In this article, I will tell you all you need to know about how many cabins and check-in baggage you can take on your AirAsia flight, as well as any size and weight restrictions that you need to be aware of.
All Air Asia passengers are allowed to take one carry-on bag and one personal item onboard the aircraft. Certain fare types also include a check-in baggage allowance ranging from 15kg to 40kg per person. For those fare types that do not include a check-in baggage allowance, you can purchase an extra allowance of up to 40kg per person if you want to add to your free allowance.
Air Asia Cabin Baggage Size
When flying with Air Asia, the free cabin baggage allowance for all passengers with a booked seat is two of the following items:
- One carry-on bag
- One laptop bag
- One handbag
- One small bag
All items purchased at the airport form part of your cabin baggage allowance.
Carry-on bags must not exceed the maximum dimensions of 56cm (height) x 36cm (width) x 23cm (depth) and must fit in an overhead storage compartment in the aircraft cabin.
The other personal item (laptop bag/handbag/small bag) must not exceed dimensions of 40cm (height) x 30cm (width) x 10cm (length) and must fit under the seat in front of you.
The total weight of both pieces must not exceed 7kg.
Due to airport security regulations, no cabin baggage is allowed on flights originating from Jammu or Srinagar airports in India.
Source: Air Asia
If you want to travel with more cabin baggage you can purchase AirAsia’s ‘Xtra Carry-On’ allowing an additional 7kg. The fee varies depending on which AirAsia subsidiary you are traveling with but is typically around $US12 per person each way.
This allows you to bring on board a total of 14kg with 1 carry-on bag and 1 small bag, both weighing up to 7kg each.
Source: AirAsia
Air Asia Checked Baggage Size
Overview
When flying with Air Asia there are certain fare types that include a free check-in baggage allowance. Otherwise, where your fare excludes a check-in baggage allowance, you have the option to purchase a range of different baggage weight allowances.
Fares Including A Check-In Baggage Allowance
If you have purchased a Value Pack fare or are flying on Premium Flex or Premium Flatbed fares, a check-in baggage allowance is included in your fare. You also receive a complimentary check-in baggage allowance if
- You are traveling on an AirAsia India domestic flight
- You are traveling between Dhaka (Bangladesh) and Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia)
The free check-in baggage allowances are as follows:
There is also one special case – if you booked an AirAsia Indonesia domestic flight from 16th November 2021 to 31st October 2022 you receive a complimentary 20kg baggage allowance.
If you wish to carry more than your free baggage allowance you can purchase an additional baggage allowance up to four hours prior to your flight’s departure time.
Check-In Baggage Allowances Available To Purchase
There are two key rules to bear in mind when traveling with AirAsia:
- The AirAsia maximum baggage allowance is 40kg per passenger.
- The pooling or sharing of check-in baggage allowances is permitted for passengers traveling on the same itinerary and booking number, and where baggage drop or check-in is carried out together.
The AirAsia diagram below shows the range of check-in baggage allowances that can be purchased either online (for routes excluding the USA), either when you make a booking or after your booking is made, up to 4 before your flight’s scheduled departure time. It’s always cheaper to purchase the allowance online rather than at the airport check-in:
Source: AirAsia
If you haven’t pre-booked your check-in baggage allowance, you can still purchase this at the airport on the day of your departure but the weight allowance is limited to 15kg (or 20 kg if flying with AirAsia India).
If you are flying to or from the United States, a check-in baggage allowance is available on an item basis: You can purchase either:
- One item with a maximum weight of 20kg
- Two items, each with a maximum weight of 20kg
Additional Check-in Baggage Fees
The AirAsia fee structure for additional check-in baggage allowances is quite complicated and varies according to which AirAsia subsidiary you are traveling with (Air Asia Berhad, Thai AirAsia, AirAsia India, etc.).
To give an idea of the typical fees I show here the check-in baggage fees for flights operated by AirAsia Berhad (Malaysia), and flights to/from the USA.
Note that AirAsia also charges a check-in counter fee per person. You can avoid these by using self-check-in and baggage drop. For AirAsia domestic flights this fee is MYR20 and for international flights, this fee is $US8. For flights to/from the USA this fee is not applicable as the use of a manual check-in desk use is mandatory.
