Air China - Hand (Carry On) and Checked In Baggage Allowance Rules

Table of Contents
1. Carry-on Baggage
2. Check-in Baggage (Domestic and International)
3. Excess Baggage Charges
4. Baggage Through Check-in

Carry-on Baggage Allowance

Carry-on baggage allowance is defined in terms of weight as well as number of pieces depending on domestic and international routes.

Cabin	No of pcs	Weight	Size
Economy	1	5 kg each	55cm- L; 40cm- B; 20cm- H
Business	2	8 kg each
First	2	8 kg each

Dimensions constraint is 55 cm, 40 cm and 20 cms of length, width and height respectively.

Check-in Baggage Allowance

Domestic flights

Free check-in luggage allowance on domestic flights is based on weight concept. Maximum weight of one check in bag shall be 32 kg and size shall be 203 cm in sum of dimensions.

Cabin	Weight	Size
Economy	20 kg	100 cm× 60 cm× 40 cm
Business	30 kg
First	40 kg
Infant	10 kg
Additional Bags For Phoneix Miles Members
	Number	Max Weight
Silver	1	20 kg
Gold	1	20 kg
Platinum	1	30 kg
Lifetime Platinum	1	30 kg
Star Alliance Gold	1	20 kg

International Flights

Piece concept is used to determine free allowance on international flights.

Economy Class	Routes between Hawaii and the Americas, the Caribbean, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia (including Hong Kong, Macau, mainland China and Taiwan), and the Southwest Pacific. Routes between Europe, Africa and Asia (except Japan, Pakistan, Singapore, Kazakhstan). Routes within Asia (except Japan, Pakistan, Singapore, Kazakhstan).	1 bag of 23 kg
Economy Class	Routes between the Americas and the Caribbean (except Hawaii) and Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and the Southwest Pacific. Routes between the Middle East and Europe, Africa, Asia, the Southwest Pacific Ocean. Routes between Japan, Pakistan, Singapore, Kazakhstan, the Southwest Pacific Ocean and Europe, Africa, Asia (except Japan, Pakistan, Singapore, Kazakhstan).	2 bags of 23 kg each
Premium Economy	All routes	2 bags of 23 kg each
Business and First Class	All routes	2 bags of 32 kg each
Infants	All routes	1 bag of 23 kg
Additional Baggage For PhoenixMiles Members
	Economy	Business or First Class
Silver	1 bag of 23 kg	1 bag of 32 kg
Gold	1 bag of 23 kg	1 bag of 32 kg
Platinum	1 bag of 23 kg	1 bag of 32 kg
Lifetime Platinum	1 bag of 23 kg	1 bag of 32 kg

For infant one additional piece of 23 kg and 115 cms linear dimensions is allowed.

One stroller or bassinet is also allowed free. For adults or children, the check-in bag size shall not be more than 158 cm in linear dimensions.

Star Alliance Gold members are allowed to carry 1 extra piece of baggage of up to 23 kg.

Interline Routes of Air China

Whole journey on Air China- baggage allowance policy of Air China applies
All routes other than US/Canada (except Hawaii), and when Air China and another carrier is involved- Most Significant Carrier Rule applies.
US/Canada routes (except Hawaii), and when Air China and another carrier is involved- baggage policy of First Marketing Carrier applies.

General Rules

Air China is one carrier which prescribes not just the higher limits of weight and dimensions but also the lower minimum limits as well.
It requires that each check in bag shall not be less than 2 kg and more than 45 kg of weight.
For international flights, the check in bag shall not be more than 32 kgs.
Sum total of dimensions of each baggage shall not be more than 207 cms and less than 60 cm.
Any excess baggage weight or dimensions has to be sent through cargo.
Besides, Air China also classifies certain items as ‘deemed baggage’. For this deemed baggage items, the dimensions shall not be more than 158 cm. Example of such items are sleeping bags, single-seat non-motorized bicycles, musical instruments of length 100 cm, skiing boards, golf gear, fishing gear, guns for competitions of certain weight and dimensions, etc
With respect to electronic items which have lithium ion batteries, carrier allows these to be carried in cabin baggage if lithium content is less than 2 grams and rated wattage is less than 100W-hours. For batteries having rating between 100-160 watt-hours, prior permission of carrier shall be taken for taking these as cabin or carry-on luggage. Above 160 watt-hours batteries are not allowed.

