Checked-in baggage

Baggage allowance

When you book directly with Air New Zealand, your baggage allowance is on your e-ticket. 

If your trip includes flights with other airlines, our baggage allowance might not apply. To learn more, see more in connecting flights below. 

How many do you get?

Aside from seat only fares where you get carry-on only, all our fares include checked-in baggage.

Need more? You can add Prepaid Extra Bags and bring your checked baggage allowance up to a maximum total of three.

Here's an overview of our fare and tier allowances:

New Zealand Domestic

seat+bag and flexichange include one checked-in bag; flexirefund fares include two.

International

theworks, worksflexi and Economy fares include one checked-in bag, Premium Economy fares include two, and Business Premier™ fares include three and more cannot be added.

• Economy fares to Shanghai or Singapore from New Zealand or Australia are allowed two checked bags.
• Economy fares to Taipei from New Zealand are allowed two checked bags.
• Economy fares to Canada or the USA (excluding New York) from Australia are allowed two checked bags. Economy fares to New York from Australia are allowed one checked bag.
• Economy fares to Honolulu from Australia are allowed two checked bags.

If travelling with more than one carrier, please refer to the section when travelling on a ticket with more than one carrier.

Connecting to or from domestic

If you're connecting as part of a international journey, your international checked-in baggage allowance also applies for the domestic flight.

Koru members

Members get a free extra bag on top of the standard allowance for their own fare (not a family member's fare), except for Business and Seat fares. See Koru benefits for more details.

Fast Bag is an extra benefit for Elite, Gold and Koru members, who can simply pick up their bag right beside the aircraft, on Air New Zealand regional domestic flights. 

Weight

Each checked-in bag can weigh up to 23kg (50lb) before incurring fees. Need more? Pay an excess baggage charge at the airport and get up to 32kg (70lb) if there's space on the aircraft. If your bag weighs more than that, you may be able to send it as unaccompanied baggage on international flights departing from Wellington and Christchurch.

The cheapest and surest option is to buy a Prepaid Extra Bag before your flight and repack.

Add a bag

Got more bags than you're allowed?

It's easy to add a bag after you've booked, and you have a few options.

First, if your'e on a seat only fare you simply need to upgrade your booking to include checked-in baggage. Retrieve your booking to do this now. 

If you've already got checked bags in your allowance but need more, you can buy a Prepaid Extra Bag online by retrieving your booking. They can be added up to 90 minutes before an international flight, or up to 30 minutes before domestic. Each passenger can have a maximum of 3 checked bags total.

It's usually much cheaper to buy a prepaid bag than pay the excess baggage fees at the airport.

If you wait too late, or your bag is overweight, see more about excess baggage fees.

Please note: Prepaid Extra Bags are only available when your journey is solely ticketed and operated by Air New Zealand.

If your itinerary includes travel with one of our codeshare partners, or with another airline, excess baggage fees may apply at check-in based on the baggage rules of your ticket. You will need to check the other airline's baggage policies, as we are unable to manage them on your behalf.

Got more than 32kg (70lb)? You may be able to send it as unaccompanied baggage on international flights departing from Wellington and Christchurch.

Taking sporting equipment or otherwise heavy or odd sized items? See more on overweight and oversized baggage.

Overweight and oversized bags

Each checked-in bag can weigh up to 23kg (50lb) before they incur fees.

If your bag weighs more, you have a few options.

1. Buy a Prepaid Extra Bag to add another checked bag and repack, or
2. Pay excess charges at the airport for bags up to 32kg (70lb).

Got more than 32kg (70lb)? you may be able to send it as unaccompanied baggage on international flights departing from Wellington and Christchurch.

Taking sporting equipment or otherwise heavy or odd sized items? See more on overweight and oversized baggage.

If another airline is a part of your journey and they have a different allowance, we cover that in connecting flights below.

Travelling with technology

With the innovation of 'smart bags' or baggage that includes technology, we're also seeing more hazards like lithium batteries, motors, power banks, GPS, GSM, Bluetooth, RFID or Wi-Fi technology that can pose a threat to aircraft safety if not handled correctly.

Smart bags can be checked in provided non-removable batteries contain no more than 0.3g lithium or for lithium-ion does not exceed 2.7Wh. Removable batteries must be removed if baggage is to be checked in and the batteries carried in the cabin.

