Three numbers cover almost every trip you will take.
56 x 36 x 23 cm is the standard carry-on across Qantas, Virgin Australia and Jetstar. 7 kg is the carry-on weight limit that catches people out, on Jetstar and on Qantas international flights. 23 kg is the usual allowance for a checked bag.
Everything else is detail. The detail is where people get caught out, so here it is.
The Three Sizes
| Bag type | Typical Australian limit | In inches | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal item | Handbag or laptop bag, under the seat | Varies by airline | Counts towards your carry-on weight on Jetstar |
| Carry-on | 56 x 36 x 23 cm | 22 x 14 x 9 in | 7 to 10 kg, and often weighed |
| Checked bag | Generous on size | Varies by airline | 23 kg |
Personal item limits vary more than the other two, because airlines describe them loosely and enforce them by whether the bag actually fits under the seat.
What Kind of Traveller Are You?
There are six types of travellers; here's what each one actually needs.
The Weekender
One or two nights. A city reset, a wellness weekend, somewhere you can drive to by dinner. A personal item does more than people expect at this length, and a small carry-on covers it with room to spare. The trip is short enough that the bag should never slow you down.
The City Traveller
Two to four days in a place you came for the food, the galleries, or the shopping. A carry-on, and one you are happy to be photographed with, because it is going to be beside you at a hotel desk and in the back of a taxi more than it is going to be in a hold. Leave room for what you bring home.
The Carry-On Loyalist
You have not checked a bag in years and you are not starting now. You want the largest carry-on that is still allowed, which means the measurement matters more to you than to anyone else on this list. Measure with the wheels and the handle included. That is how the gate measures. Then weigh it, because on Jetstar the 7 kg covers your carry-on and your personal item together.
The Family Organiser
You are packing for more than yourself, and probably for people who packed badly. One large checked bag plus a carry-on each is the usual shape. Two sizes that nest inside each other are worth more here than anywhere else, because between trips they live in a wardrobe, not an airport.
The Long-Haul Traveller
Two weeks or more, often several cities, often several climates. A large checked bag within 23 kg, plus a carry-on for the things you would rather not lose. Weigh it at home. A large suitcase reaches 23 kg well before it is full. Weigh the carry-on too: on Qantas international flights, and on Emirates, Qatar Airways and Singapore Airlines, the limit is 7 kg.
The Buy-Once Traveller
You research, you buy properly, and you keep it for a decade. The mistake here is buying for the biggest trip you might take rather than the trip you take most. Buy for the second one, and add a size later if the first ever arrives.
How to Measure Your Luggage
Whichever of those you are, three things decide whether a bag passes.
Every dimension includes wheels, handles, and exterior pockets. A suitcase sold by the size of its shell is often a couple of centimetres taller with its wheels. This is the single most common reason a bag gets stopped at the gate.
Total dimensions means addition, not multiplication. Some airlines give one figure rather than three: 56 x 36 x 23 cm is 115 cm in total, and Singapore Airlines states its carry-on limit exactly that way. Volume never enters into it.
The margin is closing. More airlines now weigh and size carry-on bags at check-in and at the gate rather than trusting passengers, and a bag over the limit goes in the hold at the airline's price.
The 24-Inch Question
A suitcase sold as "24 inch" is not measured the way an airline measures. That number is the height of the bag, around 61 cm, usually including the wheels, and it says nothing about the other two dimensions.
So, plainly: a 24-inch suitcase is a checked bag. At 61 cm it is too tall for the 56 cm carry-on limit on every Australian airline. A 28-inch suitcase, around 71 cm, sits comfortably inside checked size limits. The risk with a bag that size is weight, because it holds far more than 23 kg.
Where Airlines Differ
The size is the same across the three major Australian airlines: 56 x 36 x 23 cm. The weight is where they differ.
Qantas is the most generous at home. On domestic flights, Economy allows an overhead bag, an under-seat bag and a small personal item, up to 14 kg in total and no more than 10 kg per item. On international flights it drops to one 7 kg overhead bag plus a personal item.
Virgin Australia allows one overhead bag up to 8 kg plus a personal item of up to 45 x 33 x 20 cm under the seat.
Jetstar is the strictest. The 7 kg covers your main bag and your small item combined, and a bag over the limit is charged at the airport and may be moved to the hold.
Checked bags: 23 kg is the standard allowance on Qantas domestic Economy and on Virgin Australia fares that include a bag. Jetstar sells checked baggage by weight, from 15 to 40 kg, so the allowance is whatever you booked. Qantas, Virgin Australia and Jetstar all refuse a single bag over 32 kg.
Overseas, carry-on sizes are close to the Australian standard, but low-cost carriers in Europe are much tighter. Ryanair includes only a 40 x 30 x 20 cm bag under the seat and charges for a 55 x 40 x 20 cm cabin bag.
For exact dimensions, packing volumes, and weights across the Aviator Collection, see the Size Guide.
