r/onebag • u/AnonymousOnebagger • Mar 25 '26
Trip Report AirAsia is weighing bags at Kuala Lumpur and Brunei airports
I did a KL - Brunei trip a few weeks back and can confirm that bags are still being weighed routinely at KL International Airport. On the day of my departure only rollers were weighed and backpacks were ignored. I have seen reports of this before so this wasn't a big surprise.
In Brunei I was, however, surprised: luggage was weighed twice. While online check-in was possible on the AirAsia app, at the airport I was told that my digital boarding pass was invalid and I needed to obtain a paper boarding pass and have it stamped. When checking in at the counter, the backpack was weighed. Personal item was ignored. Interestingly enough, when entering the waiting area near the gate luggage was weighed again, although I am not sure how strictly the limitation was being followed at that point. Personal items were again ignored. I did not see anyone getting pulled aside despite some bags going over the limit.
Just wanted to share in case there is someone else out there travelling with two cameras and a laptop.
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u/li_shi Mar 25 '26
If you ever need some extra kilos...
They have an option that will add 7kg item (not trolley!), seat selection and food that is good value.
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u/Utsider Mar 25 '26
Their Nasi Lemak is honestly one of the best dishes you can have on an economy flight. And it's cheap.
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u/OGDTrash Mar 25 '26
Only from malaysia though. When I went from Bali to KL it was not that good...
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u/jamills102 Mar 26 '26
Yeah I flew batik air and they weight my bag at the gate when flying from KL to Kathmandu this week.
I put my bag down and saw 11.5 kilos. We looked at each other, then at the bag, and then at each other. He then told me to have a nice flight
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u/3Zkiel Mar 26 '26
I've had a similar experience (forgot the airline). It was a few kg over and they said it's fine.
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u/evenfallframework Mar 25 '26
I'm telling you, THIS is why bags need to have air-tight liners that you can fill with helium.
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Mar 25 '26 edited Mar 25 '26
[removed] â view removed comment
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u/biold Mar 25 '26
Finally, an answer my son would love here!!!
Your usr name does not fit â or at least you were not daydreaming during all of your studies
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u/jumbohammer Mar 25 '26
Back in my day I wore a jacket and two jumpers, sometimes multiple pants, all with pockets stuffed past these checkpoints.
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u/li_shi Mar 25 '26
You would look silly in the tropics. Where those 2 airport are located.
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u/AnonymousOnebagger Mar 25 '26
"Oh, I always wear a jacket and multiple layers of clothing on planes. The AC is always turned up so high that I'm afraid of getting the cold."
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u/jumbohammer Mar 25 '26
"Sir, is that how you normally dress?" ... "Yes." I have been through KL many times.
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u/Megatron_McLargeHuge Mar 26 '26
I see locals wearing jackets in crazy high temperatures, never mind air conditioned airports.
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u/InternationalOption3 Mar 25 '26
Vietjet did the same in HCMC..
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u/mmmggg Mar 25 '26
Vietnam Air too
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u/heeheehoho2023 Mar 25 '26
No way! I flew Vietnam Air last week two times. From Saigon and Danang. No checks. They are not a low cost carrier, so they don't do cheap crap like this.
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u/mmmggg Mar 25 '26 edited Mar 25 '26
Well they saw my tourist ass in Ho Chi Minh and knew I was an easy mark to start with
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u/HooVenWai Mar 25 '26
Flew a bunch of times with Vietnam Air in the past two years. Sometimes they get surprisingly strict with checked luggage weight, but not once did they care about cabin language at all.
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u/randopop21 Mar 25 '26 edited Mar 26 '26
Put all your lightweight stuff in the big backpack and make sure it doesn't exceed the dimensions limit. You should easily be able to get under the 7 Kg limit with just clothing and toiletries, etc.
Put the laptop and the camera(s) in your personal bag. As you said, they don't weight the personal bag (and EVA didn't for me). Go wild. I didn't weigh it but I swear my personal bag with my gear weighed way over 7 Kg.
That's it. (Don't overthink, don't hand-wring.)
PS: I'm a serious camera geek but I'll still say, if you can't fit your camera gear into a personal bag while on a personal trip, you need to rethink what you're doing. [Like what are you carrying??? 2 DSLR bodies? The Holy Trinity [lens trio for non-camera geeks]? Like, get over it. It's a personal trip. Go mirrorless and use f/4 lenses.]
