Tigerair luggage allowance: Your guide

Tigerair Australia is a low-cost airline that specializes in domestic Australian flights. Travelling between ten Australian airports, it’s a handy way to navigate a huge country.

But how much luggage are you allowed to take when you fly with Tigerair? Different airlines often have their own rules, which is why we’ve written this guide to prepare you for the Tigerair baggage allowance that you’ll have to comply with.

Tigerair may be an all-Australian affair, but if you’re heading further afield – or if you’re not from Australia yourself – then it’s a good idea to work out how to minimize your costs while travelling abroad. Wise can help with that, by always converting your money at the real mid-market rate. Australian customers even get a free debit Mastercard with a borderless account – making spending money abroad a breeze.

But anyhow, here’s the information you need about Tigerair’s luggage allowance.

Checked luggage vs carry on?

Like any airline, Tigerair offers you two different ways to take luggage. You can check your bag in at the airport, or you can take it with you on the plane as cabin baggage, otherwise known as carry-on or hand luggage. Both, of course, have their own requirements.

Do bear in mind that these rules are only for Tigerair. If this is just part of your trip, you’ll need to check the baggage allowances of the other airline(s) you’re flying with, too.

Tigerair checked luggage allowance

If you want to check luggage in with Tigerair, you’ll need to buy it separately from your ticket. By default, you don’t have any allowance for checked luggage.

In advance of your flight, you can reserve up to 30kg of checked luggage, over multiple bags if you like.

If you turn up at the airport with a check-in bag you haven’t booked, you can only buy 15kg or 20kg – paid for at the airport rate (explained below). Above that, you’ll face a fee per extra kilo, which you’ll probably want to avoid doing¹.

Tigerair carry-on luggage allowance

You can take two items with you on your Tigerair flight without an extra cost.

A larger bag or suitcase can be no bigger than 54x38x23cm. Your second item can be a handbag, coat, book, tablet (or similar), or umbrella.

Those two items should be no more than 7kg between them – unless you book with their Cabin+ offer, in which case you can have up to 12kg.

Above this allowance, your bag will have to be checked in, and you’ll have to pay an excess baggage fee².

So, what does it cost?

If you don’t check a bag in and just take 7kg of cabin baggage, you won’t have to pay anything beyond the cost of your ticket.

But 7kg isn’t a huge amount, so you may well want to reserve some more. Here’s an overview of the options you have – but bear in mind that most of the figures are “worst-case scenarios”, i.e. what you’ll have to pay if you turn up to the airport with too much stuff. It’s always going to be cheaper if you book earlier on³.

A “short flight” is under 1 hour 45 mins; a “long flight” is longer than that.

Remember: Tigerair’s checked baggage fees as listed above apply when you have to book the baggage space at the airport. If you book in advance, you’ll pay less.

Ideally, book the baggage when you book your ticket. That’ll likely be cheaper than booking afterwards.

Can I take sports equipment as checked baggage?

Actually, you can take sports equipment as carry-on baggage... if it is less than 105x38x23cm, and your combined carry-on baggage is 7kg or less (or 12kg with Cabin+). You can’t if it has sharp edges or could be used as a weapon.

If you need to check it in, you’ll have to pay a sports equipment bag fee on top of the standard fee. Plus, it’ll need to be no more than 190x60x80cm and 20kg.

Stuff like golf clubs, bicycles and scuba equipment is OK, so long as it is appropriately packed⁴.

As with other types of baggage, you’re best off booking this in advance – do it at the time you book your flight, if at all possible. If you don’t do it before you arrive at the airport, you’ll have to pay the fees in the table above.

What are the fees for excess or oversized baggage?

As already mentioned, Tigerair’s excess baggage fees are explained in the table above. The very lowest excess fee you’d have to pay would be $36, and above 20kg you could have to pay $20 or $25 per kilo – which of course adds up very fast.

You’re best off doing some careful planning, and booking exactly what you need well in advance.

That’s just one way to make sure your trip doesn’t become unexpectedly expensive. Overseas travellers should make sure they’re getting a decent exchange rate as well, when they pay for stuff abroad or convert their money. Wise can help with that, by always offering the real mid-market rate.

Good luck planning your trip with Tigerair, and happy packing!

Sources:

All sources accurate as of 19 March 2020