Jetstar will ditch airport baggage scales and no longer offer free overhead cabin storage

Jetstar is set to overhaul the way it handles cabin baggage from February 2027, removing its 7kg carry-on limit and introducing a new charge for passengers wanting to use the aircraft’s overhead lockers.

From February 2, every Jetstar Airways booking will include one small bag that fits underneath the seat, while passengers wanting to bring a larger bag into the cabin will need to purchase the new Priority Carry-on option.

The change will also see Jetstar move away from routinely weighing cabin bags at the airport, removing a familiar part of the airline’s boarding process.

In a Stuff poll, 82% of readers agreed that the changes shouldn’t come into effect | Photo: Noah Stohr-Waldren

Priority Carry-on will allow a bag measuring up to 56 × 36 × 23cm in the overhead locker, with a maximum weight of 10kg, and will also include priority boarding.

The option will start at around NZ$27 one-way, with the price increasing depending on the route. Jetstar’s published examples range from around NZ$28 for Sydney to Melbourne to around NZ$56 for Cairns to Tokyo, based on current exchange rates.

For aviation enthusiasts, one of the more interesting parts of the change is how Jetstar is treating overhead locker space as another part of its fare structure.

Instead of the current 7kg allowance being included with a basic fare, passengers will have to pay if they want to take a larger bag into the overhead locker.

Jetstar says the new system is designed to reduce the time spent weighing bags at the gate and dealing with full overhead lockers, which it believes will help streamline boarding and improve on-time performance.

It is also another example of how low-cost airlines are increasingly separating the cost of the flight from individual parts of the journey.

As airlines continue to look for additional revenue, baggage, seat selection, priority boarding and other services are increasingly being sold separately, meaning the advertised fare can be considerably lower than the final price paid by a passenger.

The new policy will be in effect on all flights operated by Jetstar regardless of route or aircraft | Photo: Noah Stohr-Waldren

Jetstar says the new model will allow customers to “only pay for what you need”, with those travelling light paying less and passengers able to add Priority Carry-on when required.

The change will apply across the Jetstar Airways (JQ) fleet, rather than being limited to particular aircraft types. This means the new baggage model will apply to Jetstar’s Airbus narrowbody aircraft as well as its Boeing 787 services from February 2, 2027.

The rules will not apply to Jetstar Japan (GK) services.

For the airline, the new baggage system could mean fewer bags being weighed at the gate, less competition for overhead locker space and a faster boarding process.

Existing bookings for flights after February 2, 2027 will receive Priority Carry-on at no additional cost.

The change effectively turns overhead locker space into another paid part of the Jetstar experience, while the airline moves towards a model where the advertised fare is increasingly just the starting point for the final cost of travelling.