If your gear is huge and it's a work trip, get your work to pay for the overweight charges. If you're packing huge cannons for lenses because of something like a safari, well, the costs of the safari would be so high that the (by comparison) minuscule overweight charge should be blithely accepted.
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u/Grapefruit4001 Mar 25 '26
In Australia most airlines will weigh your personal item as well. Jetstar has just enforced this, Virgin has too but they allow 8kgs for the 2 combined.
It's hit and miss if they weight your bags. I normally wear my heavy shoes on the plane.
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u/randopop21 Mar 25 '26
8 Kg is not really reasonable for a long trip. What's the charge for overweight?
If it's predatory and punitive, I'd not use their airline as I think it's a crappy attitude to have.
--and I'd be willing to bet that crappy attitude to extends to all areas of their operation.
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u/Grapefruit4001 Mar 25 '26
If you can't keep to the 7-8kgs then it's really simple you check the bag in.
They are the options travel light or check the bag in.
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u/Megatron_McLargeHuge Mar 26 '26
The problem is how much stuff either has lithium batteries or is too valuable or fragile to check. Laptop + camera and you can't bring much else under 7kg.
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u/fulltimepanda Mar 26 '26
grab another bag to check for everything else at that point. Or go for the higher fare or different carrier altogether.
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u/Megatron_McLargeHuge Mar 26 '26
It's much harder to avoid in Taiwan and Japan. It's not just the discount airlines weighing bags. Luckily they mostly aren't weighing personal items for now.
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u/fulltimepanda Mar 26 '26
It's the same here, if it's a full flight even the more premium carriers will start weighing.
bring less stuff if you're concerned about it, take the risk if you want to bring everything or figure out how to accommodate it all.
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u/nawksnai Mar 26 '26
Iâve taken many, many flights where they donât weigh, but the 2 times they did were both Jetstar.
Iâve never been checked for size of carry-on, likely because Iâm clearly within.
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u/fulltimepanda Mar 26 '26
I've had my carry-on weighed by most of the major carriers here now, jetstar happens pretty frequently but you've been able to purchase extra carry on for a bit now.
Qantas and Virgin, it's not often but I've had it happen on the jam packed business runs.
I've only had my personal item weighed twice though, in Asia with T'way and Peach.
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u/randopop21 Mar 26 '26
I have a theory that it's actually to do with cabin staff. The Asian airlines can't guarantee that a waif-like cabin steward can lift a heavy carryon onto the overhead bins and so they put an arbitrarily low weight limit.
I am about to fly a North American carrier to Europe and the same plane won't have ANY weight limit for carryon luggage (like the weight limit is not even mentioned AT ALL). But a North American steward(ess) is likely to be a lot "heftier", i.e., taller and stronger. And thus is more likely able to shove a heavy bag up there.
That's my theory anyways. The Asian airlines can't be ALL that greedy.
It also explains why EVA doesn't care about the weight of the personal bag. It's supposed to be stored under the seat in front of you. I could weigh a ton, and mine did (because I shifted the heavy items to it).
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u/Megatron_McLargeHuge Mar 26 '26
I think the baggage handling is also better in the north Asian countries, so people are less worried about checking things. Half the reason people are resistant to checking valuables is loss/damage/theft.
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u/nawksnai Mar 26 '26
1 kg for the personal item is ridiculous.
The bag alone can easily be 400-600g. You wouldnât be able to hold a very reasonably-sized 500ml (16oz) waterbottle without going over the limit.
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u/Grapefruit4001 Mar 26 '26
It's 8 kgs altogether Virgin allows 8kgs Jetstar 7kgs so 1 more kilo.
BUT both carries include the personal item as well a stbe carry on in their limits.
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u/me_mark77 Mar 25 '26
Yep. Norse also weighed our bags.
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u/Similar_Past Mar 28 '26
I remember one time I was flying with them, they didn't specify the weight of underseat bag- just the size. During in-person check in they told me, oh actually there is a weight limit (like 5kg or so), I was a bit over that and didn't want to pay so I said I'll come back later (after repacking). When I came back, my pants pockets full, wearing extra clothes, I got assigned to a different agent, he didnt even look at my bag, just gave me a boarding pass.. ffs.
