Qantas and Virgin Baggage Rules Compared

Virgin Australia changed its carry-on allowance on 2 February 2026, and the two airlines now measure the cabin bag differently enough that a bag legal on one is not always legal on the other.

The larger trap sits on the checked side, where the cheapest Virgin fare includes no bag at all.

The practical difference is the single bag limit. Qantas allows 10kg in one piece where Virgin allows 8kg, so a packed cabin bag that clears a Qantas gate can be 2kg over at a Virgin one.

Virgin's Economy Lite fare includes no checked baggage. Choice and Flex fares include one bag up to 23kg. Velocity Silver and Gold members get two bags, and Platinum members get three.

That makes the headline fare comparison misleading. A Lite fare that looks $40 cheaper costs more than the Choice fare once you add a bag at the airport.

Virgin charges from $67 online for an extra domestic bag and from $87 online for international. Adding the same bag at the airport costs up to $83 more than the online price.

Buy the allowance when you book, or at the latest online before you leave home. The airport counter is the most expensive place to make this decision, and it is where most people make it.

Considerably, on both airlines. Velocity Silver and Gold members carry two checked bags where an economy fare carries one, and Platinum members carry three. Qantas allowances rise with status and with cabin in the same way.

For anyone flying more than a few times a year, that allowance is often worth more than the lounge access people chase status for.

Which program to chase is a separate question. Our comparison of Velocity and Qantas covers where each program earns its keep.

Check the cabin allowance for the airline you booked rather than the one you flew last time, and weigh the bag at home. Eight kilograms is less than it sounds once a laptop and a camera are in it.

On the checked side, compare fares with a bag included rather than the lead-in price. The cheapest fare on the search results page is rarely the cheapest way to travel with luggage.

For the cabin itself, our premium economy comparison covers what the fare classes buy you on long haul, and our trip planning guides cover the rest of the pre-departure list.