Traveling via air is always fun. I remembered when I was traveling for the first time and was quite nervous. Not exactly nervous it was a mixed feeling as I was excited and worried both.
And if you have already traveled via air then this post will help you get more awareness in the context of baggage rules and policies when flying with any airline.
Here I am sharing my first flight experience, which was a little scary but more exciting. I was traveling from Delhi to Bangkok by air, and my flight was in the morning. As per the flight schedule, I couldn’t sleep the whole night and wait for the time to reach the airport.
I reached the airport, and the airline’s employees were there to guide me and helped me in the check-in process. Due to so much excitement, I haven’t read the baggage allowance policy.
According to my airline’s policy, I carried overweight baggage. The airline’s staff said to me to pay extra rupees for the excess weight I had brought.
All things were very nice, but as I haven’t done my homework correctly about reading the airlines and their policies, so I paid extra. It not only happened with me, but I had seen many people who don’t know how much weight to carry to avoid facing the penalties.
After this incident, I thoroughly read all the baggage policies of all the major airlines and also read the reasons why there is limited baggage allowance for the flights.
The newest thing which I didn’t know earlier about the baggage policy was that the size and dimensions of the baggage also matters. Previously, I only knew the issues related to weight but then I came to know that the dimensions, length, width also matters when you are traveling via air.
Now let’s take a rundown below at the baggage policies and allowances
The baggage allowance policy varies with the different airlines, but here the below-mentioned factors also affect the baggage allowance policy:
● Ticket category (a type of class)
● Destination (domestic or international)
● Passenger status (member or the new one)
● Suitcase measurements (weight and dimensions of luggage)
For a clear understanding, let’s discuss the baggage policies of some of the top airlines which will give deep insights on the general rules and regulations followed.
Top Airlines Baggage policies:
1. Vistara
2. Air Asia
3. Air Canada
1. Vistara Airlines:
International baggage allowance is usually of 30 kg per person, and domestic baggage allowance is generally of 15 kg per person.
People are generally buying separate tickets for their international and intra-India travel, as they are thinking that if they are going to book tickets separately and add it on the same PNR, then they will get benefits on the ticket amount such as some discount or get the tickets at some cheaper rate.
Now, Vistara has updated its baggage policies and launched the new luggage allowance for the international flyers and for the members who are a frequent flyer of Vistara.
The best thing about this policy is that it provides the time to claim an extra baggage allowance.
Here the amount of baggage allowance depends on the class of travel.
For Business Class Passengers, Vistara allows two check-in bags of 32 kg each. It is only valid for the Business Class passengers, and they can avail it within 30 days of their international inbound or outbound travel.
For Premium Economy Passengers, Vistara allows two check-in bags of 23 kg each. It is only valid for the Premium Economy Class passengers, and they can avail it within 7days of their international inbound or outbound travel.
For Economy Class Passengers, Vistara allows check-in bags of 23 kg total. It is only valid for the Economy Class passengers, and they can avail it within 24 hours of their international inbound or outbound travel.
Source: zeenews.india.com
So to avail these facilities you need to bring your International ticket or the boarding pass for getting your baggage allowance on Vistara.
The allowance is granted when you are on separate tickets as compared to your international ticket. For more details like bag dimensions, the total number of baggage, extra baggage fine, etc. you can directly visit Vistara Airlines.
2. Air Asia
Air Asia provides the facility of pre-booking baggage online at their website during the ticket booking process so that you can save on your baggage charges. At the airport, in the last minutes, they charge a huge amount for the extra baggage, so it’s better to pay early through its online site and save the money.
All the passengers can carry two bags with them. One is allowed as carry-on, and another one is a laptop bag, or you can bring a handbag instead of a laptop bag onboard.
The cabin baggage dimension should not exceed 56cm x 36cm x 23cm and also must not weigh more than 15kg as its maximum limit is of 15kg.
The onboard baggage dimensions should not exceed 40cm x 30cm x 10cm and don’t consider more than 7kg as the maximum limit is of 7kg only. These baggage rules are for domestic flight passengers.
Source: airasia.com
For international travelers; the baggage rules are different, and it depends upon the destination. Like if you are flying to or from the United States, you are not only allowed to pre-book your baggage.
Here you are permitted to carry one piece of cabin baggage and one laptop bag or instead of laptop bag, you can bring 1 handbag on-board of maximum weight 20kg.
It means overall you can carry 40kg in international flight and the dimensions of the bag are the same as per the domestic baggage allowance policy.
There are many more benefits Air Asia is providing like for Value Pack category or Premium Flex or Premium Flatbed, and you can check these benefits by visiting Air Asia site directly.
It is advisable to pre-book your checked baggage at the initial phase of flight booking to avoid extra charges. When you pre-book during the web check-in, it charges the average cost. So pre-book your checked baggage allowance to avoid hassle free journey.
3. Air Canada
Air Canada is one of the best flight to travel to Canada. According to the Air Canada Baggage Allowance Policy, you are permitted to carry two bags.
One is allowed as a cabin bag which should not exceed more than 10 kg with the dimensions of 23 x 40 x 55 cm and the second one is allowed as a personal bag means you can carry it onboard and its dimension should not exceed 16cm x 33cm x 43 cm.
Air Canada permits a total weight of 23 kg of all bags, and the maximum dimensions are 158 cm. Its policies differ according to the destination location and the ticket fare you have paid. Sometimes the baggage allowance costs are included in the ticket cost.
Source: aircanada.com
Here is the list of BAGGAGE FEES depending upon the destination:
Within Canada, or between Canada and the US, ECONOMY
● 1st bag: $30
● 2nd bag: $50
● Each additional bag: $100.00
● Overweight bag: $100 (for bags between 23 – 32 kg (50 – 70 lbs))
● Oversized bag: $100 (for bags between 158 – 292 cm (63 – 115 inches))
International, between Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean, ECONOMY
● 1st bag: $30
● 2nd bag: $50
● Overweight bag: $100
● Each additional bag: $225
● Oversized bag: $100
Other international travel, ECONOMY
● 1st bag: Free
● 2nd bag: max. $100
● Overweight bag: $100
● Each additional bag: $225
● Oversized bag: $100
Source: aircanada.com
Also, keep in mind that only one excess baggage fee will apply at one time.
I have put my best effort in explaining the Baggage allowance rules and policies of top airlines. I hope you found this useful and understood the baggage policies and its role in air travel. Also, make sure that before traveling or at the time of ticket booking you must see the baggage allowance policies of those airlines and book the tickets of those airlines which suits you the best.
Happy Travelling!