Excess Baggage Charges

For domestic routes

Excess baggage charge is 1.5 percent of published fare for a direct single trip for an adult in economy class (Y fare class). Size for one check-in baggage shall not be more than 100 x 60 x 40 cm.

For international routes

The following chart is used for charge determination for overweight, oversized or more number of pieces than free allowance-

a) For travel between non-USA/Canada America routes and Europe, Africa, Middle East, Asia and SouthWest Pacific.

Charges for excess standard baggage		RMB	USD
Charges for overweight or oversize baggage	Overweight 23 to 28 Kg; up to 158cm	380	60
	Overweight 28 to 32 kg; up to 158cm	980	150
	Oversized up to 23 kg; 158 cm to 203 cm	980	150
	Overweight and Oversized 23 to 32 kg; 158 cm to 203 cm	1400	220
Charges for excess standard baggage Weight:First/Business Class ≤32KG Premium Economy/Economy Class ≤ 23KG Dimensions:up to 158cm The oversized and overweight luggage will be charged extra fees. Excess baggage charges apply to each segment of the journey.	First piece	1400	220
	Second	2000	310
	Third + more	3000	460

b) Travel between Europe/Middle East and Africa/Asia/Southwest Pacific.

Travel between Japan and Southwest Pacific and between Japan/Southwest Pacific and other regions of Asia/Africa

Charges for excess standard baggage		RMB	USD	EUR
Charges for overweight or oversized baggage	Overweight 23KG<W≤28KG;60CM≤S≤158CM	280	40	35
	Overweight 28KG<W≤32KG; 60CM≤S≤158CM	690	100	85
	Oversized 2KG≤W≤23KG; 158CM<S≤203CM
	Overweight and Oversized 23KG<W≤32KG;158CM<S≤203CM	1100	160	140
Charges for excess standard baggage Weight:First/Business Class ≤32KG Premium Economy/Economy Class ≤ 23KG Dimensions:60CM≤S≤158CM The oversized and overweight luggage will be charged extra fees.Excess baggage charges apply to each segment of the journey.	First excess piece	1100	160	140
	Second excess piece
	Third excess piece and more	1590	230	200

c) Travel between Canada and Caribbean/Europe/Africa/Middle East/Asia/Southwest Pacific

Charges for excess standard baggage		RMB	USD	CAD
Charges for overweight or oversized baggage	Overweight or Oversized 23KG<W≤32KG;158CM≤S≤203CM	520	75	100
	Overweight and Oversized 23KG<W≤32KG; 158CM<S≤203CM
Charges for excess standard baggage Weight:First/Business Class ≤32KG Premium Economy/Economy Class ≤ 23KG Dimensions:60CM≤S≤158CM The oversized and overweight luggage will be charged extra fees. Excess baggage charges apply to each segment of the journey.	First excess piece	1170	170	225
	Second excess piece
	Third excess piece and more	1590	230	300

d) Travel between US (including Hawaii) and America/Caribbean (excluding USA), Europe, Africa, Middle East, Asia and Southwest Pacific.

Charges for excess standard baggage		RMB	USD
Charges for overweight or oversized baggage	Just Overweight 23KG<W≤28KG;60CM≤S≤158CM	690	100
	Just Overweight 28KG<W≤32KG; 60CM≤S≤158CM	1040	150
	Just Oversized 2KG≤W≤23KG; 158CM<S≤203CM
	Overweight and Oversized 23KG<W≤32KG; 158CM<S≤203CM	2050	300
Charges for excess standard baggage Weight:First/Business Class ≤32KG Premium Economy/Economy Class ≤ 23KG Dimensions:60CM≤S≤158CM The oversized and overweight luggage will be charged extra fees. Excess baggage charges apply to each segment of the journey.	First excess piece	1380	200
	Second excess piece
	Third excess piece and more	1590	230

e) Travel between Africa and Asia (excluding Japan), Europe and Middle East, Within Asia (excluding Japan), within America (excluding US/Canada) and Caribbean, and other unspecified routes

