Jetstar to Charge for Carry-On Bags, Add Priority Boarding

Jetstar will soon remove its 7kg weight limit for carry-on bags. Instead, it will start charging passengers for larger carry-on bags that don’t fit underneath the seat in front – regardless of their weight.

The budget airline will also introduce priority boarding for the first time. This move aligns Jetstar more closely with European low-cost carriers such as easyJet, Wizz Air and Ryanair.

The changes will come into effect from February 2027, and will only impact tickets bought directly on the Jetstar website.

Jetstar’s new carry-on baggage policy

Currently, all Jetstar fares include up to 7kg of carry-on baggage. Jetstar ground staff enforce this by routinely weighing people’s carry-on, and charging $60 for bags that are overweight.

From February 2027, all Jetstar passengers will instead be entitled to one small underseat bag no larger than 40 x 30 x 20cm. This could be a backpack, handbag or small laptop bag – with no particular weight limit. However, passengers will need to pay to carry on a larger bag that doesn’t fit within the designated dimensions. I expect that Jetstar will install “boxes” at its check-in counters and boarding gates, which free cabin bags will need to fit inside.

Jetstar will also give passengers the option to purchase a “Priority Carry-on”, which entitles them to bring on a larger cabin bag – and to board first. If purchased, this add-on would be displayed on a passenger’s boarding pass.

Jetstar says that pricing for this add-on could start from around $26 on a route like Brisbane-Adelaide. But the cost will be dynamic, based on the number of priority overhead bags already purchased by other passengers. A limited number of Priority Carry-ons will be available per flight and as more passengers on a particular flight purchase one, the price will go up.

If Jetstar catches passengers with bags that don’t fit within the dimensions for free underseat bags, the airline will likely charge a higher amount to “upgrade” to a Priority Carry-on at the airport. Alternatively, staff might charge to gate-check any oversized bags.

Passengers who purchase a Priority Carry-on will also be entitled to an underseat bag.

Jetstar introducing priority boarding

Customers who have purchased a Priority Carry-on will also be entitled to priority boarding. Australian Frequent Flyer understands that in order to offer this service, Jetstar will add dedicated priority boarding lanes at its airport gates – similar to Qantas.

Many European and Asian budget airlines similarly offer priority boarding for a fee, or as an inclusion with an add-on bundle.

Jetstar anticipates that by giving passengers with priority overhead bags the chance to board first, they will have space to put their bags in the overhead lockers. Passengers with free, smaller bags will still be allowed to use the overhead bins – if there is still space when they get on.

Classic Rewards and codeshare bookings unaffected

Passengers who book a Jetstar flight as a Qantas Classic Reward, or as a codeshare marketed by another airline, will automatically receive a complimentary “Priority Carry-on”. Classic Reward bookings on Jetstar will also continue to include 20kg of checked baggage.

This is similar to the way Air New Zealand offers seat-only and Seat+Bag fares on its trans-Tasman flights, with meals only included for customers who’ve purchased a more expensive “Works” ticket. The seat-only and Seat+Bag options are only available for flights purchased directly through Air New Zealand. If you book a Virgin Australia codeshare or redeem points from another Star Alliance airline for an Air New Zealand-operated flight, you automatically get the “Works” product with full inclusions.

Jetstar customers with existing bookings, for travel in or after February 2027, will also get a free Priority Carry-on.

Why is Jetstar doing this?

Firstly, Jetstar hopes that this change will make boarding more efficient and reduce aircraft turnaround times.

“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,” Jetstar CEO Stephanie Tully said.

But that’s not the only reason it’s doing this.

Tully predictably says that this is all about giving customers “more choice”, so that they’re not paying for something they don’t need. In other words, the airline that offers three different fare bundle add-ons with every Economy ticket purchase now wants to “unbundle”.

Around the world, Jetstar certainly isn’t alone in “unbundling”. Even Delta and United Airlines in the USA have just unbundled their Business Class fares. Some critics argue that “unbundling” is just an excuse to raise airfares, as the base fares often remain the same while offering fewer inclusions.

Is that what’s going on here? Possibly. Airlines including Jetstar continue to face rising costs, including with the price of fuel. Third-party airport and government charges, which comprise part of the cost of the ticket, also continue to increase.

At the same time, many Australians are struggling financially and have limited discretionary income to spend on flights. So, airlines like Jetstar can’t just raise base fares – they will lose more in sales than they gain in revenue from the higher prices. (In other words, in economics terminology, budget airline pricing is highly elastic.)

So, how can airlines increase their revenue without raising base fares?

Virgin Australia’s answer in recent months has been to discount add-ons like Economy X, and offer rolling “double status credit” promotions.

Jetstar’s answer appears to be to try to increase ancillary revenue. By charging for larger carry-on bags, Jetstar is probably expecting that more passengers, on average, will have to pay for baggage. Offering priority boarding is an interesting twist as well – it’s something that doesn’t really cost airlines money to provide, but is a service that some people value enough to pay for.