Spicejet: India’s best answer for International visitors with lots of luggage

Byunroadwarrior

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If you visit India and have lots of luggage – as much as you were allowed on your international flight into India, the domestic airlines will take you to the cleaners for any domestic connections. In the good old days, major Indian airlines like Jet Airways, Air India and Kingfisher (ok, Kingfisher is not ‘major’ any more), allowed you the international allowance on the domestic legs as long as you could show an international itinerary within 24 hours of the flight. That is not true anymore. Almost all the airlines in India now allow the international baggage allowance on domestic legs ONLY if you are flying them on the International flight AND the international and domestic flights are on the same PNR! This is a big problem. The domestic baggage allowance in India is only one 20kg bag. If you fly in with two 32 kg bags (allowed if you are a Star Alliance Gold), you will be paying Rs. 200 per kg for the extra 44 kg or Rs. 8,800 ($158 USD). The key word in my statement is ‘almost’. The only exception here is Spicejet. They will allow international baggage allowance on any airlines itinerary, as long as the international leg is within 24 hours of the domestic leg (and of course, the international and domestic legs connect at a common city). Here is a link to this policy on their website, for your reference. IMG_0810

Spicejet was a life saver for me on my last trip to India. I came in on business class and had three bags! Spicejet took care of me – no questions asked. All I had to do was show my international itinerary. Being aware of this policy, I actually booked my connection on Spicejet, despite there being better timed and cheaper options available. I still saved myself a few hundred dollars. This is a good example of how this policy earner Spicejet some additional business. I think other airlines are hurting themselves by forcing international passengers to pay for extra baggage.

One cautionary note I will make, while Spicejet accepts international baggage allowances for checked bags, they still restrict you to one carry-on. This is not a Spicejet policy but a security policy by the government of India. So, remember to check-in your second carry-on bag. In India, it is one carry-on, period! Not one carry-on and a purse or laptop bag.

Anyone have a different experience with Spicejet or any other Indian airline regarding baggage and international connections? Share with us by leaving a comment below.

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56 Comments

  1. Not sure about the one carryon policy. I was on kingfisher last october and I had both a carryon and a laptop bag and my wife also had two pieces. Our international segments were on the same PNR though if it makes a difference and I was a ST elite plus on a business class award ticket continuing on AF.

  2. I had no such problem on Jet Airways when I flew this May. They did not charge me additional money for my bags when I flew into India on British. British had a generous carry on allowance of 50 lbs and Jet even took care of that.

  4. Ikonos, I don’t the airlines care as much of the one carry-on bag as the security people do. I have seen people be turned away by the security personnel at the gate who verify if your bag has the security screen stamp, because they had two bags.

  5. Hey thanks for sharing a useful post, I agree to you. Never the less Spicejet is amongst the best airlines. Recently I flew from Spicejet and had enough of baggage along but I didn’t face any interruption. I got my flight tickets done from Travelocity.co.in as they offers lowest price guaranteed on leading airlines.

  6. Good warning and info. I don’t go to India anymore, (Thank God!). Somestice air travel in India has always been a nightmare and probably always will be. Yes, Grandma, there ARE good reasons to ban some carriers from the U.S. and EU; some of them are seriously short on operating, safety and maintenance standards. Be careful! Even their international carriers are not “First World” airlines.

  7. Good day

    Hi I am Divesh from Chennai now working in Dubai(United Arab Emirates) Next week travelling from Dubai(U.A.E) to Trivandrum airport and after 2 days again travelling from Trivandrum airport to Chennai in spice Jet.my luggage weight is 30kg from Dubai .
    my question is should i pay any extra money for my luggage in INDIA for the excess of 10kg please help me.

    Thanks & Regards

  9. Joe, sorry to hear that Spice has joined the others in charging for baggage on International connections. Jet has been hit and miss with connections. Is your domestic leg on the same itinerary as the international? The only cases I have heard of where Jet allows the bags for free is when all legs are on the same item, or of course, when the international flight is a Jet coded flight (their metal or code-shared). Do share your experience back with us.Thanks for the link.

  10. My wife travelled from Toronto to Delhi on British Airways on Jan 28th, 2013 arriving New Delhi on Jan 30th 1:30 a.m. She flew by Jet from Delhi to Bagdora after a 12 hours wait time in Delhi airport. Jet would not honour her international checked baggage allowande (2 x 23KG). She was forced to pay thousands of Rupees for the excess baggage after a lengthy haggling and arguing with the counter person.

