American Raises Bag Fees On Canada, Mexico Routes

American bag fees Canada flights are going up after American Airlines raised first checked bag charges on key short haul international routes for tickets issued on or after December 1, 2025. The update covers travel to and from Canada, the Caribbean except Cuba and Haiti, Mexico, Central America except Panama, and Guyana, where the first checked bag now costs 40 dollars at the airport or 35 dollars when paid online. The change brings these routes in line with the airline s domestic fees between the United States, Puerto Rico, and the United States Virgin Islands, which moved to the same 40 dollar level earlier. Leisure travelers and families who rely on checked luggage will see the biggest impact on holiday, winter sun, and summer trips across North America and nearby international destinations, and many will need to either budget more or shift to carry on only.

In plain terms, American has aligned its first checked bag fees on Canada and short haul international flights with the higher domestic rate that already applies within and between the United States, Puerto Rico, and the United States Virgin Islands, so anyone buying tickets from December 1, 2025 onward on these routes should expect to pay the same 40 dollars at the airport or 35 dollars online for a first checked bag as they would on a domestic itinerary.

What Exactly Changed On December 1

American updated its official bag fee charts to show new prices for tickets issued on or after December 1, 2025. On the affected routes, the first checked bag now costs 40 dollars per person each way, or 35 dollars if the traveler prepays online through aa.com or the mobile app. That is a five dollar increase from the previous 35 dollar first bag fee that applied on these short haul international markets, which had been slightly cheaper than domestic routes.

The higher rate applies in these cases:

• Travel to and from Canada, including cross border trips such as Dallas to Toronto or Miami to Montreal
• Travel to and from the Caribbean except Cuba and Haiti
• Travel to and from Mexico
• Travel to and from Central America except Panama
• Travel to and from Guyana

Second checked bag fees on these routes remain 45 dollars, matching the domestic structure, so the change is currently limited to the first bag price rather than a complete rewrite of the fee ladder.

Crucially, tickets issued on or before November 30, 2025 keep the older pricing, which means travelers who bought early for winter 2025 and early 2026 trips should still see a 35 dollar first bag fee on the affected routes, whether they pay online or at the airport. Only new tickets, reissues, or significant changes that trigger a reissuance from December 1 onward are subject to the higher 40 dollar airport rate.

How Online Prepayment Changes The Math

American continues to offer a five dollar discount on the first checked bag when travelers pay online rather than at the airport. That discount now applies uniformly across domestic itineraries and the short haul international routes in question, so a traveler who prepays a first bag on a round trip between New York and Mexico City will pay 70 dollars in total, rather than 80 dollars at the airport or 70 dollars under the old pricing that did not reward online prepayment in the same way.

For a family of four checking one bag each on a return itinerary, the difference is noticeable. Under the new structure, paying at the airport on each direction would cost 320 dollars in first bag fees, while prepaying online would knock that down to 280 dollars. Under the previous 35 dollar flat rate on many of these routes, the same family would have paid 280 dollars regardless of how they paid, which means the real pain point is now at the airport counter rather than on the website.

Travelers paying in Canadian dollars see a similar pattern. American s Canada facing fee table now shows first bag prices typically ranging from 40 to 48 Canadian dollars at the airport and 35 to 42 Canadian dollars when paid online, again with the higher rate applying to tickets issued on or after December 1, 2025.

Who Still Gets A Free Checked Bag

The new fees do not override American s existing free baggage allowances for certain customers and itineraries. Several groups still benefit from included checked bags even on routes where most passengers now pay 40 dollars for the first bag.

According to the airline s checked baggage policy, free bags may still apply for:

• AAdvantage elite members, where Gold status includes one free checked bag, Platinum two bags, and Platinum Pro and Executive Platinum three bags on most American operated flights
• oneworld alliance elites with Ruby, Sapphire, or Emerald status on eligible itineraries
• Premium cabins such as domestic First, Business, and Premium Economy on routes where those cabins are sold
• Long haul international markets where at least one checked bag is still included in the fare, such as many flights to South America, transatlantic destinations, and parts of Asia Pacific

However, a key nuance is that co branded American Airlines credit cards, such as the Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select and Executive cards, generally grant a free first checked bag only on domestic American itineraries. That means cardholder benefits will not usually waive the new first bag fee on these short haul international flights, even if they still cover a bag on a separate domestic trip. Travelers who have grown used to relying on a credit card benefit for free domestic checked bags may be surprised to find that their Canada or Mexico holiday still triggers a 40 dollar charge per direction.

