- Where
- Fare or baggage details column, per sector
- kg number
- Weight concept: the total is what counts
- 1PC or 2PC
- Piece concept: bag count, each with its own cap
- Every sector
- Allowances can differ per leg
- Cabin vs checked
- Separate lines, separate limits
On most e-tickets and booking summaries, the baggage allowance sits in the fare or baggage details section, written either as a weight like 15 kg or 30 kg, or as a piece count like 1PC or 2PC. A plain weight means the total kilos are what the allowance counts; a PC number means that many bags, each with its own per-piece limit. If your trip has multiple sectors, read the allowance for each sector separately, because the same ticket can use different systems on different legs. When the line is unclear, the airline's baggage page for your exact route is the final word.
That is the whole skill: find the baggage line, decode whether it is counting kilos or bags, and check each sector. The details below make sure the small print does not ambush you at the check-in counter.
Where the allowance is printed
On the e-ticket itself, look for a baggage or allowance column in the flight details table, usually next to the cabin class and fare type for each flight sector. Booking confirmation emails and the airline app repeat the same information under fare details or baggage. If all you can find is a vague word like Standard or Saver, that is the fare brand; open the fare details or the airline's baggage page to translate the brand into actual kilos or pieces.
Decoding what the line says
Two notations cover almost everything:
- A weight, like 15 kg or 30 kg: the weight concept. The total is what counts. IndiGo's domestic allowance works this way at 15 kg per person, and Air India lists weight allowances like 25 to 35 kg on many routes, varying by sector and fare brand. Air India separately allows only one check-in piece when the free allowance is under 25 kg.
- A piece count, like 1PC or 2PC: the piece concept. That many bags, each within its own per-piece weight. On Air India's piece-concept routes such as the US, Canada and Europe, economy fares list one or two pieces of up to 23 kg each depending on the fare brand, and business or first list two pieces of up to 32 kg each.
If the ticket shows both a piece count and a weight, both conditions apply: the number of bags and the per-piece limit.
Read every sector, not just the first
Multi-leg tickets print an allowance per flight sector, and they can differ. A domestic leg feeding an international one may show a different number, and IndiGo notes that on its domestic sectors connecting to another airline's international flight, the allowance is 15 kg per passenger with excess charged per kg beyond that. The most restrictive leg is the one your packing has to respect, so read the line for every sector before you zip the bag.
Do not mix up the two allowances
The ticket or the airline page lists cabin and checked allowances separately, and they are not interchangeable. IndiGo's cabin allowance, for example, is one handbag up to 7 kg and 115 cm total dimensions, plus one personal article like a purse or small laptop bag up to 3 kg. Checked allowance is a separate line entirely. Reading the cabin line as your checked allowance is how people end up repacking on the airport floor, a performance nobody enjoys.
When in doubt, verify against the airline page
Allowances change by route, fare brand, date, and codeshare, and the e-ticket line is only a summary. The authoritative check is the airline's own baggage page for your exact route and cabin: Air India and IndiGo both publish route-wise tables, including piece counts, per-piece weights, and size caps like the common 158 cm total dimension for a checked piece. Two minutes on that page beats twenty at the excess baggage counter.
Common questions
My ticket says 15K. What does the K mean?
It stands for kilos: a 15 kg weight allowance under the weight concept, where the total is what counts. On IndiGo's domestic 15 kg allowance the number of bags is your choice within size limits; on Air India, an allowance under 25 kg means one check-in piece.
My ticket says 2PC. How much can I carry in total?
Two checked bags, each within its per-piece limit. On Air India's piece-concept routes, that is up to 23 kg per piece in economy, so up to about 46 kg across two correctly packed bags, not one bag of 46 kg.
Why does my ticket show different allowances for different flights?
Each sector carries its own allowance, and a connecting itinerary can mix systems and airlines. Read every sector's line and pack for the strictest one.
The ticket only shows a fare name like Saver. Where is the allowance?
The fare brand maps to an allowance on the airline's baggage page. Open the route-wise table for your cabin and brand there, because the ticket line itself is only a summary.
Is cabin baggage included in the checked allowance number?
No. Cabin and checked allowances are separate lines with separate limits, like IndiGo's 7 kg cabin handbag plus a 3 kg personal article. Neither borrows from the other.
Sources checked on 24 October 2026: IndiGo baggage allowance, Air India checked baggage allowance. Allowances vary by route, fare and date, so confirm on your ticket and the airline page before packing.
A Miranda House graduate and lawyer who traded courtrooms for slow travel. Cheshta travels with the batches we host ourselves, with a soft spot for travelling alongside elders.
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