    Wish I had found this web site earlier.. Next time would definitely try Spicejet after reading about the positive reviews..

    Don’t fly Jet if you have excess baggages….

  11. @yu, thanks for sharing. Sorry about your wife’s experience. Net can be difficult on the topic of baggage. Unfortunately, I have heard that Spice has also started charging in some cases.

  12. Hi,
    I am traveling from Germany to Chennai by Emirates. From Chennai I catch Spice Jet to Madurai. Is it possible for me to carry free baggage of 30kgs in Spice Jet?

  13. @krithi, I have heard reports that Spice has also started charging for bags on legs with international itineraries. When I flew them last August, they did not charge me when I was connecting to an International Lufthansa flight.

  14. i want say some thing bcz spicejet is very good flight but baggage is less .so i am request to you increase lagguage……………plz airline department ………….

  15. May 2012 – Chennai to Madurai & Madurai to Chennai – No charges on Spice jet and Jet airways respectively on showing international connections with Qatar Airways.

    Since Nov 2012 they all charge for baggage over 20 kg.

    Nov 2012 – Chennai to Madurai – Spice Jet charged INR 200/kg for first 10 kg over the 20 kg limit and an extra INR 1500 for any amount of extra weight(no limit here)above 30 kg.
    Dec 2012 – Madurai to Chennai – Jet charges INR 200/kg for every extra Kg above 20 kg limit.

    So, if you have more than 37.5 kgs, Spice jet works out cheaper.

  16. what is the correct policy on when someone coming from Canada to delhi via other airline and brings two check in bags of 23kg each, and it is also indicated on the ticket, when travelling to other city from delhi to Jaipur within 6 hours, does spicejet allow two check in bags of 23kg each without charge or they charge extra after 20 kg.

    Please clarify and link the site if any reference.

  18. As per the current SpiceJet policy, they allow checked baggage within 24 hours of your internation flight.

  19. I ll be traveling from Chicago to Bombay in lufthansa which allows 2 baggages each 23kgs, then have my spicejet flight in 6 hours from bombay to chennai. So how much would i be charged in spicejet. Would it be free??.

    What happens if I take 2 bags each 20kgs?

    Thanks,
    Arun

  20. Hi,
    I am travelling from US to India this Aug-Sep and had booked domestic flights with Jet Konnect that are not part of my International itinerary. I spoke to both JetAirways and SpikeJet on excess baggage charges. Jet airways doesn’t allow more than 15 kgs without additional charges even if you have a international connection.

    Spice Jet though allows upto 32 kgs if International itinerary is shown. I am cancelling my jet airways ticket and booking in spice jet

    My travel tickets are way cheaper than my baggage charges. And I weigh more than my two 23 baggages. What is wrong with Indian airlines? I would book a seat for my baggage if they allow.

  21. I’m flying on 21 October by Srilanka Srilankan airlines check-in luggage to Mumbai with 30 kg and 7 kg hand luggage. I stay 3 days in Mumbai and then I fly from Mumbai to delhi. Can I have my 30 kg baggage with spicejet? can you tell me then what airlines can I bring 30 kg? it is that I fly from Amsterdam to Srilanka with emirates also free 30 kg, please reply as soon as possible so that I can book my flight. Greeting Sheena

  22. @Sheena, SpiceJet may allow you free baggage on your Mumbai – Delhi trip if you are connecting to an international flight in Delhi within 24 hours. I have however, heard mixed reports from passengers of even SpiceJet not allowing this. I do not think in you will get free baggage allowance on any other airline’s domestic flight.

  25. Wish I had seen this earlier.
    Flew business class United into BOM. Domestic, flew Jet from BOM-BDQ roundtrip.(economy class, upgraded with miles to premier, on a separate ticket) On the return (bdq-bom), had about 50 kg, which was within my international limits. Showed my itinerary to Jet, but still charged me 5K INR for excess baggage. Bye bye Jet.

  26. As of Jan 5, 2014:
    Per their websites only Go Air and SpiceJet entertain the 24-hr international travel consideration. Apparently Go Air (46 Kgs) and SpiceJet (30 Kgs) allow baggage on their domestic flights if you are traveling to/from an international destination. Here are links and copies of their terms:

    Go Air: (as of Jan 5, 2014)
    (Baggage Terms: https://www.goair.in/termsandconditions04.aspx)
    All Customers travelling by a GoAir flight after having arrived from an international destination within 24 hours of the GoAir flight departure time or ticketed to board a flight to an international destination within 24 hours of arrival at the GoAir flight destination, would be entitled to carry checked in baggage up to 46 kg on GoSmart, GoFlexi and GoBusiness subject to production, at the time of check in, of their international boarding pass for Customers that have just arrived in India , or air tickets for Customers departing from India, along with photo identification.

