Garuda luggage allowance: Your guide

High-flying Indonesian airline Garuda connects 83 destinations around the world¹, and is well connected in Australia. But every airline has slightly different rules about what you can and can’t take with you on a flight. That’s why we’ve put together this guide to Garuda’s baggage allowance, to explain exactly how much stuff you can fly with.

Try and take too much, and you might well have to pay an excess baggage fee at the airport. But even if you don’t, it’s always possible that a trip abroad will be filled with unexpected expenses. Especially if you’re paying them on a foreign card, they can add up fast.

That’s where Wise can help – as well as sending money abroad at the real mid-market rate, you can get a borderless account with an international debit Mastercard – for no monthly fee – that’ll let you access the mid-market rate whenever you use your money.

But anyway, here’s the Garuda luggage allowance info you’re after.

Checked luggage vs carry on?

Like most airlines, Garuda offers you two ways to transport your luggage. You can either check it in at the airport so that it travels in the plane’s holding area, or you can keep it with you in the plane – if it’s below a certain size.

Here’s what you need to know about Garuda’s checked baggage allowance, as well as their rules for carry-on.

Before you do, just a reminder that this is only for Garuda flights. If your trip also includes flights with other airlines, you’ll need to check their allowances separately.

Garuda checked luggage allowance

Garuda has slightly different limits depending on where you’re travelling, as well as what sort of ticket you have. Here are their key rules for adult passengers’ checked luggage².

There are numerous exceptions for specific routes. For instance:

• On flights from King Abdulaziz International (Jeddah) and Prince Mohammad Bin Abdulaziz International (Medina) airports in Saudi Arabia, you can take an additional 5l of zamzam water
• The limit on flights from Japan is higher: 46kg in Economy, 64kg for higher classes. Individual items can’t be heavier than 32kg
• On US flights (Business or Economy), the limit is two pieces. Neither of those pieces can exceed 32kg
• Economy flights from London Heathrow have an increased limit of 40kg.

Check carefully if there might be an exception in your case – there are a few more exceptions not listed above.

Garuda carry-on luggage allowance

Carry-on or unchecked baggage is what you take with you onto the plane. With Garuda, the carry-on baggage allowance says that you can bring a bag that is at most²:

• 56x36x23cm, and
• No more than 115cm when you add length, width and height, and
• 7kg.

On some flights – operating on smaller, regional planes (CRJ and ATR models) – Economy passengers can only take smaller bags²:

• 41x34x17cm, and
• No more than 92cm when you add length, width and height, and
• 7kg.

So, what does it cost?

The limits above are included in the cost of your ticket, so you don’t generally pay a specific fee for baggage – Garuda’s checked baggage fee is included as part of the overall package.

However, you can purchase additional baggage space in advance of your trip via Garuda’s prepaid excess baggage service. This is cheaper than just turning up at the airport with too much stuff – if you do that, you’ll have to pay the full excess rate (explained below).

How much does prepaid excess baggage cost? Garuda has different rates depending on your exact route. If you’re flying Sydney to Bangkok, for instance, 5kg will cost you an extra AUD 108, or 10kg AUD 216. You can buy up to 40kg extra (though that’ll cost you AUD 864)³.

If you do need to book excess baggage, you’ll need to check the precise rate for your route – there are too many to list here. You can do this while making your booking³.

Can I take sports equipment as checked baggage?

Yes, you can. In fact, Garuda lets you take one piece of sporting equipment – if it’s on their list – in addition to the luggage limits above. If you have more than one piece, that counts towards your standard allowance in the normal way.

The items in this category include:

• Bicycles
• Surfing boards, body boards etc
• Diving equipment
• Golf bags
• Skis

All of those items have their own specific limits in terms of dimensions and weight, though, so you will need to check everything carefully².

What are the fees for excess or oversized baggage?

Garuda’s excess luggage fee depends on the exact route you’re taking – just like with prepaid excess luggage.

Flying Sydney to Bangkok, you’ll currently have to pay AUD 24 per extra kilo⁴.

Garuda’s US website has a handy calculator you can use.

Fingers crossed, you won’t have to pay Garuda’s excess baggage fees. But even if you don’t, there’s always the potential on an international trip that some extra costs take you by surprise.

Wise can help ensure that every time you pay for something during your trip, you don’t get ripped off on the exchange rate. By only ever using the real mid-market rate, it ensures that your international spending costs are transparent and as low as they can be. Plus, the debit Mastercard makes it easy to pay your way without withdrawing much cash.

Good luck planning your trip with Garuda – we hope you have a wonderful trip.

Sources:

All sources accurate as of 18 March 2020