Charges for excess standard baggage		RMB	USD
Charges for overweight or oversized baggage	Just Overweight 23KG<W≤28KG;60CM≤S≤158CM	210	30
	Just Overweight 28KG<W≤32KG; 60CM≤S≤158CM	520	75
	Just Oversized 2KG≤W≤23KG; 158CM<S≤203CM	520	75
	Overweight and Oversized 23KG<W≤32KG; 158CM<S≤203CM	830	120
Charges for excess standard baggage Weight:First/Business Class ≤32KG Premium Economy/Economy Class ≤ 23KG Dimensions:60CM≤S≤158CM The oversized and overweight luggage will be charged extra fees. Excess baggage charges apply to each segment of the journey.	First excess piece	830	120
	Second excess piece	1100	160
	Third excess piece and more	1590	230

Baggage Through Check-in Service

This service is available on 34 routes which connect in Beijing and some routes connecting in Shanghai Pudong Airport. The 34 destinations on which this is available from Beijing are following:

Americas: JFK International Airport, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Montreal, Vancouver, Havana, Houston, Washington, D.C., Hawaii, Sao Paulo, Panama city, Newark.

Europe: Frankfurt, Dusseldorf, Munich, Geneva, Heathrow, Athens, Paris, Madrid, Budapest, Vienna, Barcelona Rome, Milan, Stockholm, Zurich, Moscow, Warsaw, Minsk, Copenhagen.

Oceania: Brisbane, Auckland, Sydney, Melbourne.

Asia and the Pacific: Bangkok, Phuket, Chiang Mai, Ho Chi Minh, Hanoi, Astana, Delhi, Mumbai, Ulaanbaatar, Sapporo, Hiroshima, Fukuoka, Sendai, Tokyo Narita, Tokyo Haneda, Osaka, Nagoya,Okinawa, Singapore, Dubai, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Karachi, Islamabad.

Latest 30 of 53 questions

Merry13 September 2023

We are traveling to Philippines lay over in Beijing.we would like to buy pre baggage before flight but we don't have any idea how much for 20kgs or 23 kgs charges.are we able to buy early. please to answer my query . thank you
1. Answer
  You shall be able to do it on the website of the airline.
Prabu kumar Seetharaman7 May 2023

I am travelling from india to china. My allowed baggage weight is 23 kg. I want to know that 168 cm dimension is allowed?. Kindly let me know ASAP
1. Answer
  Linear dimension shall be 158 cm, if it is more than 158 cm but less than 203 cm, the charges have to be paid.
Nonkululeko2 February 2020

hello I am traveling to South Africa on the 26 of March I want to know how many 23kg bags are for free and if there's extra money for an extra bag how much will it be..as well as the stuff i can put inside my 5kg bag..can i put my weaves if there's more than 5 of them am at Hangzhou please reply as soon as possible thank you am traveling in an economy class...
1. Answer
  It is 2 bags of 23 kg each in check in baggage per passenger. 5 kg cabin baggage allowance per passenger. Weaves can be taken within free allowance limit but the size and quantity needs to be checked.
Nonkululeko20 January 2020

china Hangzhou xihu district i want to know if 2 23kg of luggage back are allowed at check in without paying extra or how it is for an extra bag and i would also like to know the that are put inside the 5 kg bag and you please also tell me the dimension of the 23kg bag
1. Answer
  PleaSe mention route and cabin class of travel. 23 kg bag shall have sum of dimensions 158 cm
Amber Shiells17 January 2020

Hi, I am flying from Heathrow to Japan in economy class, with a lay over at Beijing. If I am reading the charts correctly, can you please confirm if will I be allowed to take two checked cases up to 23kg each PLUS a carry on bag of up to 5kg? Also, do I need to collect my luggage and re-check it during my stop-over in Beijing?

