Korean Air Baggage Fees & Tips To Cover the Expenses

Updated: July 9, 2023, 9:48pm CDT

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Korean Air Baggage Fees & Tips To Cover the Expenses

Korean Air Carry-on Allowance
Korean Air Checked Baggage Allowance
Additional/Excess Baggage Fees
Exclusions and Waivers
Can I Prepay for Baggage?
Credit Cards That Reimburse You for Checked Bag Fees

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Korean Air has a pretty standard baggage policy when it comes to allowances. The number of complimentary checked bags and pricing for additional bags will vary by destination and a number of other factors.

Korean Air Carry-on Allowance

1 personal item: FREE
Standard carry-on bags:

Economy: 1 FREE
First/Prestige: 2 FREE

Size Restrictions

Personal: undisclosed
Standard: 15.7 x 7.9 x 21.6 inches (40 x 20 x 55 cm)
Total weight of personal + standard bags should not exceed 22 pounds (10 kg) for economy, 40 pounds (18 kg) for first/Prestige

Lap Infant Carry-on Policy

International: A infant can bring 1 piece up to 22 pounds (10 kg) and 45 inches (115 cm), 1 stroller, and 1 car seat (or bassinet)
Domestic: An infant can bring 1 stroller and 1 car seat (or bassinet)

Stroller Check Policy:

“Large” strollers will not be permitted on the aircraft and will be checked at the gate free of charge

Korean Air Checked Baggage Allowance

All checked bags must adhere to a max weight of 50 pounds (23 kg) for economy (except Korea Domestic and to/from Brazil) and 70 pounds (32 kg) for first/Prestige fares; must adhere to max linear dimensions of 62 inches (158 cm).

Free baggage allowances regarding size, weight, and quantity of baggage vary with passenger itineraries, seating classes, and SKYPASS membership grades.

Korean Air advises passengers to use its baggage calculator for information on fees. We ran a few searches and found the following fees, but do check the calculator for your specific flight.

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Route	Economy (23 kg)	Prestige (32 kg)	First (32 kg)
To/From America (U.S. and Canada)	First Bag: FREE Second Bag: FREE 3+ Bags: $200 each	First Bag: FREE Second Bag: FREE 3+ Bags: $200 each	First Bag: FREE Second Bag: FREE Third Bag: FREE 4+ Bags: $200 each
Asia – Europe, Middle East, Africa, Oceania	First Bag: FREE Second Bag: $130 3+ Bags: $200 each	First Bag: FREE Second Bag: FREE 3+ Bags: $200 each	First Bag: FREE Second Bag: FREE Third Bag: FREE 4+ Bags: $200 each
Asia – Guam	First Bag: FREE Second Bag: $100 3+ Bags: $150 each	First Bag: FREE Second Bag: FREE 3+ Bags: $150 each	First Bag: FREE Second Bag: FREE Third Bag: FREE 4+ Bags: $150 each
Korea – Northeast Asia/Mongolia	First Bag: FREE Second Bag: ₩70,000/$70 3+ Bags: ₩100,000/$100 each	First Bag: FREE Second Bag: FREE 3+ Bags: ₩100,000/$100 each	First Bag: FREE Second Bag: FREE Third Bag: FREE 4+ Bags: ₩100,000/$100 each
Korea – Central/Southeast/Southwest Asia & Russia (Asian part)	First Bag: FREE Second Bag: ₩100,000/$100 3+ Bags: ₩150,000/$150 each	First Bag: FREE Second Bag: FREE 3+ Bags: ₩150,000/$150 each	First Bag: FREE Second Bag: FREE Third Bag: FREE 4+ Bags: ₩150,000/$150 each
Within Asia	First Bag: FREE Second Bag: $100 3+ Bags: $150 each	First Bag: FREE Second Bag: FREE 3+ Bags: $150 each	First Bag: FREE Second Bag: FREE Third Bag: FREE 4+ Bags: $150 each
To/From Europe, Middle East, Africa, Oceania	First Bag: FREE Second Bag: $130 3+ Bags: $200 each	First Bag: FREE Second Bag: FREE 3+ Bags: $200 each	First Bag: FREE Second Bag: FREE Third Bag: FREE 4+ Bags: $200 each
Domestic Korea	Free Baggage Allowance for Economy: 44 pounds (20 kg)	Free Baggage Allowance for Prestige: 66 pounds (30 kg)	undisclosed

