Baggage Allowance to India & Pakistan — Emirates vs Qatar vs Etihad

For families flying home to India or Pakistan, baggage is not a detail. It is half the reason to choose one fare over another. Here is how the three big carriers on these routes compare, and the one thing that matters more than the airline: the fare you actually buy.

Allowances change and depend on the exact fare and route. Use this as a guide, then check the number printed on your e-ticket, or ask us and we will confirm it before you book.

First, how allowances work on these routes

On flights between Australia and the Indian subcontinent, all three airlines use a weight concept, not a piece concept. That means you get a total number of kilograms that you can split across any number of bags, with a hard limit of 32 kg per single bag (a workplace safety rule, not a fare rule).

The single most important thing to understand: your included allowance is set by the branded fare you buy, not just by the airline. The cheapest "Lite" or "Special" fare comes with the least baggage. Two people on the same Emirates flight can have very different allowances because they bought different fares.

Emirates (via Dubai)

Economy checked allowance by fare type on journeys from Australia:

Special: 20 kg
Saver: 30 kg
Flex: 30 kg
Flex Plus: 35 kg

Carry-on: one bag up to 7 kg (55 x 38 x 22 cm).

Qatar Airways (via Doha)

Economy checked allowance generally steps up about 5 kg per fare family:

Economy Lite: 20 kg
Economy Classic: 25 kg
Economy Convenience: 30 kg
Economy Comfort / Elite: 35 kg

Carry-on: one bag up to 7 kg, plus a small personal item. One useful quirk on these routes: the return leg from India or Pakistan sometimes carries a higher allowance than the outbound, so always check both legs on your ticket.

Etihad (via Abu Dhabi)

Economy checked allowance by fare bucket (Etihad groups India and Pakistan together as the "Indian subcontinent"):

Economy Basic: no checked bag included
Economy Value: around 25 kg
Economy Comfort: around 30 kg
Economy Deluxe: around 35 to 40 kg

Carry-on: one bag up to 7 kg, plus a personal item.

The catch with the cheapest fare

Notice the pattern. On all three airlines, the lowest advertised fare (Special, Lite, Basic) is the one with the smallest, or zero, checked allowance. That $60-cheaper ticket you found online often has 10 to 20 kg less baggage. Once you add the bag you were always going to bring, it is not cheaper at all.

This is exactly where an agency fare helps. Because we book on direct airline contracts, the fares we hold for these routes usually include more checked baggage in the base fare than the cheapest online ticket. For families carrying gifts, dry goods and the extra suitcase, that is the difference that matters.

If you do need extra baggage

If you are over your allowance, the order of cost, cheapest to most expensive, is almost always:

Choose a fare that already includes the baggage you need (usually the cheapest overall).
Pre-purchase extra online before you fly. All three airlines sell it in 5 kg blocks, and online is far cheaper than the airport, sometimes by half or more.
Pay excess at the airport. Avoid this. It is the most expensive way to carry a kilo.

One handy detail: on Etihad, topping up on the leg from India or Pakistan is much cheaper than topping up on the Australian leg, so plan your extra baggage accordingly.

The simple rule

When you compare fares, always compare the allowance next to the price. The right question is not "which ticket is cheapest?" but "which ticket gets my family and our bags home for the least?"

Not sure which fare gives you the most baggage?

Tell us where you are flying and how much you need to carry, and we will find the fare that includes the baggage instead of charging you for it at the gate.

See our route guides for Delhi, Mumbai, Islamabad and Lahore and Karachi, or request a callback and we will sort it for you.