Thank you!
1. Answer
  Yes, the baggage needs to be rechecked in since it is a layover. The check in baggage allowance is also 2 bags of 23 kg each and a cabin bag of up to 5 kg.
Diana Tjan18 December 2019

Halo. Where is our luggage?? You said will send to our hotel at 5pm. Flight CA.978/CA 1643
1. Answer
  You are asking query on wrong website. We are neither any airline, nor any agency. Please check with the airline for your luggage.
Juni8 December 2019

Hello. Flying Stockholm-Auckland via Beijing in a few days. Flying economy class.
Can I carry a small purse in addition to my carry on backpack (which is under 5kg)?
1. Answer
  Yes, it can be carried as a personal item.
Professor Muhammad Mohiuddin7 December 2019

Hi,
I am traveling from TSN to MAA(India) on 28th December. How many checked-in luggage allowance I can have?
1. Answer
  Free allowance is limited to 1 bag of 23 kg in economy class travel.
Tracey13 November 2019

hello next year March 26 I am traveling to South Africa from Hangzhou China how many bags can I check in and how much is an extra luggage please help am traveling in economy class. thank you
1. Answer
  It is still quite some months to fly. We suggest you contact us some days ahead of flight as the airline might have changed its policy of baggage by then. However, as the policy stands today, the allowance would be 1 bags of up to 23 kg per passenger. One extra piece of up to 23 kg will cost RMB 1100. THis is clearly mentioned in the content above as well.
Javed Iqbal9 November 2019

I am travelling from Chengdu (China) to Islamabad (Pakistan) on November 26, 2019 in economy class. How much check-in luggage is allowed? and how much carry-on ?
1. Answer
  2 bags of 23 kg in check in and 1 bag of up to 5 kg in cabin per passenger.
Nazish29 July 2019

Its westjet flight from Edmonton to Vancouver and then airchina from Vancouver to Pakistan
1. Answer
  It is 2 bags of 23 kg each in check in baggage for economy class passengers.
Nazish21 July 2019

Hi I am traveling from Edmonton to Vancouver and then to Islamabad, Pakistan via airchina? How much check in luggage is allowed?
1. Answer
  Can you tell us whether Air Canada is also operating any flight leg or not?
Jen12 July 2019

Economy London to Beijing is only one 23kg suitcase?
Carry on is 5kg?
1. Answer
  You are right. This is the baggage allowance for economy class passengers on your route.
Sheraz Akhtar8 July 2019

I had flight from Incheon to Beijing and beijing to Islamabad pakistan with a transit of 1 hour from beijing. Luggage is missing. What are the rules/ compenstation for air china if luggage get lost?
1. Answer
  You will have to submit a request for compensation with the airline due to lost baggage. You might have to complete certain formalities to show that the baggage was lost. PLease check with the airline office directly.
Mary Jo Decolongon6 June 2019

Hi! I’m traveling from MNL to LAX with a layover in Beijing. May I bring a laptop bag aside from my carry-on backpack?
1. Answer
  Yes, it can be taken
Roman S3 June 2019

I’ll fly from Hangzhou to Beijing.
How much cost additional 23kg bag?
In your checked baggage page all is mess. Can’t find domestic flight baggage fee.
Thanx
1. Answer
  Excess baggage fee on domestic fligts is based on per kg basis. And, this rate is calculated on the basis of a formula, which is 1.5% of an adult economy class (Y class) fare
Tarsem10 May 2019

I want to book air ticket from delhi to vancouver can i took extra baggage of 23 kg and where i pay the fees of extra baggage
1. Answer
  About USD 220 would be charged as per our information for first additional check in bag over your standard allowance. Please confirm with the airline office at airport as well. This shall be payable either online on signing in on its website, or at the airport counter.
Cynthia Jampole10 May 2019

I am flying JFK to Beijing. May I bring a purse as well as my carry on bag into the cabin?
1. Answer
  Small purse shall not be a problem to be carried in cabin along with a cabin bag of not more than 5kg (economy).
Eunice Cablay Tamayo8 May 2019

