How will I know if my airline changed its baggage rule?

Check this page before booking, or check the airline's own page and this changelog together. We plan to add alerts through a WhatsApp channel so rule changes reach you before your trip rather than after.

Airline Baggage Rule Changes: SafarCheck Changelog

Q: How often do airlines change baggage rules?

Cabin size limits are the most stable and change rarely. Excess baggage fees and fare-bundle allowances change most often, sometimes several times a year, because they are commercial pricing rather than fixed policy. Zamzam and pilgrim rules are usually adjusted around Hajj season.

Q: Where does SafarCheck get change information?

From airline websites and official statements first, airport authorities second, and cross-checked secondary sources third. Travellers who report a change they saw at the airport are a fourth and valuable source. Every entry here names when the change was seen.

Q: Why does this changelog start in July 2026?

SafarCheck published its first verified baggage data in July 2026, so the log begins there with the baseline. From this point on, every rule change we catch is dated and recorded above the baseline, newest first.

✓ Log started: July 2026 · Newest changes appear at the top · One place to see what moved and when

Airlines change baggage rules quietly, and a fee revised on a Tuesday can cost you at the airport on Friday. This page is a dated, public log of every India-Gulf baggage rule change we catch: cabin sizes, checked allowances, excess fees and Zamzam policies. Newest first. If a number on the site changes, the reason lands here.

The change log

Each entry names the airline, what changed, the date we recorded it, and where we saw it. Nothing here is invented; the log begins the day SafarCheck published its first verified data.

7 July 2026Re-verification

Full re-check of all 14 airlines against official sources. Several published figures were corrected.

