Philippine Airlines Baggage Fees

On US and Canada routes, Philippine Airlines includes two free checked pieces in every economy and business fare. Most travelers pay nothing until a bag goes over the weight or size cap. Philippine Airlines baggage fees only start once a piece crosses 23 kg in economy.

The charge jumps fast after that.

This page covers what those overage charges cost. It also covers when a carry-on itself can trigger a fee. Last, it compares the numbers against nearby carriers, with a link to the site’s wider checked baggage fee guide for context.

The fee table PAL actually publishes

PAL prices checked bags by weight, not by a flat dollar figure per bag. The rule sits on its US and Canada allowance page. Every Economy Supersaver, Saver, Value and Flex fare gets two pieces at 23 kg (50 lb) each.

That allowance is built into the ticket price.

There is no standalone carry-on fee on this route. The carry-on is free as long as it fits the sizer. Philippine Airlines baggage fees on checked bags apply only above the weight line in the table below.

PAL does not publish a prepaid online discount for extra bags on this route. There is nothing to save by adding a bag before departure instead of at the counter.

Overweight and oversize charges

A piece between 23.1 kg and 32 kg costs USD 250 under the Excess Baggage Charge. That band applies on every US or Canada route. PAL will not accept anything heavier than 32 kg (70 lb) as checked baggage at all.

That bag has to be repacked into two pieces before it can travel.

Oversize works the same way, by total linear inches rather than weight. A bag between 63 and 80 total inches costs USD 250. One at 81 inches or more costs USD 750.

A single oversized case can cost more than a whole extra suitcase.

These bands sit in the middle of the pack among full service Asian carriers on the Pacific. A hook scale at home removes the guesswork. The Etekcity digital luggage scale does the job a counter agent would otherwise do for you.

Credit cards and elite tiers

PAL’s own baggage pages make no mention of a co branded credit card that waives a checked bag fee. There is also no Mabuhay Miles elite tier waiver listed for this corridor. Every economy fare already includes two free pieces, more than most US airlines offer without a card, so the missing waiver matters less here.

The carry-on fee that surprises people

The Philippine Airlines baggage fee that catches travelers off guard is not a checked bag charge at all. A carry-on that fails the sizer at Seattle, San Francisco, Vancouver or Toronto triggers a USD 125 fee. That is steeper than a simple gate check.

PAL treats a rejected bag on those four routes as an unpaid extra piece, not a courtesy gate tag.

Elsewhere on the network a failed carry-on is more commonly gate checked at no extra charge. The size limit is worth confirming before departure from one of those four specific airports.

The Philippine Airlines carry-on size page covers the box. It also covers the sizer rules that lead to this charge.

How PAL compares to nearby carriers

Against Cathay Pacific’s baggage fees, PAL’s 23 kg allowance across two pieces matches or beats most full service Asian carriers. PAL’s flat weight band pricing is also easier to plan around than a carrier that prices baggage through a per flight calculator.

The tradeoff is the intercepted carry-on charge. Few competitors bill a separate carry-on fee at specific gateway cities. PAL does, and only at those four airports.

Packing to avoid the charge

PAL prices overage by weight first. The fastest way to dodge Philippine Airlines baggage fees is to keep each checked piece under 23 kg. Splitting heavy items across two bags usually beats stuffing everything into one.

A baggage cost calculator can model the overweight charge against simply buying a second bag outright.

Packing cubes that compress rather than just organize buy back a few pounds of headroom. No third piece needed. The Gonex compression packing cubes use a second zip to squeeze clothing flat, which is exactly the kind of margin that keeps a 23.5 kg bag under the free line.

Packing cardboard boxes and gifts

PAL allows carton, cardboard or styrofoam boxes as checked pieces, common on Philippines to US routes for gifts and food. The box still counts toward the two free pieces and the 23 kg cap per piece. PAL asks that styrofoam boxes sit inside a sturdy outer carton, with extra wrapping around any food or liquid item to stop leaks reaching other bags.

A box that misses that packing standard risks refusal at the counter rather than a fee, since PAL frames the rule as a durability requirement, not a paid add-on. Reading the guide to avoiding baggage fees before packing gifts is worth the ten minutes. The Philippine Airlines record covers the rest of the airline’s allowances in one place.

The bottom line

Philippine Airlines baggage fees stay at zero for two checked pieces up to 23 kg each on every US and Canada economy fare. The real risk is weight, not a per bag charge. Weigh bags before leaving home, keep the carry-on within the sizer especially through Seattle, San Francisco, Vancouver or Toronto, and the USD 250 and USD 750 excess charges never come into play.

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