My flight is on May 31, 2019 at 6:25 am from Manila to Beijing then to New York. How many check in luggage and kilos each bag is allowed. And for the handcarry how many kilos? TIA
1. Answer
  We assume that you are flying economy and ticket is booked for Manila to New York. Check in baggage allowance is 2 bags of 23 kg each and cabin baggage allowance is 1 bag of up to 5 kg weight per adult or child passenger.
Loan14 December 2018

I will travel from JFK to SGN (transit at PEK) via Air China on Jan 2019 with economy class. Beside 1 carry on, 1 personal item, 2 checked in luggages of 23kg, I want to buy 1 excess piece of luggage. Is the cost 110US for 23kg or 32 kg? Can I buy it at the counter of Air China at JFK with cash? Thanks in advance
1. Answer
  Yes it is 200 USD for a bag of less than 32 kg. This new rate is valid from September 17, 2018.
Anzhela11 December 2018

I'm traveling from Pekin to Kathmandu without checked luggage only 1 bag 5kg. Can I take some medicine and vitamins?
1. Answer
  Medicines are allowed only on condition of carrying a prescription of doctor alongwith. Carriage of vitamins will depend on the scutint of airine officials at airport.
Lilli10 December 2018

hello. i am travelling from Paris to Japan. just to confirm,am i allowed to bring 2 baggage x 23kgs? i will bring a backpack as cabin baggage and a handbag. is it OK?
1. Answer
  yes, it is 2 bags of 23 kg each. Backpack as cabin is okay if it is within permitted size limits and a hand purse can be carried along with.
Vilailak Supamongkol9 December 2018

Hi I'm traveling from Lax to Thailand but transit at Beijing how many bag for check in .
1. Answer
  2 bags of 23 kg each are allowed in check in baggage, if this is connection provided by the airline.
Ashley8 December 2018

I am travelling from London to philippines how many baggage allowance i am allowed. My friend travel last year dec and they were allow to have 2 bags of 23kgs each member.
1. Answer
  As per our knowledge, the allowance for Europe routes on Air China is 1 bag of 23 kg in check-in luggage and cabin bag of up to 5 kg in economy class travel. If you are travelling in business class or are a frequent lfyer member, then higher allowance is allowed.
Moises3 December 2018

We are going to fly from Barcelona to Beijing with Airchina.
What is the max weight allowed per person?
Thanks
1. Answer
  1 check in bag of 23 kg is the free allowance for your route in economy class. Cabin allowance is of 1 bag of 5 kg for economy class travellers. If you are flying any other cabin class, please let us know.
IRAM11 October 2018

Hello, i am travelling from Nanjing to islamabad Pakistan via airchina. can i make one luggage of 40 kg as i am allowed to take 46 kg means 2pc? or should i make two bags of 23 kgs?
1. Answer
  It has to be 2 check-in bags of 23 kg each max weight if it is to be taken for free.
Gussie Mae11 October 2018

We are traveling from Houston to Beijing, can you please advise of baggage allowance?
1. Answer
  2 bags of 23 kg each in check in and 1 cabin bag of 5 kg is free allowance for economy class travellers.
  
  We are sorry for late reply because we lost your query due to a technical glitch.
Trish Hannegan7 October 2018

Flying SFO to Beijing on Tuesday on air China flight 986.
I’m going economy. Want to verify how many pieces of baggage is allowed.

Is it one bag checked not to exceed 44 lbs and only one overhead carry on not to exceed 8 lbs?

Is a backpack/purse allowed on carry on with one overhead?

Can I bring a head pillow on
1. Answer
  From SFO to Beijing, free allowance for checkin baggage is 2 pcs of 23 kg each for economy class travel. Cabin allowance is of 5 kg per person. If you are carrying a regular cabin bag, then you do not carry backpack but you can take a hand purse in carryon.
Pj6 October 2018

Hi! I am flying from MNL to Beijing, Economy. May I bring a laptop bag outside of my normal handcarry?
1. Answer
  Yes, it can be carried.
Dannika5 October 2018

I'm travelling to Phuket from Toronto on Air China and laying over in Beijing. I dont want to check my bag so am I allowed to bring a backpack and a carry on luggage on the flight?
1. Answer
  It is better to take either cabin baggage or backpack.

Air China Baggage Allowance