flynas (major): the Jeddah Zamzam ban was lifted. Fare Regulations 14May2026-V25 (superseding 14APR2025-V25) allow one 5L container free on top of the allowance from Jeddah, Madinah and Taif with Umrah proof in the Nusuk app; without it, SAR 40 per piece up to 5L. The change is recent, so counters may still quote the old ban.
Saudia (correction): Zamzam is not "free on top" as we first published. Officially: the complimentary sealed 5L pack is from Madinah only; from Jeddah and Madinah one bottle flies free but is counted inside the checked allowance; keep about 5 kg spare for it.
Air India: Zamzam settled by an official June 2025 statement: one 5L sealed bottle flies as a free separate checked piece outside the allowance for Haj/Umrah visa holders on Saudi to India flights. UK/Europe routes moved to the piece concept (Value 1 × 23 kg, Classic/Flex 2 × 23 kg).
Etihad: Economy Basic fares include no checked baggage; ex-India tiers are Value 25, Comfort 30, Deluxe 40 kg. The free 5L Zamzam applies from any departure point, and economy has no guaranteed free second cabin item.
Gulf Air: the economy cabin frame is 45 × 40 × 30 cm (we previously showed 55 × 40 × 20). The 6 kg cabin weight stands. Students get 10 kg extra checked on all Gulf Air flights except JFK.
Air India Express: the domestic Student Fare carries 25 kg total; Gulf and Singapore routes carry 30 kg on Value/Flex fares (raised from 20 kg in January 2025); Xpress Lite includes no checked bag.
IndiGo (student): the 6E Student offer confirmed active (relaunched 22 Nov 2024): 25 kg total checked on domestic (10 kg extra), zero change fee, up to 10 percent off the base fare (confirmed on IndiGo's official student page; an older IndiGo page still shows the launch-era 6 percent); student ID mandatory at check-in; international coverage disputed, confirm at booking.
Kuwait Airways: cabin bag is 56 × 46 × 25 cm and 7 kg (we previously showed a smaller frame). Standard economy checked allowance is a fixed 2 pieces × 23 kg; excess is charged per additional piece by zone (commonly KWD 25–95), not per kg.
Emirates: cabin depth is 22 cm (55 × 38 × 22 cm), and economy includes no free second cabin item. Ex-India economy checked tiers: Special 20, Saver 25, Flex 30, Flex Plus 35 kg.
Oman Air: India-route allowances changed on 22 April 2026 to Super Saver 20, Comfort 30, Flex 40 kg. The official cabin rule is 7 kg with a 115 cm size total; excess runs in USD by zone (about 15 USD/kg India–GCC).
Qatar Airways: ex-India economy tiers are Lite 20, Classic 25, Convenience 30, Comfort 35 kg. Zamzam is accepted at all QR Saudi airports except Tabuk and Abha, not only Jeddah and Madinah.
SpiceJet: the laptop bag or purse counts inside the 7 kg cabin total (it is not a separate free item), and Q400 turboprop flights use a smaller 50 × 35 × 23 cm cabin limit. Domestic excess: about ₹700/kg at the airport, about ₹645/kg prepaid online.
Akasa Air: the student fare carries 25 kg checked on domestic routes; the personal item is capped at 3 kg; Gulf routes commonly carry about 30 kg in up to 2 pieces.
flydubai: the 40 kg allowance belongs to Business class only; economy bundles are Value 20 kg and Flex 30 kg.
flynas (major): the Jeddah Zamzam ban was lifted. Official Fare Regulations 14May2026-V25 (superseding 14APR2025-V25) allow one 5-litre container free on top of the allowance from Jeddah, Madinah and Taif with Umrah proof in the Nusuk app; without it the container is SAR 40 as its own piece. The change is recent, so counters and other guides may still quote the ban.
Saudia (correction): we previously showed the 5-litre Zamzam pack as free in addition to the allowance from Jeddah and Madinah. Official Saudia documents say otherwise: the complimentary sealed pack applies from Madinah only, and per the Conditions of Carriage one 5-litre bottle flies free from Jeddah and Madinah but counts inside the checked allowance. Also: economy publishes one cabin bag only (56 × 46 × 25 cm at 7 kg is the roomiest frame on the corridor), Saver fares include no checked bag, and official excess fees are published (domestic extra piece SAR 138 prepaid).
Etihad: Economy Basic includes no checked baggage; ex-India tiers are Value 25, Comfort 30, Deluxe 40 kg. Free 5-litre Zamzam applies in addition to the allowance from any departure point per Etihad's statement, and economy is one cabin bag with no guaranteed second item.
Gulf Air: cabin frame corrected to 45 × 40 × 30 cm (the 6 kg weight limit stands, still the lowest on the corridor). Checked tiers Light 25, Smart 30, Flex 35 kg; students get 10 kg extra on all Gulf Air flights except JFK.
Air India: on US/Canada (from 5 June) and UK/Europe (from 17 October) routes, Economy Value fares carry 1 × 23 kg while Classic and Flex carry 2 × 23 kg. Zamzam flies as a free separate checked piece outside the allowance for Haj and Umrah visa holders on Saudi-to-India flights per Air India's June 2025 statement. The December 2024 student scheme adds 10 kg checked plus a fare discount.
Air India Express: the standing domestic Student Fare carries 25 kg total; Gulf and Singapore routes carry 30 kg on Value and Flex fares (raised from 20 kg in January); domestic excess is about ₹600/kg plus GST at the airport.

Method: official airline pages and fare rules fetched 7 July 2026, cross-checked against independent 2026 sources, then adversarially re-checked before publication. Details on How We Verify Data.

July 2026Baseline

SafarCheck launch: initial baggage data published and verified for 14 India-Gulf airlines.

Cabin standard confirmed: 55 × 35 × 25 cm and 7 kg on IndiGo, Air India Express, SpiceJet and Akasa Air; Air India at 55 × 40 × 20 cm; Gulf carriers between 50 and 56 cm by airline.
Checked baggage baselined: 15 kg domestic on Indian low-cost carriers; Gulf routes commonly 25 to 30 kg by fare.
Excess fees recorded: IndiGo domestic roughly ₹600 to ₹700 per kg at the airport, roughly ₹350 to ₹450 prebooked online.
Zamzam policies mapped: free and extra on most Gulf carriers; inside the allowance on IndiGo. (Two of these baseline readings were corrected in the 7 July re-verification above: Saudia counts the bottle inside the allowance, and flynas had already lifted its Jeddah restriction in May 2026.)
Student programs listed: IndiGo 6E Student, Qatar Student Club, Emirates and Air India student fares recorded in the comparison guide.