Smart bags powered by lithium batteries can be brought as carry-on if it complies with our carry-on size and weight limitations. See travelling with lithium batteries, and remember to check with any other airlines if they're a part of your trip as well.

Battery-powered baggage trackers can be carried in checked baggage while still in 'on' mode, provided:

• The lithium ion battery does not exceed 2.7Wh
• The lithium metal battery does not exceed 0.3g of lithium metal

Devices exceeding the above limits must be completely turned 'Off' and not in sleep mode.

Did you know that you can track the status of your baggage on all Air New Zealand and Star Alliance partner flights within the Air NZ app? 

Sports equipment 

Most sporting equipment counts as a checked-in bag and the usual weight allowance applies.

Make sure your checked baggage allowance includes enough for your sporting gear and personal bags. If you need more, the cheapest option is to buy a Prepaid Extra Bag before you fly.

To find out more, like length allowances and packing requirements, see overweight, oversized and sporting items.

Children and infants

Our child fares include the same baggage allowance as adult fares for each fare type. 

Infant fares don't come with checked-in baggage, but do include one piece of carry-on.

With both our child and infant fares you can bring up to two of these items:

• Strollers
• Buggies
• Car seats 
• Booster seats
• Portacots

Read more about flying with children.

Travelling with pets

Aside from animals transported for profit, like race dogs, you can bring domestic pets (cats, dogs and small caged birds) as checked-in baggage on our domestic services in New Zealand.

See more information and guidelines on travelling with pets.

Prohibited items

For safety reasons, some items are restricted or prohibited under international aviation laws. See our helpful guide to what you can't pack for your flight. 

While you're here, take note of these valuable, fragile or otherwise unsuitable items that do not belong in your checked-in baggage:

• Computers and computer equipment
• Items with a special value like money, jewellery, precious metals, or silverware
• Negotiable papers, share certificates, securities or other valuable documents
• Cameras, video cameras and related equipment
• Electrical and electronic devices
• Fragile, delicate or perishable goods
• Commercial goods or business documents
• Samples
• Passports and other travel documents
• Items we determine are unsuitable for carriage because of their weight, size, shape or character (including items outside the permitted baggage allowance dimensions specified in clause 7 of our conditions of carriage)
• Any item for carriage if it is insufficiently packaged to withstand the usual circumstances and effects of air travel.

Connecting flights 

If you have tickets for flights within New Zealand that were booked separately and have different booking reference numbers, you may be able to ask the check-in agent at the airport to through-check your bags to your New Zealand destination. 

If you have an Air New Zealand international flight that connects with another Air New Zealand flight or an airline we have an agreement with, your baggage will be tagged to go through to your final destination.

However, some destinations will require you to pick up your bags, go through Customs, and re-check them at a transfer or check-in desk. Aside from the United States, where it's always mandatory, the only way to know for sure is to ask at the counter when you check-in at the airport. 

If your connecting international flights are separately ticketed, you will need to check in separately for each one, collect your bags and re-check them in between flights. The baggage allowance for the next part of your journey will then apply, so it's good to be aware of this before you pack your bags. 

If you're connecting from another airline on separate tickets, please contact the other airline to find out if your baggage can be checked through to our flight.

TIPS:

• Always check the destination printed on your baggage tag; that's where your bag has been checked through to
• If you're connecting from another airline to an Air New Zealand flight on separate tickets, please contact the other airline to find out if your baggage can be checked through to our flight
• You can track the status of your baggage on all Air New Zealand and Star Alliance partner flights within the Air NZ app.

Travelling with more than one airline or carrier

Carrier is another word for airline.

The operating carrier is the airline that's operating the flight. The marketing carrier is the airline that you purchased the flight with, and whose flight number is on the ticket.

For codeshare flights, the marketing carrier may not be the operating carrier.

If you've already booked your flights directly with us, your e-ticket will show your checked baggage allowance and which carrier's allowances and charges apply.

If your journey includes more than one ticket, the baggage rules for each ticket will apply separately and they might be different. In this case, consider packing to the lowest allowance to avoid excess baggage charges.

If you're travelling on a single ticket that includes more than one carrier, the allowance rules and any excess baggage charges of the most significant carrier (MSC) will apply.

Most significant carrier 

MSC is determined under the rules set by International Air Transport Association (IATA) Resolution 302. To learn more about MSC please see here.