Class-aware airline allowance with overage fee — economy through first class.
Allowances are typical defaults — always confirm on the airline's site. Oversize fees may apply on top of overweight charges, and fares booked on partner carriers can follow the operating airline's rules rather than the marketing carrier's.
Airline baggage rules are intricate, vary by carrier and cabin class, and can produce surprise overage charges that exceed the cost of a domestic ticket. A typical economy ticket allows 1 piece × 23 kg checked + 1 piece × 8 kg cabin; business class commonly doubles that; budget carriers may charge for any checked baggage. The per-kilogram overage on a transatlantic flight runs €15–40, easily €200 over for a few extra kg. This calculator translates the user's planned weights into total kg, compares to class-aware allowances, and shows the overage cost — a sanity check before showing up at the check-in counter.
Total weight = checked_kg × pieces + cabin_kg.
Class allowance = pieces × per_piece_kg + cabin_kg, where: - Economy: 1 × 23 + 8 = 31 kg. - Premium economy: 2 × 23 + 10 = 56 kg. - Business: 2 × 32 + 12 = 76 kg. - First: 3 × 32 + 16 = 112 kg. - Budget (no checked): 0 × 23 + 7 = 7 kg.
Overage = max(0, total_weight − class_allowance).
Overage fee = overage_kg × per_kg_rate.
The chart is a horizontal linear gauge from 0 to 2 × allowance, with the actual weight as a marker.
Pick cabin class (economy / premium / business / first / budget). Enter checked-bag weight and cabin-bag weight in kg (or pounds, with conversion 0.4536 kg/lb). Enter the per-kg overage rate (varies by carrier; check at booking).
The result panel shows total weight, class allowance, overage in kg, overage fee, and the gauge.
Economy, planning a 25 kg checked bag + 9 kg cabin, overage €25/kg:
Business class, 30 + 10 kg = 40 kg total, allowance 76 kg: 0 overage. Plenty of room.
Budget carrier with 5 kg cabin only: 5 vs 7 allowance: 0 overage. Cheap fare, fine.
Same budget with 12 kg cabin (oops): 12 vs 7 allowance: 5 kg over × €15/kg = €75 fee, plus possibly a "this won't fit" rebooking to checked at the counter.
Per-piece weight limit, not just total. Many carriers cap a single piece at 23 kg even if you're entitled to 2 pieces. Splitting 46 kg across 2 × 23 is fine; 30 + 16 may incur a heavy-piece surcharge.
Cabin-piece dimension limits. Cabin allowance is also size-restricted (e.g. 56 × 36 × 23 cm). A 7-kg case that's the right weight but oversize gets gate-checked and billed.
Carry-on personal item. Most carriers allow a separate small personal item (purse, laptop bag) under the seat. Not modeled in the calc.
Premium-economy variance. "Premium economy" allowance varies: some carriers give 2 × 23 (modeled), others 1 × 25, others 1 × 32. Verify at booking.
Status / loyalty perks. Frequent-flyer status often adds an extra piece or 10 kg. Not modeled.
Code-share complications. A flight operated by a partner may have different rules than the one printed on your ticket. The strictest rule applies for that flight's leg.
Ski / golf / surfboard surcharges. Many carriers carry sports gear free (1 piece in lieu of normal checked) or for a flat fee. Bicycles often need a special bag.
Gate-checked bags. If your cabin bag is too big at the gate, it gets checked at the gate — usually free, but at risk of damage or loss.
Liquid restrictions. Cabin liquid restrictions (100 mL containers in 1L bag) are unrelated to weight but routinely catch travelers.
Currency conversion on overage. Carriers charge in their home currency; on a return trip, two different currencies may apply.
Volume vs weight. Checked-bag rules are weight-only for most carriers; some (Air Canada, Latam) measure linear dimensions instead and an under-weight oversize bag is overage.
Stroller and infant gear. Usually free, separate from the personal allowance.
The cheapest overage solution is almost always pre-paying online before showing up at the airport — most carriers discount pre-paid excess by 20–40 %. The most expensive is paying at the gate, where staff have no incentive to negotiate. The middle ground is paying at check-in. Compare this with shipping the excess weight via post (typically €1–3 per kg domestic, €5–15 per kg international) — at 5 kg over the threshold, shipping breaks even with airline gate fees on a typical European intra-EU flight. For larger overages (10+ kg), shipping is consistently cheaper than airline penalties, especially on transatlantic routes where overage hits €40/kg. The trade-off is shipping time (3–10 days) and risk of loss; airline checked-baggage insurance covers loss but at lower compensation rates than a courier's tracked service. For sports-equipment overage (skis, bicycles, surfboards), specialized luggage forwarding services like Luggage Forward or DHL move packages to your destination resort directly.