Compare American Airlines and United Airlines for the same passenger, route, ticket date and measured bag. The key policy difference is explained below; either live itinerary quote can still change the result.
What we could confirm
| Field | American Airlines | United Airlines |
|---|---|---|
| What we know | Some rules checked | Price needs your booking |
| Standard weight | 50 lb | Not confirmed |
| Standard outside size | 62 linear in | Not confirmed |
Compare the same purchase conditions
The American Airlines and United Airlines details above may cover different fares or routes. Check who flies each leg and what each ticket includes before you compare a bag charge.
What changes between these airlines
American has dated public fee rows and a conditional online discount. United requires its own flight-specific calculator. Ticket issue date and operating carrier need to match before the two offers can be compared.
| Airline | When it applies | Standard bag limit | Published fee example |
|---|---|---|---|
| American Airlines | U.S. domestic, AA-marketed and AA-operated flights; ticket date, fare and payment channel are mandatory. | 50 lb; 62 linear in | Main Cabin after April 9: first/second bag $45/$55 online or $50/$60 at the airport. |
| United Airlines | Itinerary-specific calculator; no fixed current United rate was extracted. | No directly comparable limit confirmed | Check the airline for a price |
The examples above may use different routes, fares, or dates. Don’t subtract one from the other as if they were quotes for the same flight. Use the interactive comparison for your own bag, then open both airlines’ booking flows for the final charge.
Compare your own trip
- Find the fare on each ticket and the airline flying each leg.
- Compare the same bag number, weight, and outside size for the same traveler and direction.
- Keep taxes, currency, and purchase timing in view. If either airline needs a booking quote, you don’t have a reliable price difference yet.
Check your bag dimensions · Compare fare plus baggage
Official sources and evidence
- American Airlines: Checked bag fees and policies (official search excerpt; checked 2026-10-31)
- American Airlines: Oversize and overweight bags (official page read; checked 2026-10-31)
- United Airlines: Checked bag fee calculator (official search excerpt; checked 2026-10-31)
- United Airlines: Prepay for checked bags (javascript shell; checked 2026-10-31)