Additional/Excess Baggage Fees

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Route	Overweight (23 to 32 kg)	Overweight (33 to 45 kg)	Oversized (158 to 203 cm)	Oversized (204 to 292 cm)
To/From America (U.S. and Canada)	$100	$200	$200	$400
Asia – Europe, Middle East, Africa, Oceania	$100	$200	$200	$400
Korea – Asia (Japan, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Macao, Mongolia)	$50	$100	$100	$200
Within Asia (excluding Korea ↔ Japan, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Macao, Mongolia/ including Guam, Palau)	$75	$150	$150	$300
To/From Europe, Middle East, Africa, Oceania	$100	$200	$200	$400
Domestic Korea	₩2,000/$2 per kg	N/A	undisclosed	undisclosed

For baggage fees related to special luggage (sporting equipment, musical instruments, etc.) please refer to Korean Air’s policy.

Exclusions and Waivers

Depending on your SKYPASS membership grade, you are allowed to check extra baggage. Restrictions may apply if you’re flying with a SkyTeam partner or codeshare partners.

Morning Calm Club: 1 additional piece (70 pounds/32 kg) for first and Prestige classes, 50 pounds (23 kg) for economy class (when flying economy on itineraries to or from the Americas, additional 1 free baggage cannot be applied)
Morning Calm Premium Club: 1 additional piece (70 pounds/32 kg) for first and Prestige classes, 50 pounds (23 kg) for economy class
Million Miler Club in Economy, Prestige, and First Class: 1 additional piece (70 pounds/32 kg)

* In case of weight system, additional 22 pounds (10 kg) of baggage allowance for Morning Calm Club, additional 44 pounds (20 kg) for Morning Calm Premium Club, and 66 pounds (30 kg) for Million Miler Club.

SkyTeam Member

If you are an Elite or Elite Plus member of SkyTeam, you receive an extra allowance (22 pounds/10 kg for Elite, 44 pounds/20 kg for Elite Plus) or 1 additional bag where the piece concept applies. This depends on routing.

Can I Prepay for Baggage?

Korean Air does allow passengers the ability to prepay for luggage online from 48 hours before departure.*

Passengers need to log in to their booking from the Check-in area of the Korean Air website to do this.

* Flights to/from the U.S., Canada, U.K., or Paris can check-in and prepay baggage from 24 hours prior to departure.

Credit Cards That Reimburse You for Checked Bag Fees

When flying Korean Air to/from the U.S. you receive 2 free checked bags, but if you need a third checked bag the price jumps to $200. Use one of the cards below to get reimbursed for some or all of your checked bag fees when flying Korean Air. Each card allows you to redeem Capital One miles for 1 cent each as a statement credit for previous travel purchases (within 90 days).

To see more airline baggage fees and policies, click here.

Featured Image Credit: Miguel Ángel Sanz via Unsplash

Frequently Asked Questions

How many bags can you carry on Korean Air?

Korean Air allows 1 personal item and 1 carry-on item for economy passengers and 2 standard carry-on for first class and Prestige passengers. Korean Air doesn’t specify maximum sizes but for Economy, the combined weight of both items must not exceed 22 pounds (10 kg) and 40 pounds (18 kg) for first class and Prestige.

How much is excess baggage in Korean Airlines?

For international flights, Korean Air charges $50 to $100 for overweight bags weighing 23 to 32 kilograms and $100 to $200 for bags weighing 33 to 45 kilograms. Oversized bags measuring 158 to 203 centimeters max linear dimensions will be charged $75 to $200 depending on the route.

How many bags can you check on Korean Air?

To/from the Americas, Korean Air allows economy passengers to bring 2 checked bags for free (23 kilograms). For all other international routes, 1 checked bag is free for economy (23 kilograms), 2 for Prestige (32 kilograms), and 3 for first class (32 kilograms).

Is Korean Air strict with baggage allowance?

Korean Air has a strict baggage policy with many forums detailing passenger accounts of being asked to pay excess fees or repack baggage. So consider your baggage allowance carefully and be prepared to pay if you do choose to exceed these.

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