Qantas Baggage Allowance and Fees
If you’re travelling with Qantas Airline all you need to know about their new baggage allowances and fees.
Send Your Luggage
Sending your luggage ahead of time has never been easier and it is one of the best solutions to travel especially for people who are carrying bulky or oversized luggage or are travelling with infants. Airline restrictions have added additional costs everywhere you look but sending your luggage allows you to circumvent not only the expense but the hassle of having to carry bulky or oversized luggage through the airport. Luggage companies will pick up your bags at your door and deliver them to your destination be it a hotel or a cruise line.
Qantas Cabin Allowance for Infants
If you are travelling with your family, the baggage allowance for infants is the same as any ticketed adult. It will typically vary based on your destination but includes a stroller or pushchair that is collapsible only a collapsible bassinet, or a car seat.
For carry on, there is no baggage allowance made for infants. If you require extra items for your infant you will have to pay an additional fee as part of your baggage allowance.
Qantas Prohibited items
The list of prohibited items include:
- Cigarettes, lighters of any kind, and matches
- Ee-cigarettes and other personal vaping devices are prohibited in carry-on luggage but can go in your checked bag under the plane
- Toiletries and medicinal items cannot be larger than 500 grams or 500 ml per item and they must all have caps on any aerosol nozzles
Dangerous items that are forbidden on any flight with this Airline or another include:
- Bug sprays
- Party Poppers or fireworks
- Self-balancing boards
There are additional items that can be included in your carry-on baggage only and not checked under the plane such as:
- Lithium ion batteries
- Nickel metal hydride batteries, alkaline batteries, or nickel-cadmium batteries
- Non spillable batteries
Qantas Checked/Hold Baggage Allowance
Your baggage allowance for checked bags is directly contingent upon the type of flight you have. For international flights, your carry-on allowances are based on the class. First-class and business-class are allowed one bag no more than 115 cm OR you can have 2 bags no more than 105 cm. You also get a carry-on.
For economy, you only get 1 checked bag of 115 cm.
Luggage Delivery Company: Your Qantas Baggage Alternative
Given the strict limits and the high prices for excess baggage, a luggage delivery company can serve as a great alternative to Qantas. A luggage delivery company will pick up your items whether they are strollers, oversized bags, large instruments, golf clubs, or surfboards directly from your home or hotel and ship them to your destination so that they arrive when you arrive. All of this is done for a flat fee without you having to worry about the airline losing your luggage.
Excess Baggage Costs with Qantas
Those travelling with more than the typical luggage will have to use Qantas Points as a frequent flyer or pay out of pocket to buy additional baggage allowances.
Tip: If you buy from the Qantas website ahead of time it will cost you less than if you show up at the airport with excess baggage.
For flights within Australia or directly to the United States, you are allowed 23 kg per piece and you will be charged not just for the excess baggage for the excess weight if you exceed that. No piece of luggage can exceed 32 kilograms.
Note: If you have a connecting flight with Qantas, buying the excess baggage will only apply to the Qantas portion of your flight so if you have a connecting flight with another airline you might have to pay out-of-pocket for the excess luggage on your connection.
The average charge for each excess baggage is based on destination:
- Flights between Papua New Guinea, New Zealand, and Australia will incur an additional $20 per bag.
- International flights between New Caledonia and Australia will incur an additional $5 per bag.
- Australia to Asia will incur an additional $35 per bag.
A couple or a family travelling internationally with this Airline can incur hundreds of dollars in additional fees for extra luggage. The extra fee for excess baggage in addition to the extra fee for heavier baggage can double that. Checking oversized items like sports equipment only exacerbates the cost which is why luggage delivery services or more attractive alternatives.
The extra costs of excess luggage, oddly shaped sports equipment or musical instruments, or anything else brings with it a lot of guesswork on your behalf as to what your final tab will be but with a luggage delivery company you get a standard charge for each bag with immediate delivery and door-to-door pickup. You know exactly what you are going to spend and you can circumvent hundreds of dollars in excess fees.
Qantas Excess Baggage Allowance for Sports Equipment
Each piece of sports equipment you check with Qantas Airline must be checked in as an individual piece.
Each individual piece will be charged a separate additional baggage fee.
If you want to bring sports equipment like skis, snowboards, or surfboards, the size of the sports equipment might be considered a freight charge in which case you have to pay even more than you would for the additional baggage fee.
Regardless of whether the airline charges you for an additional bag or a freight shipment, you must properly see all the items in accordance with the Qantas requirements and it can’t be heavier than 32 kg or 70 lb. They will not ship anything heavier than this.
Qantas Carry-On Baggage Allowance and Musical Instruments
As far as musical instruments are concerned, you can bring an instrument that has a hard shell case on board as long as it complies with the same weight requirements as any other Carry On which is to say 7 kg and no more than 142 cm when you add the length with the height and the width. Any carry-on musical instruments have to be placed in the overhead locker and cannot be placed under the seat in front of you.