Airlines that charge for carry on bags are almost always the ultra low cost carriers. The fee often runs $10 to $75 if you pay in advance. It runs noticeably higher if you show up at the gate without paying first.
On the major US airlines, and on most full service carriers worldwide, a carry-on in the overhead bin is still part of the ticket price. That holds true even on the cheapest fare class. The split is not random, and it tracks a business model rather than a safety rule.
Only the underseat personal item is free everywhere. The moment a bag needs overhead bin space, some airlines start charging for it. That is where travelers get caught off guard at the bag drop.
Which airlines charge for a carry on bag
In the United States, the pattern is the ultra low cost carriers. Allegiant Air and Frontier Airlines both charge for any bag that goes in the overhead bin. Spirit Airlines built its brand on the same model for years.
Spirit ceased operations and wound down its flights in 2026. It is no longer a carrier travelers can book.
Sun Country Airlines, Avelo Airlines, and Breeze Airways also sell basic fares that price the overhead bin bag separately. This page states only the exact figures it could confirm on each carrier’s own site at the time of writing. Where a fee could not be confirmed, it is left out rather than guessed.
Southwest Airlines is the clear exception among US carriers. It skips seat assignments and skips a separate bag business too. A carry-on and a personal item are included on every fare, a policy the airline confirms directly on its own baggage policy page.
Outside the US, the same split shows up on European and Asian low-cost carriers. EasyJet includes only a small underseat bag for free. It charges for anything larger that needs bin space, a policy confirmed on the airline’s own cabin bag page.
Ryanair and Wizz Air run a similar structure: a small free bag, and a paid larger cabin bag. This page does not quote their exact prices, since the fee tables did not load cleanly at the time of writing. Check either airline’s own site before you book if the fee will decide your fare choice.
Airlines with free carry on: who still includes it
Most legacy network carriers still include a carry-on with every fare, basic economy included, on domestic trips within the United States. That was not always true. Basic economy first launched around 2017.
Several airlines restricted it to a personal item only, then reversed course after heavy complaints and competitive pressure. Today the practical rule for most US travelers is simple.
A legacy network carrier usually means a carry-on bag included. A budget carrier built around unbundled fares means checking the fine print. This distinction matters most among the airlines with free carry on, since those are the fares where a roller bag needs no second thought.
Is a carry on bag included, or is it an add-on you have to buy
The honest answer depends on which fare bucket you booked. It does not depend on the airline’s general reputation.
A basic or value fare on a budget carrier usually means the personal item is included and the roller bag is not. A standard or flexible fare on the same airline sometimes bundles the carry-on back in.
Read the fare comparison chart at booking, not the marketing headline. The cheapest fare shown is often cheapest for exactly this reason: it strips out the bag most travelers assume comes with the ticket.
Why airlines that charge for carry on bags do it at the gate
Community reports on forums like FlyerTalk describe the same pattern for years. A carry-on that costs a set amount when paid during booking or online check-in jumps sharply at the airport counter or the gate. Allegiant states this directly on its own baggage information page.
The site confirms a carry-on fee of $10 to $75 when purchased in advance. Airport handling of an unpaid or oversized bag runs $50 to $75.
EasyJet’s own site confirms the same shape on a larger cabin bag. Pay online in advance and the price varies by flight. Wait until the boarding gate and the fee jumps to a flat 60 British pounds.
The logic is deliberate, not an accident of pricing software. Airlines want travelers to declare and pay for a bag before they reach the gate.
An unpaid bag at the gate creates a scramble: it has to be tagged, checked, and loaded under time pressure. The higher fee pushes that decision earlier in the process.
Forum threads about Frontier and the old Spirit carry-on rules also describe gate agents enforcing sizer boxes more strictly on full flights. Overhead bin space runs out fastest on those flights. Travelers who assume they can pay at the counter report the worst surprises, both in price and in how firmly the size limit gets enforced.
Carry on fee comparison
| Airline | Carry-on included? | Typical fee range |
|---|---|---|
| Southwest Airlines | Yes, on every fare | No fee |
| Allegiant Air | No | $10 to $75 in advance; $50 to $75 at the airport |
| Frontier Airlines | No | Priced by route and by how far ahead you book; no fixed figure published |
| EasyJet | Only a small underseat bag | Priced by flight in advance; a flat 60 British pounds at the gate |
| Legacy US carriers (American, Delta, United, JetBlue) | Yes, including basic economy | No fee |
Sun Country, Avelo, and Breeze also sell fares that exclude the overhead bin bag. Ryanair and Wizz Air run the same small bag free, large bag paid model as easyJet.
This page leaves their exact dollar or euro figures out, since they could not be confirmed against the carrier’s own current page at the time of writing. Use the baggage cost calculator to check a specific route before you fly.
How to avoid paying more than you have to
Pay for the carry-on during booking or online check-in, never at the airport. The community reports and the airlines’ own fee pages agree on this point without exception.
Check the fare comparison chart line by line before booking. The headline price on a budget carrier rarely includes the bag you are picturing. If your bag is genuinely small enough to fit under the seat, measure it against the airline’s personal item dimensions rather than assuming, since those limits are usually stricter than they look.
Common questions
Which airlines charge for carry on bags in the US?
The airlines that charge for carry on bags in the US are the ultra low cost carriers: Allegiant Air and Frontier Airlines both charge for a bag placed in the overhead bin. Sun Country, Avelo, and Breeze sell fares that also exclude it. This page could not confirm their exact fee figures at the time of writing.
Do all budget airlines charge for a carry on?
Most ultra low cost carriers do, both in the US and in Europe and Asia. Southwest Airlines is a clear exception and includes a carry-on on every fare with no add-on to buy.
Is a carry on bag included in basic economy on American, Delta, or United?
Yes, on domestic basic economy fares with the major US network carriers, a carry-on in the overhead bin is included. That is a reversal from the stricter version of basic economy those airlines tried around 2017.
Why is the carry on fee higher at the airport than online?
Airlines price it that way on purpose. They want travelers to declare and pay for a bag before reaching the gate, rather than adding to the scramble when a flight is boarding.
What happened to Spirit Airlines’ carry on fees?
Spirit Airlines ceased operations in 2026 during a wind down of the airline. Its carry-on fee structure is no longer something a traveler can book against.
How can I check what my airline charges before I fly?
Read the fare rules on the airline’s own booking page for your exact route. The carry on baggage charge on many budget carriers changes by route and by how far ahead you book. Use a baggage fee tool to estimate the total before you commit to a fare.
The bottom line
Airlines that charge for carry on bags are, with a short list of exceptions, the airlines built around unbundled fares: Allegiant, Frontier, and their counterparts in Europe and Asia. Southwest and the major US legacy carriers still include a carry-on, basic economy included.
When a fee does apply, paying in advance is reliably cheaper than paying at the gate, sometimes by tens of dollars. The fare comparison chart at booking is worth reading in full rather than skimmed.
For the size limits themselves rather than the fees, see the carry-on rules hub and the airline’s own Frontier Airlines record or Allegiant Air record. Those pages lay out what actually fits, separate from what it costs. The broader baggage fees section covers checked bag pricing and excess baggage charges for travelers weighing a checked bag against a paid carry-on instead.