Sources: airline baggage pages, official statements, airport authorities. Full method on How We Verify Data.

This is the starting point. From here, every confirmed rule change gets its own dated entry above this baseline, newest first.

What counts as a rule change

Not every airline announcement belongs here. We log the things that change what you pay or what you can carry:

Category	Example of a logged change	How often it moves
Cabin size or weight	An airline lowers cabin weight from 7 kg to 6 kg	Rarely
Checked allowance	A Gulf route drops from 30 kg to 25 kg on the base fare	Sometimes, by fare
Excess baggage fees	Per-kg airport rate rises on a route	Often
Zamzam or pilgrim policy	An airline changes free Zamzam terms before Hajj season	Seasonally
Student or special fares	A student program adds or removes extra baggage	By campaign

How often do airlines really change baggage rules?

The pattern is consistent across the corridor, and it is worth understanding before you assume last year's number still holds.

Cabin dimensions are the most stable. An airline that says 55 × 35 × 25 cm this year almost always says the same next year, because changing it would obsolete every sizer frame at every gate. Weight limits shift a little more, usually downward on low-cost carriers under pressure to sell more checked baggage.

Excess fees and fare-bundle allowances are the opposite: they are pricing, not policy, and pricing changes whenever the airline wants revenue. This is why we mark fee figures with a checked date and tell you the binding number is the one on your booking. A per-kg rate you read six months ago is a guess today.

Zamzam and pilgrim rules move on a religious calendar. Airlines revisit them before Hajj season and around Ramadan, when pilgrim traffic peaks, which is exactly when a stale rule does the most damage. We give the Umrah pages an extra check at those times, as described in our verification policy.

Trends worth watching in 2026

Three broad patterns shape baggage on the India-Gulf corridor right now, and they are the reason a changelog earns its place.

First, unbundling. Low-cost carriers increasingly sell the seat and the baggage separately, so a cheaper fare quietly carries less checked allowance. The headline price falls; the baggage line falls with it. Reading that line before booking matters more every year.

Second, stricter cabin enforcement. As flights run fuller, more airlines weigh and measure cabin bags at the gate rather than waving them through. The 7 kg that was loosely enforced a few years ago is checked more seriously now, especially on packed Gulf routes before Eid.

Third, prepaid-versus-airport pricing gaps are widening. Airlines reward you for buying excess online and penalise you at the counter, and the distance between the two prices keeps growing. The lesson is the same one our excess calculator makes concrete: decide at home, not at the belt.

How to make sure a change reaches you in time

Until we launch alerts, two habits protect you. Check this page and the airline's own baggage page together before you book, not after. And when you fly, glance at what the airline actually enforced; if it differs from what we show, that is the most useful email we can receive.

Reader reports are how a changelog stays ahead of the airlines' own websites, which sometimes lag their gate practice by weeks. Send a correction through the contact page with the airline, the date and the airport, and it goes into the next entry above.

See today's verified numbers

The changelog tells you what moved. The tools tell you where your bag stands right now.

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FAQs: baggage rule changes

How often do airlines change baggage rules?

Cabin sizes rarely; checked allowances by fare; excess fees often; Zamzam rules seasonally around Hajj. Fees move the most because they are pricing, not policy.

Where does SafarCheck get change information?

Airline sites and official statements first, airport authorities second, cross-checked sources third, and traveller reports from the airport fourth. Every entry names when the change was seen.

Why does this changelog start in July 2026?

That is when SafarCheck published its first verified data. The log begins with that baseline; new changes stack above it, newest first.

How will I know if my airline changed a rule?

Check this page before booking, alongside the airline's own page. Alerts through a WhatsApp channel are planned so changes reach you before your trip.

Maintained by SafarCheck. Every entry is dated and sourced; the baggage numbers on individual pages carry their own checked dates. Confirm with your airline before flying. SafarCheck is not affiliated with any airline.