New Travel Rules for 2026 Will Affect Your Carry-On Bags

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(KMDL-FM) If you left on a journey on Tuesday or Wednesday that required airline transportation, you should know that there will be different rules on your return flight if you’re not home already. Yeah, funny how the flip of a calendar can bring about all kinds of chaos where air travel, TSA, and the airlines are concerned, but some new rules are going into effect with the beginning of the new year.

Not all of the rule changes are courtesy of the Transportation Security Administration, but they do have one of the larger cards that is being played in the shuffle of “what you know about flying.

READ MORE: Major Air Carrier Makes Massive Change to Carry-On Policy

The airlines hold the other major piece in these changes, and quite honestly, the changes the airlines are making are going to be the ones that create the most confusion and “made for TikTok” moments as passengers lose their cool.

What Is the Major Change Travelers Can Expect from TSA in 2026?

The major change, as far as TSA is concerned, for air travelers won’t really hit your consciousness until February 1, 2026. However, it is an issue that if you travel via air more than once per year, you really should have taken care of it by now. That issue is the Real ID.

Essentially, a Real ID is an enhanced form of identification that enables security personnel to verify that you are who you claim to be. To obtain a Real ID, you must provide several forms of identification and proof that you are who you claim to be. A Real ID is signified by a “Star” that is displayed on your state-issued ID or driver’s license.

How Can I Get a Temporary Real ID?

If you don’t have a Real ID, then, as of February 1, 2026, TSA will require that you purchase the $45 TSA Temp ID. As you’ve guessed, the cost is $45 and is non-refundable. Your temporary ID will be valid for a 10-day travel period.

READ MORE: Missed Your Flight Because of TSA? Can You Get a Refund?

As far as the airlines are concerned, the biggest change with the new year will be the strict enforcement of carry-on bag limits. Your carry-on item will now be subjected to a more rigorous form of scrutiny where size and weight are concerned.

Most airlines, like American, Delta, United, and JetBlue, have announced their carry-on size restrictions to be 22 inches × 14 inches × 9 inches. This includes wheels, handles, bulging pockets, and anything that adds to the size of the bag. Southwest Airlines has slightly different restrictions: 24 inches × 16 inches × 10 inches.

Almost all carriers plan to require carry-on bags be checked for size at the plane’s departure gate before a passenger is allowed to board. Should the bag be found to be too large, it will be gate checked, and that could mean an additional fee of $35 to $6,5, depending on the carrier.

Who is “Jetway Jesus,” And Why Is He About to Be Banned From Flying?

The airlines are also working to close the “Jetway Jesus” loophole in which passengers claim a disability to board the aircraft first but “miraculously” recover during the flight, so they don’t have to wait for all the other passengers to deplane, as is the protocol for passengers with a disability.

However, there will likely not be any movement in changing these rules until much later in the year. And of course, there will be more. Also, you might want to check your luggage to make sure you don’t have any of these items packed for travel.