Baggage rules are where a cheap fare quietly gets expensive. You find a tempting one-way to Goa, then discover the fare came with no free check-in, the queue at the counter is charging ₹600 a kilo, and your single suitcase is two kilos over. India's airlines have made allowances vary by fare type, cabin and route — deliberately — so the only defence is knowing the numbers before you pack.
Below is a plain comparison of cabin and check-in baggage for the five biggest carriers flying within and out of India, followed by practical ways to keep your baggage bill near zero.
Allowances change often. The figures below reflect typical domestic-economy allowances in 2026. Fares now come in tiers — some with no free check-in at all — so always confirm your exact allowance on the airline's site at the time of booking. Excess bought at the airport counter is roughly double the online rate.
Airline Baggage Comparison Table
| Airline | Cabin bag (typical) | Personal item | Free check-in (domestic economy) | Excess (at airport, approx.) | Max single bag |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IndiGo | 1 × 7 kg, 55×35×25 cm | 1 small laptop/handbag | 15 kg (fare-dependent) | ~₹600/kg | 32 kg |
| Air India | 1 × 7 kg (Economy), more in premium | 1 small personal item | 15–25 kg (cabin-dependent) | ~₹500–750/kg | 32 kg |
| Akasa Air | 1 × 7 kg, 55×35×25 cm | 1 small personal item | 15 kg (fare-dependent) | ~₹600/kg | 32 kg |
| SpiceJet | 1 × 7 kg, 55×35×25 cm | 1 small personal item | 15 kg (fare-dependent) | ~₹600/kg | 32 kg |
| Vistara | 1 × 7 kg (Economy), more in premium | 1 small personal item | 15–20 kg (cabin-dependent) | ~₹500–750/kg | 32 kg |
Indicative for domestic economy fares. International routes, premium cabins and codeshare tickets differ. Always confirm at the time of booking. Vistara services are progressively merging into Air India — check your operating carrier on the day.
Key Takeaways from the Table
The 7 kg cabin rule is near-universal for economy on Indian carriers, and it is enforced. Gate agents at busy metros — Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru — do weigh cabin bags during peak boarding, and an overweight cabin bag is sent to the hold, sometimes with a charge. Pack your cabin bag to the limit, not past it.
"Free check-in" is no longer guaranteed on the low-cost carriers. IndiGo, Akasa Air and SpiceJet sell fare bundles, and the cheapest can include little or no free hold allowance. The 15 kg figure is the common economy default, but the cheapest fare you click may not carry it — read the inclusion before you pay.
Air India and Vistara generally include more generous check-in allowances in economy and considerably more in premium cabins, which can make a full-service ticket competitive on total cost once you would otherwise be buying extra baggage on a budget fare.
How to Avoid Baggage Charges: 5 Tips
- Buy any extra allowance online, never at the airport. Airport-counter excess runs around ₹500–₹750 per kilo. Pre-buying extra weight when you book, or via the app before check-in, is typically ₹300–₹500 per kilo. On a single overweight bag the difference is easily ₹1,000–₹2,000.
- Weigh your bag at home. A small luggage scale costs a few hundred rupees and pays for itself the first time it stops you crossing the limit. Aim a kilo under the allowance — counter scales reliably read heavier than home scales.
- Match the fare to your bags before you book. If you need 20 kg of check-in, a budget "hand-baggage-only" fare plus paid excess often costs more than a fare that bundles 15–20 kg. Price the full trip — fare plus the bags you actually carry — not the headline fare.
- Keep your cabin bag honestly at 7 kg. The single most common avoidable charge is an over-7 kg cabin bag pulled at the gate. Move heavy items (chargers, books, a laptop) into your free personal item, which is weighed far less strictly.
- Pool allowance when travelling as a family. Most Indian carriers let a family or group on the same PNR pool their check-in allowance across bags, so one heavy suitcase and one light one balance out instead of one going over while the other sits half-empty.
Frequent-flyer tip: If you fly the same carrier regularly, its loyalty programme or a co-branded credit card often includes extra free check-in allowance and priority baggage. For anyone making more than a handful of trips a year with check-in bags, that perk alone can outweigh the annual fee.
Cabin Baggage: the Detail That Catches People
Direct answer. Economy cabin allowance on Indian carriers is generally one bag up to 7 kg, around 55 × 35 × 25 cm, plus one small personal item. The weight limit is what catches people out, not the size — a compact bag stuffed with electronics tips over 7 kg easily.
There is also a security dimension specific to what goes where. Power banks and spare lithium batteries must travel in the cabin, never in check-in baggage — this is a firm safety rule across all Indian flights, checked at security. Power banks are limited by watt-hour rating (commonly up to 100 Wh without special approval). Keep them, and any loose batteries, in your hand baggage to avoid having your checked bag pulled and reopened.
Key fact: Lithium batteries, power banks and e-cigarettes go in cabin baggage only on Indian flights. A power bank found in a checked bag during screening will delay you while the bag is retrieved and reopened — keep all batteries on your person.
Excess and Oversized Baggage
Direct answer. Excess weight is charged per kilo — roughly ₹500–₹750 per kg at the airport on domestic routes, less if pre-booked. Oversized or special items (musical instruments, sports gear, large cartons) need advance arrangement and a separate fee, and a single bag generally cannot exceed 32 kg for handler safety.
For routes where Indians commonly carry heavy bags — sending goods to family, returning from a wedding with gifts, or relocating — the maths strongly favours buying a higher allowance in advance. A 10 kg overshoot at ₹600/kg is ₹6,000 at the counter; the same 10 kg pre-bought online is often half that. For genuinely bulky cargo, a courier or cargo service can beat excess baggage altogether.
Key fact: No single checked bag may weigh more than 32 kg on Indian carriers, regardless of how much allowance you have bought — that ceiling exists to protect ground staff. Split the contents into two pieces before you reach the counter to avoid being turned away.