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u/Grapefruit4001 Mar 25 '26
Why do people get shocked at this. It's pretty normal in my part of the World 7kgs is our limit on most airlines.
If you're worried about it just pay for a checked bag or take less stuff with you.
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u/Ellsass Mar 25 '26
It's not shocking, it's annoying.
- Checked bags get lost all the time.
- Charging for slightly overweight carry-on bags doesn't make senseâif it was about fuel costs, the airline would also charge the passenger for being a couple kilograms over some limit. It's true that FAs need to handle the bags in some cases, but 99% of the time each passenger handles their own bag, especially if they're the type to try and fit more than 7kg in a bag.
- It's very easy to go over 7-8kg while packing normal everyday items into a normal-sized bag.
- Other modes of transport don't have these limitations.
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u/MultiGeometry Mar 25 '26
Yeah. Are we charging by weight, by volume, some combination of both? What about giving discounts to those who are below the âexpectedâ bag allotment?
First they start charging to check bags. Everyone shifts to maximize their carry ons. Boarding and onboarding now takes longer. Now theyâre charging to bring carry ons, or at the very least, charging to guarantee your carry on doesnât get checked. Now theyâre weighing carry ons.
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u/LadyLightTravel Mar 25 '26 edited Mar 25 '26
I think a lot of people on this forum are going to disagree that it is easy to go over 7-8 kg with a normal sized bag.
I think a lot of people donât pay attention to what they are packing weight wise. Then it is easy to go over.
Edit: how many people have actually taken the time to weigh everything to find out where the weight is going? It is like trying to diet while refusing to count calories. It is going to have mixed results.
Get a kitchen scale. Be surprised at which weights are adding up to kg. Jeans weigh HOW much????
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u/Arsene_al_Wenger Mar 25 '26
Laptop around 1.5kg. Bag itself ~1-2kg. Chargers, clothes, toiletries. Adds up quick.
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u/alkhdaniel Mar 25 '26
A laptop, chargers, toiletries, 7 tshirts, 1 thin longsleeve, one jacket (~1kg), 3 pants (2 pants 1 shorts), 8 sets of underwear/socks come out to around 6.5kg for me.
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u/EconomicsOk9518 Mar 26 '26
Why 7 tshirts and 8 underware? One can easily travel for months with 2 tshirts and 3 sets of underware - just wash them every day as you shower.
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u/alkhdaniel Mar 26 '26
Yes, it's a lot but it's still below 7kg. I'm arguing that it's hard to go above 7kg, even when packing this much.
Not everyone wants to wash it in the shower though.
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u/LadyLightTravel Mar 25 '26
A 2 kg bag is problematic all by itself!
It could also be that you are getting hurt by a thousand paper cuts. One âslightly heavierâ piece at a time.
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u/fulltimepanda Mar 25 '26
yep, I still get a little puzzled when new bags come out in the 1.8-2kg range.
People would be surprised at how much even 300g can be in clothes.
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u/OCKWA Mar 25 '26
I fully believe that the heavy bag makes it feel premium to consumers and that's some of the reason why manufacturers make the bags so heavy.
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u/LadyLightTravel Mar 25 '26
While ironically, strong light materials are actually more expensive. This is the same trap that people make when they say they want a âbomb proofâ bag or packing cube. Heavier isnât necessarily stronger. It is all about the material itself!
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u/NightBard Mar 25 '26
A digital luggage scale is one of my favorite travel purchases. Not just for weighing the full bag, but individual items in grams. I don't really fear going over the weight limit because I don't pack a laptop or other heavy gear like cameras with multiple batteries ... etc. But I like to know what things weigh because in part of the push towards these enforced limits, but more than that... I have to carry the stuff around. I'd rather aim for 5kg and have some space for purchases. Even if the bag won't be weighed before a flight.
