Jetstar will start charging passengers for stowing carry-on bags in the overhead compartments in February 2027, turning one more piece of cabin space into a paywall. The budget Australian airline said the move comes after passengers and airline staff named having bags weighed at the gate and struggling to find room in overhead lockers as the most stressful parts of the airport experience. Now the company wants money for the space above travelers’ heads, too.
Who Pays for the Bottleneck
Passengers can still stow a purse, laptop bag or small backpack under the seat in front of them for no charge, Jetstar said. But using the overhead compartments will cost from 25 Australian dollars, or $18, one way, with the price depending on the route. Bags in the lockers can weigh up to 10 kilograms, or 22 pounds, and airline staff will no longer weigh them as passengers line up to board, Jetstar said. The existing weight limit of 7 kilograms, or 15 pounds, for the small item placed under travelers’ seats will be scrapped.
That’s the deal: pay to use the space, or squeeze your life into the floor area under the seat. The airline gets to call it efficiency. Passengers get a new fee.
What the Airline Calls 'Better Use'
Jetstar said the change would reduce frustrations at boarding gates. In a statement, Jetstar CEO Stephanie Tully said, "By giving customers an underseat bag with the option to add Priority Carry-on, we can make better use of overhead locker space, streamline boarding and help more flights depart on time." She added that the move would ensure customers only paid for what they needed.
The language is tidy. The outcome is simple. A basic part of flying becomes another item on the bill, and the airline presents that as a favor to the people paying it.
Jetstar said the move came after passengers and airline staff identified the gate weigh-ins and locker crowding as the most stressful parts of the airport experience. The company is now selling a solution to a problem built into the way the airline manages boarding.
The Race to Charge for Everything
Jetstar becomes the latest low-cost carrier to introduce a payment system for carry-on bags, with budget airlines in the United States and Europe commonly charging passengers to use the compartments. An industry analyst said Jetstar was the first to charge for use of the overhead lockers.
Like many carriers worldwide, Australian and New Zealand airlines have already introduced charges for checked luggage, seat selection, and some dining and in-flight entertainment options. One fee wasn’t enough. Then another. Then another. The cabin keeps getting sliced into billable pieces.
Sharon Petersen, CEO of AirlineRatings.com, said, "It will ruffle feathers because Australian travelers have got such high expectations," and added, "For such a long time they lived in a bubble of full-service options only." Petersen also said Jetstar's base fares remain higher than those of low-budget carriers in Europe that brought in similar policies. "Jetstar's starting price is generally well above what Ryanair or Wizz Air can offer, largely because Australia lacks that level of competition and because wages, taxes and operating costs sit much higher here," she said.
That’s the hierarchy at work: a company with the power to set the terms, passengers with fewer and fewer free options, and an industry that keeps normalizing charges for things that used to be part of the trip. The overhead locker is just the latest frontier.
February 2027 is when the new toll begins.