    SpiceJet: (as of Jan 5, 2014)
    (Baggage Terms: http://www.spicejet.com/AirTravelBaggageFaq.aspx)
    Passenger travelling on SpiceJet domestic Sector and having connection on another airline to/from an international destination, Free Baggage Allowance as permitted by the International Carrier will be given maximum upto 30 kgs, provided:
    a. Free Baggage Allowance must be reflected on the itinerary of International Flight.
    b. The above allowance would be applicable for Adult/Child bookings. Infant bookings does not qualify for the allowance.
    Any Baggage weight exceeding 30 kgs would be charged the normal applicable excess baggage charges.

  28. I had same problem. I came by Virgin Atlantic and JetAirways forced me to pay Rs 5000 from Bombay to Hyderabad and 6000 from Hyderabad to Bombay. I was very disappointed.

    I will be travelling again in the summer for 4 days break in Delhi and 5 days early in Bangalore. I head Indigo is still good in some cases. i am trying to explore if I can can use local service like SRMT.

    I want to check if anyone has good alternative.

    Thanks,
    Vijay

  29. Hi ,
    I will be travelling to Bombay in May from Malaysia. After my visit ( 3N4D in Shirdi ) I’ve booked my flight via SpiceJet from Bombay to Chennai. It says checkin baggage is 15kg. Will I be able to carry my handbag in the plane. Can you advise me on this as this is my first domestic flight.I’ve booked their Premier Seating which allows 10kg in flight.

  30. @Kasturi, you will be allowed to carry-on one bag on the flight. Should be no problem.

  31. I just got off the phone with SpiceJet to confirm their policy regarding baggage charges for international travelers having international flights from other airlines. They said that they do allow the additional second bag but NOT for ALL airports but only their “international sectors” – only for domestic flights between Delhi, Madurai, Vishakapatnam & Mumbai!

    That is just so weird and unfair it seems like because I needed to go to Kolkata. Also, their website doesn’t mention this either. I wonder if the guy just gave me wrong information!

    Here is what the website (http://www.spicejet.com/AirTravelBaggageFaq.aspx) says:

    How much baggage can I check-in if I have connecting international flight?

    Passenger travelling on SpiceJet domestic sector to SpiceJet international sector or vice versa the Free Baggage Allowance of International sector will be applicable.
    Passenger travelling on SpiceJet domestic Sector and having connection on another airline to/from an international destination, Free Baggage Allowance as permitted by the International Carrier will be given maximum upto 23 Kg (30 Kg for bookings done prior to April 16, 2014), provided:
    a. Free Baggage Allowance must be reflected on the itinerary of International Flight.
    b. The above allowance would be applicable for Adult/Child bookings. Infant bookings does not qualify for the allowance.
    Any Baggage weight exceeding 23 Kg (30 Kg for bookings done prior to April 16, 2014) would be charged the normal applicable excess baggage charges.

  32. I travelled Houston-Mumbai-Nagpur jan 2014.I bought my tickets in houston through travel agent.payed $150 for my mumbai nagpur mumbai tickets for jet airways and they did not charged me any extra.They asked me where i purchased the tickets.My travel agent very clearly told me to buy domestic tkt on -line as it could be cheaper and pay for extra baggage to jet airways in mumbai or he can do it for $150 up and down ,which will take care of my 2 pieces of luggage and 12 kgs of carry on.so,yes there is no thing as if you travel within 24 hrs you can carry international luggage on domestic flights in india.hope this helps1

  33. It’s all in good old days. Now only Air costa is allowing international luggage. All other airlines are charging 200/kg if the baggage exceeds 15kg.. beware if this!!

  35. I’m reaching Bangalore by Lufthansa 1am on 15/9/2015 fm FRK. My luggage could be 20kg+21kg+7kg and I would like to fly to Chennai fm B’lore by same day morning flight.
    If this luggage is accepted free as per Goodwill Treaty
    Then Iwill purchase a tkt fm Spicejet B’lore to Chennai . If not agrred to then I can drop my plan.
    Kindly reply

  36. @Evans, please let us know how it goes. I have been hearing hit and miss when it comes to SpiceJet honoring free international check-in bags, except when it is all on the same reservation.

