Airlines with the Best (and Worst) Fees in 2023

Air travel costs come in two parts: the face value of the ticket, and the many fees that airlines attach after the fact. Sometimes, these airline fees can cost more than the fare itself.

This isn’t a mistake. Airlines are vying for the lowest price in travel searches, hoping to make up the cost in hidden fees.

When searching for airfare, it helps to know which airlines tack on more fees. For example, a $100 fare on a budget airline like Frontier Airlines isn’t necessarily cheaper than a $159 fare from Delta Air Lines? Add-on fees for seat assignments and carry-on bags can shrink the difference.

Determining which airlines have the best and worst fees can get complex in a hurry. To help minimize the complexity and make sense of these unexpected costs, we performed an analysis of nine major U.S. airlines across two fee categories: baggage fees and seat assignment fees.

We aimed to answer this question: What are the average additional fees on each airline? That is, how much extra will it cost to select a seat, bring one overhead carry-on and check one bag?

Lowest fees

Southwest has made low fees a cornerstone of its business, so its winning average result is no surprise. The gap would be even greater had other airlines not followed Southwest’s lead in eliminating change fees.

Southwest is a bit of an odd duck in this analysis. Technically, it doesn’t charge for seat selection fees, but it also doesn’t let passengers select their seats. So it’s not necessarily an apples-to-apples comparison with other airlines.

It’s important to keep in mind that these numbers are averages based on a hypothetical customer who selects a seat, carries on one bag and checks one bag. It includes fees for both main cabin and basic economy fares. The fees for any given ticket and situation will vary significantly from this average. If you don’t check a bag or choose a seat, your average fees will be lower.

Lowest baggage fees

For this part of the analysis, we asked a simple question: How much does it cost to check one bag, bring one full-size carry-on and select a seat on a main-cabin, domestic flight?

Southwest wins easily because it doesn’t charge any of these fees. However, it’s worth noting that Southwest doesn’t offer seat selection (yet), so it’s not exactly providing the same service as the other airlines. Still, Southwest’s fee-free approach sets it apart from the crowd.

Many airlines offer branded credit cards that offset these fees, quickly making up for their annual fee for travelers who fly with bags. So these fees are less of a concern for those with such a credit card, those who have elite status or those who pack light.

Note: We did not include international baggage fees in this analysis. These fees vary by destination, airline and whether partner airlines are involved.

If you want to avoid airline fees

Airline fees are a complicated headache, and it can be easy to give up on trying to understand them. Yet we found that airlines differ significantly in the frequency and cost of baggage and seat selection fees. Choosing to fly with Southwest and avoiding Frontier and Spirit is a good 80/20 solution for avoiding these pesky fees.

If you don’t have much choice in which airline to fly, consider other strategies for avoiding fees: Get a branded airline credit card that covers baggage fees, and opt out of seat selection altogether whenever possible. You might get stuck in a middle seat near the bathroom, but you might also score a seat near the front of the plane without paying a dime.

Note that we did not cover every airline fee in this analysis. Wi-Fi, food and even a bottle of water on some airlines can tack on even more to the base price of your airfare. This “a la carte” approach to pricing means lower costs in travel search engine results but higher overall costs. Savvy customers can take advantage of this system by both understanding it and opting out of the more ludicrous add-ons.