PT Garuda Indonesia (Persero) Tbk has announced a significant change to its checked baggage policy for passengers. Starting September 1, 2026, the flag carrier is officially moving away from the total weight concept and switching to a piece concept system for all tickets issued on or after that date.
This change brings good news for air travelers as the overall baggage allowance sees a fairly drastic increase. For domestic routes, business and first-class passengers are now entitled to carry two pieces with a maximum weight of 32 kilograms each, bringing the total to 64 kilograms. Meanwhile, domestic economy class passengers receive an allowance of one piece up to 23 kilograms, up from the previous provision of just 20 kilograms.
A similar capacity increase is also applied to international routes. Economy class passengers now receive an allocation of two pieces weighing 23 kilograms each, or a total of 46 kilograms. For business and first-class passengers, the baggage allowance is set at two pieces with a total weight of up to 64 kilograms. Garuda stated that this policy can provide an additional allocation of up to 34 kilograms, depending on the route and selected ticket category.
Garuda Indonesia's Transformation Director, Neil Raymond Mills, explained that this transition aims to modernize services and align the airline's standards with international aviation practices. With this system, passengers are expected to gain certainty and convenience when preparing their luggage, while creating consistency when continuing their journeys onto international networks.
The airline emphasized that this new rule is non-retroactive; meaning tickets issued before September 1, 2026, will still refer to the old baggage rules even if the departure date is after that date. Garuda is committed to continuously evaluating the implementation of this policy to ensure passenger comfort and needs remain optimally met.
