economy get an extra cabin weight allowance. That comes on top of the standard 8kg carry-on limit, per El Al’s own frequent flyer terms.
That is a cabin weight benefit, not a checked bag discount. It does not change the excess baggage picture above.
Business and First already build a second or third free checked bag into the fare. For many travelers, that fare choice is the biggest lever against ever paying an extra bag fee at all.
How El Al compares to other full service carriers
El Al’s approach charges for an excess bag with no posted price. That is closer to how legacy carriers like British Airways and Delta price some routes.
It is not like a budget carrier’s flat public fee table. The practical advice stays the same either way.
Call the airline or check the fee at booking. Do not assume a number you saw for a different route, or a different year, still applies today.
How to avoid an El Al baggage charge
Book the fare and cabin that already includes the bags you need. A second bag added at booking usually costs less than one added at the airport.
El Al’s own full baggage allowance page lists what each cabin includes before you add anything. Check it before you book.
Weigh every bag at home. Keep economy checked bags under 23kg with real margin to spare.
Confirm your carry-on fits the 56x25x45cm box. A bag that fails at the gate becomes a checked bag, and a checked bag can trigger the fee you were trying to avoid.
The site’s own baggage cost tool is a useful check before any carrier that prices bags at booking. It also helps on carriers that post no table at all.
Elite Economy, Business and First status gives a real head start here. Extra weight or extra bags are already folded into the fare, not billed on top.
Domestic legs and codeshare tickets
El Al operates almost entirely as an international long haul carrier out of Tel Aviv. There is no separate domestic fee schedule to compare against the international one.
On a codeshare or interline itinerary with a partner airline, the baggage rules that apply are usually the operating carrier’s on each leg. Check the ticket confirmation for which airline actually operates the flight you are worried about.
If any leg of your trip is on a different carrier, read that airline’s own baggage fee page too. El Al’s published terms only cover the segments El Al operates itself.
The bottom line
El Al baggage charges are real, but they are not a fixed price list. The one number the airline commits to in writing is the 32kg per bag ceiling.
That cap applies no matter what you pay. Book the cabin that already covers your bag count, weigh everything before you leave home, and treat any specific dollar figure you find elsewhere as a guess, not El Al’s actual current price.
Common questions
Does El Al charge for a second checked bag in economy
Yes, an extra bag beyond the free economy allowance is chargeable, but El Al does not publish a flat price for it, so check the fee at booking or check in.
What is the maximum weight for an El Al checked bag
Every bag, paid or free, is capped at 32kg or 70lb under El Al’s conditions of carriage.
Does El Al charge for overweight bags
Yes, but there is no separate published overweight fee schedule, and no bag can exceed the 32kg cap regardless of payment.
How many free checked bags does Business class get on El Al
Business class includes 2 free checked bags at up to 32kg each.
Do Matmid Club Gold and Platinum members get extra baggage
Elite Economy Gold and Platinum members get extra cabin weight allowance, which is a carry-on benefit rather than a checked bag discount.
Where can I find the exact price of an extra bag on El Al
El Al prices extra bags through its own booking and check in system at the time of purchase rather than a fixed public list.
Some links on this page are Amazon affiliate links. If you buy through one, Carry On Sizes may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. It never changes what we recommend. How this works.