Jetstar will scrap the free 7kg carry-on and charge up to $52 for an overhead bag
From 2 February 2027 only a bag that fits under the seat travels free, with overhead lockers costing between $25 and $52 a flight.
Jetstar will scrap its free 7kg carry-on allowance and start charging up to $52 a flight for the overhead lockers from 2 February 2027.
Under the new policy, every passenger gets one free bag that fits under the seat in front — no more than 40 x 30 x 20cm.
Anything bigger goes overhead and costs extra.
The paid bag, branded “Priority Carry-on,” can be up to 56 x 36 x 23cm including wheels and handles.
Those are the exact dimensions Jetstar allows for free today.
Pricing is dynamic, like airfares. Cairns to Tokyo tops the range at $52. Perth to Bali starts at $39, Sydney to Melbourne at $33, and the cheapest is $25 on select Launceston to Sydney fares. It costs more bought at the airport than at booking.
The gate scales are going. Jetstar told news.com.au bag sizes will be monitored by eyesight for the most part, though a bag suspected of breaching the 10kg safety limit will still be weighed and checked in at a cost.
Chief executive Steph Tully flew Ryanair in Europe to test the model before bringing it to Australia.
“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,” she said in a statement.
“You only pay for what you need — travelling with less means paying less, and you can always add more if you need.”
Ryanair is Europe’s biggest airline and its most aggressive on extra fees. It is currently under investigation by the UK competition watchdog over charging parents to sit with their children, an inquiry the airline has called “bogus.”
There are carve-outs. Passengers travelling with an infant get an extra underseat bag free. Business class keeps the overhead bag at no cost. Anyone already booked for travel after 2 February will be given Priority Carry-on free, and refunded if they paid for extra weight.
The rules don’t apply to Jetstar Japan’s domestic GK flights.
Qantas, which owns Jetstar, still allows 14kg across an overhead bag, an underseat bag and a personal item on most domestic routes. Virgin Australia moved to a single 8kg bag plus a personal item in February.
Jetstar’s pitch is choice. The effect is that the bag most people already travel with stops being free.