How much carry-on may you take?
How much carry-on may you take?
As airlines return to full capacity post Covid-19 travel restrictions, some of them have recognised that we like to fly with carry-on luggage only. I was pleasantly surprised (on my recent trip to Arnhem Land) that Qantas has increased the carry-on hand luggage weight from 7 kg to 10 kg.
In another pleasant surprise, I see that Etihad has introduced ‘hand baggage only fares’, which seem worth investigating. Why pay for hold luggage if you’re not taking any?!
Domestic and international flights to and from Australia
I checked out what some of the large carriers are offering for carry-on weight and size. In the main they’re weighing in with 7 kg only, but I’m hoping that will increase to 10 kg as they all catch up with each other. Look at British Airways offering a massive 23 kg carry on luggage. Their only proviso is that you can heave that weight up into the overhead locker yourself.
Qantas - 10 kg - 1 x 115 cm bag
Etihad - 7 kg - 1 x 115 cm bag plus one personal item weighing up to 5 kg
Emirates - 7 kg - 1 x 115 cm bag
South African Airways - 8 kg - 1 x 115 cm bag
Singapore Airlines - 7 kg - 1 x 115 cm bag
British Airways - 23 kgs - 1x 125 cm bag
Bag size
It’s a little challenging to picture what size 115 cm bag size might be. And to make it more confusing, the dimensions vary from airline to airline (56 + 36 + 23 cm or 55 x 38 x 20 cm for example – what the heck – we all have to carry tape measures with us!) The better description is to think of the long part of the bag being 56 cm and the short part being 23 cm. The other dimension the airlines provide is the thickness or depth of the bag.
As always, I advise you to check out what your airline baggage allowance might be. And remember, the lighter your bag (mine is a featherweight 1.5 kg), the more you can carry in it. A word of caution: if you favour a soft bag, walking through large airports with 10 kg slung over your shoulder might not be the best idea. For long-haul flights, I still prefer a wheelie bag. Whichever your choose, don’t forget you need to be able to lift it into the overhead locker yourself.