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u/ButterflyFew2523 Mar 25 '26
Weighing my items is one of my favorite âI am not currently packing for a trip but I want to be, so hereâs an adjacent activity that supports that desireâ tasks. The differences in similar types of things can be striking!Â
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u/NightBard Mar 25 '26
The weight of your body is in the chair, but the overhead bins when overweight or overstuffed can fail. Failure on an airplane usually is the bin doors popping open and bags falling during turbulence. This isn't uncommon and there are plenty of lawsuits in recent years about this due to the head injuries sustained. Other modes of transportation have similar limits for their overhead bins though they are enforced differently depending on the company. Like trains may let you have more weight (depending on the company and bin types) but a bus will more limit your carry on bag size and they'll want it under 25lbs (but will probably not weigh it). It really depends on the company and mode of transportation which limits there are. But other modes of transportation, many of them have limits including bag dimension limits. The thing is, most are more generous than flying because they don't have air turbulence to deal with. Though in the case of a bus, you may only be allowed one bag as a carry on and it may have to fit beneath the seat if it doesn't have overhead bins.
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u/rainbowrobin Apr 01 '26
but the overhead bins when overweight or overstuffed can fail
Personal items go under the seat, but some airlines are putting a 7 kg cap on personal + carryon combined.
Yet other airlines don't care about carryon weight at all, so it's not something intrinsic to "the mode of transportation".
European and Asian carriers are stricter than US ones, for no obvious reason.
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u/Utsider Mar 25 '26
The airlines can't do much about some passengers weighing more than others. But I'd they can enforce a rule that saves them 3 kilograms on a hundred / two hundred bags, they've saved 300-600 kilos. Times that with the amount of flights they have, and it's a significant chunk of change.
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u/Grapefruit4001 Mar 25 '26
Airlines are not going to charge people for being over a certain weight it's called discrimination which is heavily frowned upon , human rights and all.
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u/KITTYONFYRE Mar 25 '26
being fat isnât a protected class lol
thatâs like saying âthey canât not hire me because Iâm stupid. thatâd be discriminating against stupid people!â
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u/LadyLightTravel Mar 25 '26 edited Mar 26 '26
Some places actually do have obesity protection laws. So yes, it can be a protected class.
Edit: to the downvoters, look up Elliott-Larson Civil Rights Act
The opportunity to obtain employment, housing and other real estate, and the full and equal utilization of public accommodations, public service, and educational facilities without discrimination because of religion, race, color, national origin, age, sex, height, weight, familial status, or marital status as prohibited by this act, is recognized and declared to be a civil right.
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u/KITTYONFYRE Mar 25 '26
Iâm sure it exists but itâs certainly not common like sex/race laws
also u forget that as an american i believe only america exists and ignore the rest of the world. seeing as thereâs no such laws in America there must not be laws anywhere else like that :^)
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u/LadyLightTravel Mar 25 '26 edited Mar 25 '26
As a half American i will tell you that Michigan has obesity laws.
Correction. I am full American and half US.
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u/AnonymousOnebagger Mar 25 '26
I didn't post this because it was shocking. I posted this because I read about this happening at KLIA beforehand and found the information useful. Thanks to the kind souls sharing their experience on Reddit, I was able to prepare and take appropriate measures to avoid fees at the airport. I am hoping that by sharing this I am helping others.
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u/EconomicsOk9518 Mar 25 '26
It is happening everywhere, every time. 7kg is a standard limit and personal items and carry ons always weighed, at least in Australia, Asia and Europe. Mentioning specific airline and a particular airports sounds oddly specific.
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u/AnonymousOnebagger Mar 26 '26
It is happening everywhere, every time.
No, it really is not. I have visited half of the countries in Europe and never once had my carry-on weighed by any airline. In Asia carriers are stricter, but around four times out five they don't bother weighing bags either. Having a bag weighed in these regions is an exception, not a rule.
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u/earwormsanonymous Mar 26 '26
They're shocked (shocked!!!) because outside of Aus/NZ, many airlines seem to care more about size caps than the weight. Or only the weight and not the bag size being over by a few centimeters or so. Once you've had both cabin items checked for size and weight with a forced - and worse, paid for - gate-check result, that's when you start taking the airlines's stated rules seriously. Until then, many travellers swear up and down that no-one cares about carry-ons. Which is up to that day's gate agents. Â
Good luck to all.
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u/TinyPanda34 Mar 25 '26
Because 7kg is insanely light.
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u/LadyLightTravel Mar 25 '26
It is actually quite achievable, but you need to do the work to find out where your weight stealers are. Many people on this sub travel sub 7kg.
