‘Just an easy cash grab’: why Jetstar is charging customers for carry-on luggage

Add-on fees such as the new overhead locker baggage charge can make it more difficult to compare air fares, experts say Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Cut-price fares may now be merely a facade for seemingly endless add-on fees after Jetstar’s new carry-on luggage charge meant the airline joined a growing number monetising basic services in the sky. The new structure, announced by Qantas’s low-cost carrier on Wednesday, will mean from next year tickets will only include one “under seat bag”, such as a backpack, handbag or laptop bag. Customers with stowed carry-on luggage will face an additional layer of fees, building on costs for check-in baggage, preferred seats, cancellation rights and meals and snacks. It is the latest pricing change in a sector where multiple airlines now even give passengers an option to pay to be next to a vacant seat, in a clever strategy that allows carriers to charge for tickets that do not otherwise sell. In an extreme example of pricing changes, Canadian airline WestJet reconfigured its aircraft last year, requiring passengers to pay an extra fee if they wanted

Aug 5, 2026 → Aug 14, 2026