Passengers and former flight attendant weigh in on Jetstar carry-on cost changes

Jetstar has announced the use of it’s overhead lockers will no longer be free in a major overhaul that has left many passengers —and a former flight attendant — unimpressed.

The budget airline made the move public on Wednesday, saying anything that doesn’t fit underneath a seat, such as a small handbag, backpack or laptop bag, will cost passengers $25 to $52 to be placed in an overhead locker.

WATCH VIDEO ABOVE: Jetstar to start charging passengers for carry-on in major overhaul

The new policy, which is due to come into effect in February 2027, scraps the 7kg carry-on weight limit with staff no longer weighing carry-on items at the departure gate.

But it means passengers will be limited to one small under-seat bag rather than up to two with a combined total weight of 7kgs.

Some passengers were asked for their thoughts on Wednesday morning at Melbourne Airport and most were shocked by the changes.

One passenger told Sunrise the change is “making it harder and harder to fly with an inexpensive airline” and would much rather pay the slightly higher one-off fee with Qantas and have it include baggage and a small meal.

Other passengers labelled it “absurd” and “disgusting”.

A young family said it’s hard enough to travel with children anyway and they likely wouldn’t be able to check on everything they needed to take anyway so needed the overhead carry-on limit.

But not everyone was against the change with one woman saying it was “a great idea” as many people travel with huge bags leaving less overhead space for others.

Former flight attendant weighs in

Former flight attendant Nicola Dale said the new scheme will only “hurt the customers”.

“I think this is actually a bit of a shock,” she told Sunrise.

“I mean to wake up this morning and to hear it’s going to be a minimum $25, $50 on a lot of flights and sometimes it could even over $100.

“It hurts, it hurts the customers. And where is the transparency? You book a cheap flight and when you go to check out you’re getting stung nearly everywhere. This is now another add on cost.”

Jetstar said their announcement brings them in line with other low-fares carriers around the world, such as budget European airline Ryan Air, moving to a size-based carry-on baggage model rather than weight.

From next year, all bookings will include one under-seat bag such as a backpack, handbag or laptop bag, but customers with larger carry-on will need to pre-purchase “priority carry-on” which gives a 10kg weight limit.

It includes a second, larger bag for the overhead locker and the opportunity to be among the first to board, Jetstar said.

Domestic flights users will be charged a minimum of $25 for use of the overhead locker, while international travellers would be charged $52.

Jetstar CEO, Stephanie Tully said the decision will streamline the boarding process.

“We know that weighing carry-on bags at the gate can be frustrating for our customers and for our crew,” she said.

“To make packing easier we’ve decided to remove the 7kg weight limit, so from February, the main thing customers will need to think about is the size of their carry-on.

“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.”

The size limits for each option are up to 40cm × 30cm × 20cm for an under-seat bag, which is included in every fare.

Overhead bag, soon to be under the name Priority Carry-on, are up to 56cm × 36cm × 23cm, with customers allowed to be among the first to board.

Jetstar said there are no changes to the checked baggage allowance, which remains for purchase up to 40kg per passenger.