  37. I am going to travel india on 17th March .and I booked indigo airlines .I have 34 kg luggage.is there any problem.?

  38. You may have a problem. From IndiGo website:

    Free Checked Baggage Allowance (applies per adult and child, does not apply to infants):

    Regular Fare – 15 Kgs (Domestic) / 20 kgs (International*),
    Return Fare – 15 Kgs (Domestic) / 20 kgs (International*),
    *For travel to and from Dubai and Muscat – is up to 30 Kgs.

  39. Hi I m manoj me n my wife going to india bombay by Swiss air w r allowed to carry 2pcs 23 n 7 kg hand carry I want to go to baroda by flight
    Which airline should I book who will allow me 46lh plus 7kg plz advice me
    Waiting for your reply
    Manoj

  40. I am going to travel india on 24th March from Muscat and I need to book airlines for domestic transit form chennai to Madurai .I have 30 kg luggage and 7 kg hand luggage.Please suggest me good airline that would accept the luggage.

  41. @Anand, your safest bet is to book the same airline thru the entire trip Muscat-Chennai-Madurai. If the domestic leg is on the same reservation as the international leg, international baggage allowance is applied even for the domestic leg. Note – same airline AND same reservation both need be the case.

  42. Hi..
    I am going to travel Muscat on next week from Delhi. I have aprox 30 kg luggage with two bags (One is 14 Kg & another is 16 Kg) and 7 kg hand luggage.Please suggest me good airline that would accept the luggage of all three bags…
    Is there is any rule for we can carry only one luggage bag..? or we can travel with two luggage bag..?

  43. Well I have to disagree as I had a really bad experience with SpiceJet related to my luggage.
    I was travelling from Munich (Germany where Spice Jet does not offer) to Mumbai with Emirates (via Dubai as that is the route the flight takes). I was flying by Spice Jet to Belgaum as that is the only flight available. In Emirates they allow 30 kgs and in the past Spice Jet allowed me to carry so much luggage by looking at my international tickets. But last December I was taken by surprise. The Spice Jet Executive in Mumbai was not ready to listen. What was more irritating and senseless was she was telling me that I should’ve taken Spice from Dubai, then they would’ve allowed 30 kgs, as if I was enjoying taking the long ride. Finally they allowed 20 kgs n rest 10 kgs I had to pay. Fine, then comes my return journey. This time I carried 20 kgs but at Belgaum airport they started it again. Again they were not ready to listen that 3 weeks back they allowed 20 kgs. I spoke to the Manager and he said the rules have changed n I have to pay for 5 kgs. This time I was not ready to pay and said – no, I will remove my excess luggage and hand it back to my brother (he was waiting outside). I already had around 6 kgs luggage in hand baggage. When I started removing the excess luggage from the 20 kgs, suddenly the Manager says – ma’am you do one thing, carry the 5 kgs excess luggage in hand. So finally 15 kgs went in cabin and 11 kgs in hand.
    I think that they should put a comnent when international passengers are booking tickets – please check your luggage alkowance

  44. @Seema, it seems even SpiceJet has now dropped their luggage allowance on international connections. There seem to be no good options available, except to book domestic and international legs on same airline, same ticket.

  45. Sure I understand why they make it a compulsion, but what do we do when there is no flight – as I said I had to take the flight from Munich to Mumbai, and SpiceJet does not serve this route. Anyways I have chosen not to take SpiceJet ever even though that is the only flight available to my hometown, as I have had many other bad experiences in the past.

  46. I am travelling from dubai. My luggage is 30+7. I have a laptop weights around 4 Kg. When i contacted spice jet. They told that hand baggage allowance is including laptop. And now i am on trouble. Will they weigh laptop in the airport???Will i face any trouble???

    Please reply

  47. I have never seen that happen – weigh laptop separately. But I do nt trust these airlines anymore. They are doing all they can to squeeze every rupee out of flyers by weighing everything. Best of luck.

  48. Aircosta is the only airline in India, that allows same baggage as international , if you have connecting flight in 24hrs

  49. I recently came from MIA to Ranchi through Delhi. I Had international flight ticket till New delhi. I did research and found GOAIR is the only airline which allow you to carry you international bags without any cost and it’s true. I had 3×23 Kg bags with 2 checkin bags. Go air executive didn’t ask a single question which going from Delhi to Ranchi and coming back Ranchi to Delhi. I would suggest use GOAir flight. Note:- I’m talking about the USA flight so please check with them about any other route like Dubai ,etc.

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