Kenya Airways Baggage and Carry-on

Which regulations on carry-on baggage apply on Kenya Airways flights?

or hand baggage, Kenya Airways offers an allowance of one piece and two accessories. Kenya Airways subscribes to the baggage security guidelines recommended by the International Airline Transport Association (IATA) and its member airlines. Kenya Airways may specify maximum dimensions and/or weight for baggage which you carry on to the aircraft. If the carry-on baggage specifications (size and weight) are not given to you before boarding your flight, please note that all carry-on baggage that you are taking with you must fit either below the seat in front of you or in the space designated for it at the aircraft. If the size or weight of your carry-on baggage does not allow for this to happen, then it should be carried as checked baggage instead.

Which regulations on checked baggage apply on Kenya Airways flights?

You may carry some checked baggage free of charge, subject to Kenya Airways’ conditions and restrictions on the number of piece, weight, and size. You will be required to pay a charge for carriage of baggage in excess of the free baggage allowance.

Carry-on

On all Kenya Airways flights, all passengers are entitled to a hand baggage allowance:

Carry-on Allowance

Economy

Premier World

Hand Baggage

1 piece (max. 55 x 25 x 35 cm)

1 piece (max. 55 x 25 x 35 cm)

Accessories

Handbag, briefcase, laptop, camera bag (max. 40 x 30 x 15 cm)

One other item of a smaller or similar size  +1 duty-free shopping bag

Total Weight

All flights – 12 kg

East Africa & domestic – 12 kg

All other flights – 18 kg

One additional piece of hand baggage (max. 12 kg and 55 x 25 x 35 cm) is permitted for an infant under 2 years not occupying a seat.

Specific items like musical instruments or sports equipment will be allowed in the cabin compartment if you have previously called and alerted the airline, and permission has been granted to you to do so. You might need to pay an extra fee for such items.

Checked Baggage

The Piece Concept sets free baggage allowances for all Kenya Airways flights. There might be some changes on these allowances, based on the aircraft operating the flight. Please keep in mind that flights operated in part by other airlines might have different baggage restrictions. The following baggage allowances apply to all Kenya Airways flights:

Checked Baggage Allowance

Route

Economy

Premier World

Domestic (within Kenya) & East Africa*

1 piece up to 23 kg

1 piece up to 32 kg

Within Africa 1** and 5th Freedom sectors***1 piece up to 23 kg2 pieces up to 32 kg each
Intra Africa 2 (Rest of Africa)
Africa ↔ America / Europe

1 or 2 pieces

up to 23 kg each

2 pieces

up to 32 kg each

Africa ↔ Middle East / Asia (including Bangkok ↔ Guangzhou)

2 pieces

up to 23 kg each

2 pieces

up to 32 kg each

*Kenya, Burundi, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda.
**Djibouti, Ethiopia, Malawi, Seychelles, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

***5th Freedom sectors are all KQ flights operated without touching the Nairobi hub, e.g. Abidjan-Dakar, Bujumbura-Kigali, Bangkok-Hong Kong, Bangkok-Guangzhou.

The following rules and restrictions apply for all checked baggage:

  • Dimensions for all baggage shall not exceed 158 cm (length plus height plus width) for each bag. As an exception, total dimensions shall not exceed 180 cm (71 in) for each bag when flying from Dubai (DXB), Bangkok (BKK), Mumbai (BOM), Hong Kong (HKG), and Guangzhou (CAN).
  • Each piece of checked baggage must not exceed the maximum weight of 32 kg (70 lbs).
  • If you are transferring flights, be sure to check with the other airline if they have different restrictions regarding baggage.

Excess Baggage Charges

All excess baggage is subject to a determined fee. Advance purchase of excess baggage with a 20% discount on airport baggage fee is available up to 24 hours before departure for up to 3 additional pieces of checked baggage up to 23 kg.

Excess baggage fees are based on the route:

1st Additional Bag – Airport Fees*
RouteNairobiDomestic &

East Africa

Africa 1Africa 2Middle East

 & Asia

Europe &

America

Nairobi– 252550200200
Domestic & East Africa25252550225225
Africa 125252550225225
Africa 250505050250225
Middle East & Asia200225225250250250
Europe & America200225225225250250
* 20% discount for advance purchase more than 24 hours before departure.
All charges are in USD, except sales from Europe. From Europe, all fees will be charged in EUR/GBP. The USD rate will be used for conversion in all other currencies.
2nd Additional Bag – Airport Fees*
RouteNairobiDomestic &

East Africa

Africa 1Africa 2Middle East

 & Asia

Europe &

America

Nairobi5050100200200
Domestic & East Africa505050100225225
Africa 1505050100225225
Africa 2100100100100250225
Middle East & Asia200225225250250250
Europe & America200225225225250250
* 20% discount for advance purchase more than 24 hours before departure.
All charges are in USD, except sales from Europe. From Europe, all fees will be charged in EUR/GBP. The USD rate will be used for conversion in all other currencies.
3rd Additional Bag – Airport Fees*
RouteNairobiDomestic &

East Africa

Africa 1Africa 2Middle East

 & Asia

Europe &

America

Nairobi7575150225250
Domestic & East Africa757575150250300
Africa 1757575150250300
Africa 2150150150150300300
Middle East & Asia225250250300300300
Europe & America250300300300300300
* 20% discount for advance purchase more than 24 hours before departure.
All charges are in USD, except sales from Europe. From Europe, all fees will be charged in EUR/GBP. The USD rate will be used for conversion in all other currencies.
Heavy Bag (23.5-32 kg) Fees* – Airport Only
RouteNairobiDomestic &

East Africa

Africa 1Africa 2

Middle East

 & Asia

Europe &

America

Nairobi– 2550505075
Domestic & East Africa252550607575
Africa 1505050607575
Africa 25060606075100
Middle East & Asia5075757575100
Europe & America 757575100100100
* Business Class passengers excluded.
For additional bags, fees are cumulative (i.e., additional bag fee + heavy bag fee).
All charges are in USD, except sales from Europe. From Europe, all fees will be charged in EUR/GBP. The USD rate will be used for conversion in all other currencies.

Any piece of baggage must not exceed 32 kg and 300 cm (L +W + H).

Sports Equipment

Sports equipment (including bike, surfboard, ski equipment, etc.) is considered as a standard piece of checked baggage, but with a maximum size of 300 cm. The maximum weight according to the class of travel applies to sports equipment.

If the sports equipment exceeds the weight limit or the free checked baggage allowance, the applicable excess baggage fees will be charged.

Regarding some sports equipment, the following must be taken into consideration:

  • Booking in advance is required for bikes, ski equipment, and surf equipment longer than 107 cm.
  • Scuba tanks are not considered part of diving equipment but may be accepted as baggage at a charge.

Kayaks and canoes are not accepted as checked baggage.

Baggage Service

Once you deliver your baggage at the airline’s desk, Kenya Airways personnel will give you an identification tag for each suitcase you register. Your luggage should be properly identified with all your information. The airline reserves its right to search. Searches are performed regularly for the security and safety of all passengers. These searches will be done with scanners and/or x-ray machines on your person and/or your luggage.

Whenever possible, Kenya Airways will transport your luggage in the same airplane that you are traveling in. Sometimes, Kenya Airways will decide to transport luggage in a different aircraft for security or space reasons. The baggage will be delivered to the bearer of the baggage tag. In case you lost this tag, you will have to prove in a satisfactory manner that the luggage belongs to you.

You can track lost baggage online if you have a file reference number. In case of delayed baggage, arrangements will be made to have it delivered to your local address when it arrives. However, this service is not available in some countries due to local government restrictions.

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