If you hold elite status or are flying in a cabin that includes checked bags, it is still essential to verify how your specific itinerary is coded, since codeshare segments operated by other airlines or Basic Economy fares may not qualify for the same free bag allowances.

Background, Why Bag Fees Keep Climbing

American s latest move fits into a broader trend of North American carriers leaning harder on ancillary revenue such as bag fees, seat selection charges, and change fees. Southwest Airlines, long the most prominent holdout with its two bags fly free policy, has already shifted toward paid baggage, introducing its own first and second checked bag fees after years of using free bags as a marketing differentiator.

Regional competitors have also been adjusting bag charges. Cayman Airways, for example, recently raised its first and second bag fees to 30 dollars online or 35 dollars at the airport for tickets issued on or after November 1, 2025, highlighting how Caribbean and U.S. carriers are converging around similar price points. For travelers, that means checked luggage is increasingly a budget line item with real weight in trip planning, not a small add on that can be ignored.

Adept Traveler has already been tracking baggage related changes such as Cayman Airways updated bag fees and Turkish Airlines new Smart Tagged Baggage Service that ties Galaxy SmartTag trackers into its baggage systems, both of which underline how airlines are combining higher fees with better tracking and handling tools rather than rolling back baggage charges.

How Travelers Can Limit The Damage

For most American passengers on the affected routes, the most practical levers are preparation and packing strategy. First, check the ticket issue date on any existing bookings that include travel to or from Canada, Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, or Guyana. If your ticket was issued on or before November 30, 2025, you should still see the older 35 dollar first bag fee listed for the relevant segments.

Second, if you do need to check a bag on a ticket subject to the new rules, pay for it online rather than at the airport so you capture the five dollar discount each way. That sounds minor on a single leg, but over a round trip for multiple travelers it can shave tens of dollars off your total cost.

Third, look critically at what truly needs to be checked. On shorter breaks to resort destinations, many travelers can compress essentials into a carry on and personal item, especially if accommodation offers laundry or if you are willing to rewear outfits. Adept Traveler has consistently recommended keeping medication, critical documents, valuables, and at least one change of clothes in carry on luggage to avoid the worst outcomes when bags are delayed or misrouted.

Fourth, when comparing fares, consider products that bundle bags, such as Main Plus or modestly higher fare classes that include at least one checked bag. If you are likely to check luggage on every trip, paying slightly more for a fare that embeds a bag can be cheaper than paying for bags separately each way, especially once change flexibility and seat selection are factored in.

Finally, keep an eye on rival carriers on key leisure corridors. If competitors maintain slightly lower bag fees on the same route, their all in price may now beat American once luggage is included, even if the base air fare looks similar. On the flip side, where American offers better schedule timing, hub connectivity, or elite earning potential, some travelers may judge that the five dollar increase is tolerable relative to the overall value of the itinerary.

What This Means For Typical Trips

On a solo trip from Chicago, Illinois to Cancun, Mexico with one checked bag, a traveler buying a new ticket after December 1 will now pay 80 dollars in first bag fees round trip at the airport, or 70 dollars if they prepay online, up from 70 dollars under the previous 35 dollar structure. For a couple, the extra ten dollars each becomes twenty dollars total, which is noticeable but often manageable.

For a family of four flying from Dallas, Texas to Toronto, Canada with one checked bag per person, the old structure would have cost 280 dollars in bag fees on a return itinerary. Under the new rules, that rises to 320 dollars at the counter or 280 dollars with online prepayment, which means the only way to avoid a higher bill is to handle payment in advance or to cut the number of checked bags. When combined with seat selection, resort fees, and rising taxes in many destinations, these bag charges are part of a wider pressure on family travel budgets.

In that environment, travelers who can reliably travel with carry on only, or who hold elite status that includes free bags on these routes, will continue to have a meaningful advantage. Everyone else will need to treat bag fees as a fixed part of the trip cost and choose itineraries, payment timing, and packing lists accordingly.

Sources

• Bag and optional fees, American Airlines
• Checked bag policy, American Airlines
• American Raises Checked Bag Fees on Some International Routes, Business Travel News
• American Airlines Quietly Raises Some International Bag Fees, Travel Market Report
• Bag and optional fees, Canada version, American Airlines
• Cayman Airways Updates Checked Bag Fees November 1
• Turkish Airlines Baggage Tracking With Galaxy SmartTag Starts December 1, 2025
• US Winter Storms Delay Flights December 2025