Travelers rage as budget airline plans overhead bag fee: ‘Highway robbery’

Jetstar is facing some pushback after announcing its passengers will soon have to pay extra to put their carry-on bags in the overhead bin. 

The Australian budget airline, owned by Qantas, will require passengers to pay fees from $25 AUD (about $18) per overhead bag per flight starting in Feb. 2027.

The “priority carry-on” purchase will include priority boarding. Passengers will not be charged for a smaller bag, such as a backpack, handbag or laptop bag, that can fit under the seat in front of them.

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The updated policy replaces Jetstar’s previous carry-on rules, which allowed passengers to bring carry-on luggage up to a total of 7kg (about 15.4 pounds) aboard.

Fox News Digital reached out to Jetstar for comment.

In an interview with Fox News Digital, Steven Arroyo, an aviation expert based in Florida and a retired captain for United Airlines, said the new policy can “certainly expedite the boarding process.”

He also said other airlines may follow suit.

“Oil prices have doubled. It’s a third of an airline’s expense,” he said.

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Arroyo said the cost will have an impact on larger families.

“If you’re traveling with a big family, it’s going to [have] impact,” he said.

“That’s going to be the main focus. Will the consumer accept these new fees that airlines are proposing?”

Some travelers have not reacted well to the news.

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A number of Instagram users responded with pleas to boycott. 

“Highway robbery, Jetstar! You think it will be less frustrating being charged for locker space than getting your stuff weighed?” commented an Instagram follower.

A second person quipped, “Soon they will also charge to use [the] toilet.”

The company sees it differently. Stephanie Tully, CEO of Jetstar, positioned the fees as a way to “streamline boarding and help more flights depart on time” while allowing customers to “only pay for what you need,” according to a company press release.

The company wants to “streamline boarding and help more flights depart on time.”

Some travelers agreed with the new policy.

“Fair enough because it’s annoying when you have a small carry-on, and it has to be put several seats away from you because someone has a larger case,” an Instagram user said.

“Maybe if people stopped taking multiple bags or oversized cases to save a few bucks, this wouldn’t be needed?” replied another.

On Reddit, a user said the new policy was better “than people trying to sneak in multiple 10kg bags.” 

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“If we are really lucky, the current carry-on addicts will reconsider,” another Reddit user said.

Airline insiders said they aren’t surprised by the new charges. 

“Jetstar is catching up to a market that got there years ago,” Koen Karsbergen, an aviation strategy consultant and educator, told Fox News Digital.

Karsbergen said Frontier and Allegiant haven’t included overhead bin space in their ticket prices for several years.

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Still, Karsbergen isn’t surprised by the backlash. 

“Nobody likes to pay for something we have had before for free,” he said.

Arroyo pointed to the now-defunct airline PEOPLExpress. 

When PEOPLExpress began selling tickets in the 1980s, the carrier adopted an à la carte pricing model, charging separately for carry-on bags in overhead bins, coffee, tea and bottled water.

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“It has happened in the past in the United States, and it could happen again,” he said.

Kelly McGreal of Fox News Digital contributed reporting.