How to save on baggage when you fly

Fares with and without bags

Most airlines sell the same flight under several fares, and much of the difference is baggage. Some examples from official pages:

• Pegasus: the Light fare includes no cabin bag and no checked bag, only an under-seat bag up to 40×30×15 cm and 3 kg on international and Cyprus flights. Saver adds a cabin bag up to 55×40×23 cm and 8 kg and a checked bag of 15 kg on domestic or 20 kg on international flights. Saver Plus and Comfort Flex include 20 kg and seat selection.
• Wizz Air: one free bag up to 40×30×20 cm. A trolley bag up to 55×40×23 cm and 10 kg comes only with WIZZ Priority at booking; checked bags are bought separately at 10, 20, 26 or 32 kg.
• Turkish Airlines: EcoFly, ExtraFly and PrimeFly packages. On domestic Turkish flights the checked allowance is 15, 20 and 25 kg respectively. On some routes EcoFly comes without a free bag, and the exact allowance for your route is shown in your booking and ticket.

The simple rule: look at what the fare actually includes, not its name, and compare that with what you’re really taking.

Where adding a bag costs less

If you bought a fare without a suitcase, adding one at the airport is usually a bad deal. Here’s what airlines say about it themselves:

• Wizz Air: higher fees apply to additional checked bags bought at the airport.
• Pegasus: its best prices are on its digital channels, flypgs.com and the app, and it recommends adding bags before the flight.
• Turkish Airlines doesn’t say buying early is cheaper, but warns that extra baggage fees depend on the package and may change up to 8 hours before departure.

Not every airline states outright that buying early is cheaper. Before you buy, compare the price on the airline’s site with a fare that already includes a bag.

How to compare fairly

1. Decide what you’re taking: just a small bag, a cabin bag or a suitcase, and how much it weighs.
2. Compare the fare with a bag against the fare without one plus the airline’s price for the bag.
3. Mind the sizes: cabin bag limits differ between airlines and fares.
4. If you fly with a pet, add its fee: it’s almost always charged separately from baggage.

For a first comparison, the bags filter in Google Flights recalculates prices including carry-on or checked bag fees. Google notes it gets baggage data from partners and taxes may be added, so confirm the final price with the airline.

Cabin bag limits

Cabin baggage is what you take on board. Full-service airlines usually include it in the fare, while low-cost airlines often include only a small bag. Sizes from official sites:

• Pegasus: an under-seat bag up to 40×30×15 cm and 3 kg is free on international and Cyprus flights; a cabin bag up to 55×40×23 cm and 8 kg comes with a bundle or for a fee.
• Wizz Air: a free bag up to 40×30×20 cm; a trolley up to 55×40×23 cm and 10 kg with WIZZ Priority.

Measure and weigh your bag in advance and check it against your specific fare: limits can differ even within one airline.

Pet in the cabin: instead of or on top of your cabin bag

A cat or dog carrier in the cabin is almost always a separate paid service rather than part of your baggage allowance. The real question is whether you can still bring your own cabin bag. Rules differ:

• Air Transat: the carrier counts as your carry-on, and you get no additional carry-on with a pet. The cabin pet fee is USD/CAD 100 (same amount in either currency) per segment to Europe, Africa and the South, USD/CAD 50 for the USA and within Canada.
• Marabu: the carrier comes on top of the cabin bag allowance of your fare.
• Turkish Airlines: a cabin pet may weigh up to 8 kg with its carrier, the carrier up to 23×30×40 cm, and the fee is shown by the calculator on the airline’s site.

If the airline says nothing about cabin bags with a pet, as with Pegasus, ask when you book the animal. Carrier sizes and weight limits by airline are in the table below.

Pet in the hold

A larger animal flies in the hold, and that’s also paid separately: it isn’t part of your free baggage allowance, even if your fare includes a suitcase.

• Air Transat: USD/CAD 275 (same amount in either currency) per segment to Europe, Africa and the South, USD/CAD 150 for the USA, USD/CAD 100 within Canada, per animal.
• Turkish Airlines: the fee is shown by the calculator on the airline’s site; kennel plus animal up to 50 kg, kennel up to 75×75×125 cm.
• Pegasus: does not carry animals in the hold on international flights.

Many airlines don’t accept snub-nosed dogs and cats in the hold. See the table:

What to do next

Our search compares airlines including the cabin and hold pet fee and shows where your pet won’t be accepted. Open a specific airline’s rules in the airline guide, and find more ways to save in “How to find cheap flights”.

When flying with a pet, it’s best to buy the ticket on the airline’s own website: it’s easier to add the animal to the booking, and if the flight or rules change you deal with the airline directly, without a middleman.

Find flights with a pet