Size and Weight Limits
For all flights (except those to/from the USA and Canada) your check-in baggage allowance is based on weight and so you can bring as many bags as you wish as long as the combined weight is within your purchased or complimentary check-in baggage allowance.
However, if your complimentary or purchased allowance is more than 30kg, each bag must follow the following requirements:
Source: AirAsia
For flights from /to the United States, the baggage allowance is based on the per-item (piece) concept. For these flights, you can purchase a maximum of two items and each must not weigh more than 20kg.
Source: AirAsia
Excess Baggage
If you check in with heavier baggage than your free or purchased allowance, you will be charged an excess baggage fee for each additional 1kg. This fee varies depending on the airport from which you depart. It can only be paid at check-in at the airport on the day of departure. The AirAsia excess baggage fees per 1kg are as follows:
Sports Equipment
If you are traveling on AirAsia flights departing to and from Australia one surfboard is accepted free of charge up to a maximum weight of 15kg.
AirAsia carries a range of sporting equipment as part of your free or purchased check-in baggage allowance. Typical items that can be carried as standard check-in items are as follows:
- Fishing equipment
- Archery equipment
- Hockey equipment
- Bowling equipment
- Tennis/badminton/squash equipment
Other sporting equipments such as golf bags, bikes, diving equipment, ski equipment, snowboards, and cricket sets are subject to a fee that is available in the same weight categories as the regular check-in baggage allowances. Typical fees, using AirAsia Berhad and flights to/from the USA as examples, are as follows:
AirAsia does not accept some large items of sporting equipment due to their large size and handling complexity, as follows:
- Hang gliders
- Sails
- Kayaks, canoes and oars
- Pole vaults
- Javelins
Note that if you do not purchase your sports equipment allowance online and you purchase this at check-in, the permitted weight is limited to 15kg.
Musical Instruments
Musical instruments can be checked in as part of your free or purchased check-in baggage allowance, or they can be carried on board the aircraft at no extra cost if the instrument fits AirAsia’s cabin baggage size and weight limits. If your instrument exceeds these limits and you don’t want to check it in, you will need to purchase an additional seat. Instruments carried in the aircraft cabin must not exceed 75kg in weight and the maximum permitted dimensions are 103cm (height), 41cm (length), and 41cm (width).
Traveling With Infants
Infants below the age of 2 years do not have a cabin baggage allowance, except for AirAsia India flights where you can carry 7kg of cabin baggage for an infant. Children aged 2 years and above have a standard cabin baggage allowance in line with the booked fare type.
Standard baby strollers/buggies/prams can be carried free of charge as part of an accompanying adult’s check-in allowance, provided they are being used by a traveling child or an infant. Otherwise, a check-in baggage allowance will need to be purchased. Standard baby strollers/buggies/prams may be used within the airport until the boarding gate where they will be checked into the aircraft held by AirAsia staff. Foldable baby strollers are usually allowed as an item of cabin baggage within an accompanying adult’s cabin baggage allowance.
There is no free check-in baggage allowance for infants.
Conclusion
Air Asia allows two items of cabin baggage free of charge – a carry-on bag and a personal item, but the combined weight of these two items must not exceed 14kg. If you want to take more cabin baggage, you can purchase an ‘Xtra Carry-On’ allowing you to take a carry-on bag and a second item on board, both of which can weigh up to 7kg. This is a good option if you travel relatively lightly and want to avoid taking check-in baggage with you.
If you do want to take check-in baggage, you will need to purchase a check-in baggage allowance unless you are traveling under a ‘Value Pack’ fare, a premium fare, or are flying on an AirAsia India domestic flight, or traveling between Kuala Lumpur and Dhaka.
You are advised to purchase any required baggage allowance, or additional baggage allowance online as this is cheaper than the fees charged at the airport, and remember that only 15kg of un-booked check-in baggage is accepted at check-in.
Excess baggage fees per 1kg apply to any check-in baggage heavier than your free or purchased allowance. Beware of the extremely high excess baggage fees for flights to/from the USA.
