Question 1

How much does a checked bag cost in 2026?

Accepted Answer

The first checked bag on the US majors (Delta, United, American) runs $45-50 each way after the April 2026 hikes — $90-100 round trip per person — with JetBlue dynamic pricing peaking near $59, and second bags cost more. That is exactly what carry-on-only skips: a couple saves about $180 in one trip, and a family of four clears $360 easily.

Question 2

Is a carry-on free on US airlines?

Accepted Answer

Yes on the majors at standard fares: Delta, United, American, Alaska and JetBlue include a free full-size carry-on (22x14x9 in including wheels) plus a personal item under the seat. On basic economy, Delta and American still include it — but United reinstated its domestic basic-economy carry-on ban: personal item only, with a $65 gate-check fee for a full-size roller unless you hold status or a co-brand card. The other real exception: Spirit and Frontier charge for the full-size carry-on itself, while the small personal item stays free.

Question 3

Does Southwest still fly bags free?

Accepted Answer

Not anymore: the Bags Fly Free era ended for bookings from May 28, 2025, and Southwest now charges for checked bags like everyone else — about $45 for the first bag each way under the April 9, 2026 schedule. The carry-on is still free though — which makes the carry-on-only strategy MORE valuable, not less, since the free option left on every airline is the carry-on.

Question 4

What about Spirit and Frontier — does carry-on-only work there?

Accepted Answer

Barely: both ultra-low-cost carriers charge for the full-size carry-on ITSELF — roughly $30-100+ each way depending on when and where you pay (cheapest prepaid online, worst at the gate). The checked-bag saving is mostly cancelled by the carry-on fee, so the net is thin. The real lever on these airlines is personal-item-only packing (a small backpack under the seat) — that is always free.

Question 5

How much do you actually save flying carry-on only?

Accepted Answer

The worked verdict for two travelers on a 7-day trip: $180 in skipped checked-bag fees ($45 × 2 ways × 2 people) minus about $20 of mid-trip laundry (2 loads each × $5) = roughly $160 net. The rule: the longer the trip and the more travelers, the better the math — a solo weekend traveler saves about $90 while a family of four on two weeks nets about $320.

Question 6

What are the carry-on size and liquids rules?

Accepted Answer

The majors’ sizer is 22x14x9 inches (56x36x23 cm) including wheels and handles, and regional jets sometimes gate-check rollers free at the jetway. Liquids follow the 3-1-1 rule: containers up to 3.4 oz (100 ml), all inside one quart-size clear bag — practically meaning full-size toiletries get bought at the destination, and that light shopping run typically costs $20-50 per trip, a real cost worth counting.

Question 7

Is winter realistic for carry-on-only?

Accepted Answer

Doable but honestly harder: a coat, boots and layers can eat a quarter of a 22-inch roller. The fixes: wear the heaviest items on the plane (your coat and boots do not count against the sizer), use compression cubes, and pick layerable fabrics over bulky pieces. Summer is the easy mode carry-on-only was made for — but the season changes the packing difficulty only, never the savings math.

Question 8

Hotel laundry or laundromat — what does re-wearing clothes really cost?

Accepted Answer

One wash+dry load at a US self-service laundromat runs $5-10, while hotel laundry service charges per garment and multiplies fast. Practically: a 4-6 day trip needs one load per traveler, a 7+ day trip needs two — and that is the honest price of re-wearing clothes most savings calculators ignore, which is why this one subtracts it from the net instead of showing an inflated number.

Carry-On Only Calculator — How Much You Save Skipping Checked Bags