First, Second and Third Bags: Avoid a Misleading Total

Sources checked October 31, 2026. Match the fare, route, and ticket date to your own booking before you pay.

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Count bags by passenger and entitlement

A third-bag price is usually an incremental charge, not the cost of all three bags. Likewise, an airline that includes two pieces starts charging a different ordinal from an airline that includes none.

In the Delta worked example, a third bag weighing 55 lb and measuring 66 linear inches has an incremental charge of $500: the $200 third-piece charge plus the applicable $100 weight and $200 size charges. If the same traveler also pays $45 and $55 for the first two standard bags, the complete three-bag estimate is $600.

For contrast, La Compagnie includes two qualifying pieces under the researched ordinary allowance. A third accepted standard bag from the United States is an extra $200; the Europe-origin column is in euros, not dollars.

Do not multiply one row

The second bag is not automatically twice the first bag’s price. AA’s scoped online example is $45 plus $55 for two standard bags assigned to one passenger, while two qualifying travelers with one first bag each would pay $45 plus $45.

What the result should display

Show a separate row for every bag, its owner, whether it uses an included piece, and its incremental excess. Then show the passenger total and direction total. Keep unresolved pieces as unknown rather than hiding them from the sum. This prevents a traveler from mistaking a single-bag surcharge for the complete airport bill.

Sources and verification

• AA_BASE — American Airlines: Checked bag fees and policies
• DL_BASE — Delta Air Lines: Baggage overview
• DL_EXCESS — Delta Air Lines: Excess, overweight and oversized baggage
• B0_BAGS — La Compagnie: Before your flight

The examples above show how the cited rules work. They aren’t charges from a real booking.

Related answers

• Weight alone is not a baggage quote

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