carry-on and checked
baggage policies
Carry On
For carry-on baggage, all customers traveling on AirTran Airways will be restricted to one carry-on item and one personal item. The carry-on bag must be stowed under the seat in front of the passenger or in an approved overhead bin. Garment bags and small musical instruments are considered one of the allotted pieces.
Personal items include handbags, umbrellas, walking sticks, coats, cameras, reading matter, infant food, briefcases, and laptop computers.
Assistive Devices
Canes, walkers, crutches, and other assistive devices capable of being collapsed small enough to fit in overhead bins or underneath a seat are welcome inside the cabin and will not count toward your carry-on limit.
Dimensions
If any of the dimensions below are exceeded, the bag or personal item will be considered too large to be a carry-on item.
- A carry-on bag must not exceed 24” long + 18” wide + 13” tall for a total combined linear measurement of 55 inches. Effective March 1, 2012, the carry-on limit will be 24” long + 16” wide + 10” tall.
- For a personal item, such as a briefcase, laptop, purse, or camera to fit under the seat in front of the customer, it must not exceed 17” long + 12” wide + 8.5” tall.
All carry-on items must fit under the seat or in the overhead bin. Any heavy item must be placed underneath the customer’s seat. Any item with inflexible surfaces must be placed underneath the customer’s seat or flat on the floor of an overhead bin.
Restricted Items
The Transportation Security Administration prohibits the transportation of printer or toner cartridges weighing 16 ounces or more on board domestic or international flights to or from the U.S. Passengers are prohibited from transporting these items in either carry-on or checked baggage.
Knives or sharp objects will not be allowed in carry-on baggage or past the security checkpoint. Any sharp items you may need in your travels should be packed in your checked baggage. Customers dependent upon syringe-injected medications may carry on such items. The TSA has instituted specific rules for carry-on of liquids, gels and aerosols. We encourage you to review the security rules for these carry-on items.
Specific items prohibited from carry-on baggage due to security restrictions include: metal scissors with pointed tips and a cutting edge longer than four inches in length, tools greater than seven inches in length, knives of any length, cutting instruments including carpet knives, box cutters and folding or retractable blades regardless of blade length or composition. Straight razors are prohibited, but disposable razors, e.g., Gillette or Bic, are allowed. Learn more about specific items that are permitted or not permitted on AirTran Airways flights.
Checked Baggage
AirTran Airways recommends that passengers arrive at the airport 90 minutes prior to the scheduled departure of their flight.
- For domestic flights, passengers and their baggage will not be accepted at the ticket counter less than 45 minutes prior to the scheduled departure of their domestic flight (some smaller airports may accept baggage up to 30 minutes prior to scheduled departure time).
- For international flights, passengers and their baggage will not be accepted at the ticket counter less than 60 minutes prior to the scheduled departure.
- Baggage may be checked no more than 4 hours prior to departure time.
For specific baggage check times at each airport, please see our Contract of Carriage (Adobe Acrobat Reader required to view this PDF file).
Baggage Allowances
Get full details of our baggage allowances and restrictions in the sections below. All baggage charges are one-way for each fare-paying customer.
First Checked Bag
For all coach class reservations, the charge for a first checked bag is $20 with size and weight limitations.
We make an exception to our checked baggage allowance policy for members of the military who are traveling on active duty orders. As long as each piece of baggage does not exceed 100 pounds in weight and 80 inches in size (length + width + height), baggage will be exempt from AirTran’s baggage limit, and will NOT be subject to excess, oversized, or overweight baggage charges.
Any customer who requires use of a wheelchair may have it checked as baggage at no charge, and it will not be considered part of the passenger's baggage count when assessing other baggage fees.
Second Checked Bag
For all coach class reservations, the charge for a second checked bag is $25.
Excess Baggage
The excess baggage charge, for other than sporting equipment, will be $50 for each piece after the first two bags. Additional charges are applicable for bags exceeding the weight and size limits. Effective April 10, 2012, your 3rd through 9th checked bag will incur a charge of $50 per piece and any bag or item thereafter will be $110 per piece.
Some sporting equipment fees are assessed separately. Please visit our Sporting Equipment page for details.
Overweight Baggage
Overweight baggage rates are based on weight: $49 for bags weighing 51 to 70 pounds and $79 for bags weighing 71 to 100 pounds. Baggage weighing over 100 pounds will not be accepted. Effective April 10, 2012, items from 51 to 100 pounds will be accepted for a charge of $50 per item.
Oversize Baggage
Oversize baggage rates are based on overall dimensions (length + width + height): $49 for bags with dimensions from 62 to 70 inches and $79 for bags with dimensions from 71 to 80 inches. Baggage over 80 inches in dimension (with the exception of some sporting equipment) will not be accepted. Effective April 10, 2012, items in excess of 62 inches but not more than 80 inches will be accepted for a charge of $50 per item.
When checking oversize items, please arrive at the airport no later than 90 minutes prior to departure time to allow enough time for your baggage to be screened before proceeding through security.
TSA Screening
All checked baggage is screened by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). The TSA recommends that passengers leave their baggage unlocked as Federal Security Screeners may have to open and physically search a bag as part of the screening process. For more information, visit the TSA’s website at www.tsatraveltips.us.
Active military personnel
We make an exception to our checked baggage allowance policy for members of the military who are traveling on active duty orders. As long as each piece of baggage does not exceed 100 pounds in weight and 80 inches in size (length + width + height), baggage will be exempt from AirTran’s baggage limit, and will NOT be subject to excess, oversized, or overweight baggage charges.
News media personnel
An exception rate of $35 per piece for oversize/overweight equipment is extended to representatives of news networks, local television broadcasting companies, commercial film making companies or independent media personnel for the transportation of cameras, film, lighting and sound equipment. This rate is still subject to first, second and excess baggage fees. All persons requesting the media rate must present valid photo identification with company insignia upon check-in. Effective April 10, 2012, items will be subject to standard first, second, and excess bag fees, but will be exempt from oversized and overweight fees.
Sporting equipment
Varies (see details)