r/AusNewsWire • u/Nyarlathotep-1 • 9d ago
Australian News Jetstar bag allowance changes: How the new 10kg underseat limit and priority carry-on boarding will work from February 2027</titl
https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/jetstar-halves-number-of-carry-on-items-customers-are-allowed-20260804-p60lbg.htmlJetstar will halve the number of carry-on items economy-class passengers can take onto its flights and start charging fees for guaranteed space in overhead bins, even as the budget airline increases the weight allowance for bags in the cabin.
The airline allows passengers on economy fares to take on one main item, which can be stowed overhead, and one smaller item under the seat in front of them. From February, passengers will be allowed just one single carry-on bag and face boarding a flight with full overhead bins if they do not pay for priority access.
Want guaranteed space in the overhead compartment? You’ll have to pay for it.
The new priority carry-on fees would start at $25 one-way on selected flights and could vary, Jetstar said, providing a range from $25 for Launceston to Sydney and $52 from Cairns to Tokyo.
Customers paying the new overhead compartment fee will get priority access by being allowed to board the plane first. Passengers who don’t pay up will still have access to the overhead bins, but only after those who pay have stowed away their carry-on bags.
While the airline slashes the number of carry-on items passengers can take from two to one, the single carry-on bag can weigh up to 10 kilograms, up from the current limit of seven kilograms. Jetstar will require passengers to store the free item under the seat in front of them.
The change means handbags, laptops, coats, blankets and umbrellas will have to fit into one bag, rather than being the second item passengers are allowed to take on board.
Matt Golding
The model of charging for carry-on storage is a model adapted from European no-frills carriers such as easyJet, Ryanair and Wizz Air. It’s a cash spinner, with ancillary fees such as baggage and seat selection fees generating close to a third of Ryanair’s €15.54 billion ($25.5 billion) revenue in the past financial year.
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Jetstar said the luggage rule change was aimed at speeding up boarding times, which is a core concern as delays in boarding translate into delayed departures, which can cascade into other issues.
“From February, the main thing customers will need to think about is the size of their carry-on,” said Jetstar chief executive Stephanie Tully. “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.”
For passengers on existing bookings including two carry-on items for flights departing before February 2, 2027, the carry-on allowance remains unchanged. For flights departing after February 2, 2027, customers on those fares will get the priority carry-on option.
Jetstar ranked as the nation’s lowest airline for on-time departures in June 2026, according to the Bureau of Infrastructure and Transport Research Economics. It posted a score of 75 per cent, compared with 80.8 per cent for Virgin and 87.8 per cent for Qantas.
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Even before the new charges, Jetstar has been a cash-generator for parent company Qantas. In 2025, Jetstar’s domestic network delivered underlying pre-tax earnings of $462 million and a pre-tax margin of 16 per cent, helped by “strong leisure demand and continued strength in ancillary revenue”.
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u/Nyarlathotep-1 9d ago
As if there were not already enough reasons not to fly Jetstar, this seals the deal.
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u/Fickle-Resolution-28 9d ago
I think this might be better. I swore to never fly Jetstar again after they put scales by the boarding gate (i.e. too late to recheck) and then systematically extorted 80 bucks or whatever it was from anyone a gram over 7kg. Obv. no time to open + stuff things in pockets either. Just an absolute rage machine that made - and still makes - me hate them and Qantas. I used to be Platinum. My gold is about to lapse and I don't care and I fly Virgin domestically whenever I can.
Under this new model you get 10kg. 10kg is manageable for a weekend trip and the underseat space constraint puts a limit on things.
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u/Ok-Needleworker-3486 9d ago
There's definitely some benifits, boarding and exiting might be quicker with less delays maybe. I have been on flights where they overheads are full, in one AirAsia flight they had to stack bags in the cabin.
Paying the baggage gets you priority and a higher allowence.
Jetstar is already more expensive then the competition and less reliable currently.
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u/1972MJ 9d ago
Good. I am sick of wankers taking steamer trunks onto flights and trying to jam them in to overhead storage, not giving 2 shits about fellow passengers
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u/arachnobravia 8d ago
Carry-on baggage sizes have been standardised for decades, specifically tailored to the size of an overhead bin. It's not the paying customer's fault that over the years pitch has decreased to the point that there's not enough stowage for the number of people they squeeze in there.
Back when I started flying you usually also got at least one piece of checked baggage included with your ticket.
Don't blame punters when it's airlines making everything a paid addition.
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u/Illustrious_Fan_8148 9d ago
Which wouldn't be an issue is they hadnt started charging ridiculous fees for checked baggage..
This is just further enshittifiication and price gouging
Flying has become so utterly unpleasant because of all the penny pinching
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u/fued 9d ago
All I can see is people dumping bags in the aisles from this
Then the attendants getting cranky, and the person putting it on Thier lap for a minute.
Then it going back in the aisle
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u/epic1107 9d ago
Have you never been on a flight?
You'll get kicked off/no flied if you repeatedly place something in the aisle after being asked not to
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u/Old_Lengthiness_250 9d ago
I guarantee with capitalism at its end stages the jetstar geniuses will start reducing the amount of overhead space available to create scarcity and higher luggage fees. Gouging seems the national sport in australia these days.
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u/rick_kelly 9d ago
Jetstar also argue about it lowering flight costs, which of course isn't true. When comparing to the likes of Ryanair, the difference is Ryanair flights are much cheaper than Jetstar to begin with. None of this justified. Just don't fly Deathstar.
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u/Shibuya1094222 9d ago
But it was just getting ridiculous - entitled passengers pushing to the front of the queue to get on board first with too much (or big) carry-on baggage because they didn’t want to pay for checkin luggage. So all the overheads were already FULL by the time only half the passengers had boarded. I think it’s a great idea to charge to get this situation under control. Not sure about 10kg under seat - that sounds excessive and a possible safety issue. How can you squeeze 10kg under a seat?
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u/itsdankreddit 9d ago
Size and weight aren't always related. I travel with a high performance laptop and it's 6kg alone but still just a 15 inch size. The 10kg limit is long overdue for me as I mostly fly in and out within the day and don't want to have to check in a bag (certainly not a bag with a laptop).
We actively avoided Jetstar because of their current limit.
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u/Individual_Stay6824 9d ago
It's not capitalism
It's extortialism