Jetstar will charge its passengers to put carry-on luggage in the overhead lockers, in a major change to the budget airline’s carry-on rules.
The airline on Wednesday announced it would remove the 7kg weight limit for carry-on bags, beginning in February 2027. There will still be size restrictions.
Base ticket fares will only include one underseat bag such as a backpack, handbag or laptop case, with passengers forced to pay an extra fee if they want to store luggage overhead.
Jetstar will no longer routinely use cabin baggage scales but will still ask customers to keep carry-on bags to 10kg so they can safely lift them themselves.
The “Priority Carry-on” fee – which covers the second, larger bag for the overhead locker – also includes priority boarding.
Jetstar says the new fee will depend on the length of the flight: $25 for Launceston to Sydney, $33 Sydney to Melbourne, and from $52 for Cairns to Tokyo, for example.
Sign up for the Breaking News Australia emailHowever, in its press release announcing the change, the airline acknowledged the fees may vary.
Guardian Australia checked the Jetstar website and found it would cost $86 to carry an overhead bag on a 6 February 2027 flight from Melbourne to Tokyo, and an additional $108 to carry an overhead bag on the return flight on 20 February.
Jetstar has not indicated that fares would decrease as a result of the baggage change, meaning passengers will get less included in their ticket for a similar price.
The size-based carry-on baggage model is “similar to other leading low-fares carriers around the world”, the airline said.
The pricing model is helping airlines boost revenue by displaying a cut-price fare to entice customers who go on to pay extra for baggage, preferred seats, cancellation rights and meals and snacks.
Jetstar reported rising “continued strength in ancillary revenue” at last year’s full year financial results, but did not disclose the exact figure. Ancillary revenue refers to additional income that airlines generate outside of seat fares.
In Europe, where many budget airlines have similar policies of charging for overhead bins, the issue has become a point of fierce debate.
In January, the European parliament voted to give passengers the right to take two pieces of carry-on baggage on flights for free: a small case, as well as the free underseat bags currently permitted.
After pushback from the airlines, the European Council mandated that carriers – along with booking platforms and search engines – will have to display air fares inclusive of carry-on luggage at the outset of the booking process, to make it easier for consumers to compare prices.
Jetstar said the change to its baggage allowance rules followed “extensive research and feedback from customers and crew who consistently identified having bags weighed at the gate and struggling to find room in overhead lockers as the more stressful parts of the airport experience”.
“By giving customers an underseat bag with the option to add Priority Carry-on, we can make better use of overhead locker space, streamline boarding and help more flights depart on time,” said Stephanie Tully, the CEO of Jetstar.
“Our new carry-on baggage model provides more choice to customers while helping to keep our fares low. You only pay for what you need – travelling with less means paying less, and you can always add more if you need.”
A spokesperson for the transport minister, Catherine King, said Jetstar should prove that the change would maintain cheaper ticket prices.
“Jetstar claim this change is to keep fares affordable, it will be up to them to demonstrate that to passengers,” they said.
Additionally, they said the government generally expected airlines to be “really clear” on what services they offered when people bought their tickets, so there were “no surprises” when passengers turned up at the airport.
Under Jetstar’s new rules, underseat bags can be up to 40 × 30 × 20cm and overhead bags can be up to 56 × 36 × 23cm.
Customers travelling with an infant will be able to take an extra underseat bag for their baby items, at no extra cost.
There were no changes to Jetstar’s checked baggage allowance, which remained purchasable for up to 40kg per passenger.