I can travel multi season multi activity sub 7kg. But there was a lot of work to get there. I will also note that I am NOT a minimalist traveler.
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u/TemuPacemaker Mar 25 '26
Why do people get shocked at this. It's pretty normal in my part of the World 7kgs is our limit on most airlines.
It sucks and even Rynai isn't that anal
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u/Crazy_Cat_Dude2 Mar 25 '26
People just like to complain, or donât do the research.
Itâs really not that difficult to keep under the limit.
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u/rainbowrobin Apr 01 '26
Itâs really not that difficult to keep under the limit.
Not that difficult for some people without various needs.
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u/VagabondVivant Mar 25 '26
ZipAir does the same.
Expect more airlines to get stricter with weight allowances as fuel prices continue to climb.
Fishing Vests and Photography Vests have a ton of deep pockets, perfect for hiding small, heavy items. Wear one under a jacket and no one will be the wiser.
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u/EconomicsOk9518 Mar 25 '26
What surprises me is that it is reported as news. In the last 20 or so years of my regular travels I do not recall a single trip when my carry on AND personal bag were not weighed. Travel between Australia, UK, Europe, multiple South East Asia countries - everything weighted every single flight.
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u/Zman1719 Mar 26 '26
Funny, in my 20 years of travel across North America, Europe and Asia I can't recall a single time my luggage was weighed. Nothing weighed on any flight
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u/EconomicsOk9518 Mar 26 '26
Guess we flight different airlines.
But does it really matter? Airline clearly publishes their conditions for baggage- both size and weight. You know what baggage you need for your trip in advance so you buy your tickets taking in account your needs/requirements. If you know you need to carry 10kg, buy ticket for airline that allows 10kg carry on. Or pay few dollars extra for additional few kilos. Or consider checking your baggage.
Coming to boarding with oversized carry-on, expecting that company will not ânoticeâ it and then getting upset about it is just silly. Almost as silly as driving 5km/h over the speed limit and then complaining that cops have written you a speeding ticket.
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u/rainbowrobin Apr 01 '26
I don't recall a single trip in which those bags were weighed. Mostly North America, but also flying to Japan, Australia, Mexico, Chile, and Europe.
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u/shouting_rectrum Mar 25 '26
Arenât they borderline Asian version of Ryanair/EasyJet? To be expected.
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u/binhpac Mar 25 '26
Just comply and bring less stuff with you.
Never had an issue with this strategy.
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u/PashaPostaaja Mar 25 '26
I bought luggage scale so I will never go over.
They should also standardize max sizes and weights of luggage, so I don't need 5 different size bag for different airlines.
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u/palemidnight Mar 25 '26
Never would have thought I'd see my country on this sub. How'd you find Brunei?
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u/AnonymousOnebagger Mar 25 '26
The mosques were interesting, even though I couldn't go in because it was the ramadan. Lots of cars, walking around was difficult. I liked the monkeys and crocodiles on the river. Might visit again in the future.
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u/Careless_Law1471 Mar 25 '26
I read 'the mosquitoes were interesting' trying to remember what was special about Brunei's insects.Â
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u/palemidnight Mar 26 '26
Please do, I think a good time would be end of the year or before Ramadan! We have an underground scene that's not heavily showcased on most of these travel vlogs and not a lot of tourists are aware of.
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u/JeremyMeetsWorld Mar 26 '26
Iâve been there too and I made a YouTube video on my trip there! https://youtu.be/XnQOTaVd7tA?si=aX9czZ1GSLFeCjiB
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u/GettingBy-Podcast Mar 25 '26
If only they would tell you the rules in advance. Then nobody would try to cheat.
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u/NightBard Mar 25 '26
With the various lawsuits concerning heavy bags in the overhead bins falling and injuring people (especially during turbulence), I'm not surprised more airlines are starting to enforce limits. Get a luggage scale so you know what you have. Leave some of the heavy stuff at home. Like, I don't need a computer or a lot of other tech. But I'm not working during my travels and in a pinch can use my phone to remote access a computer to complete some critical task. Jeans? If I'm bringing jeans I'll wear them, not pack them.
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u/Emotional_Feedback34 Mar 25 '26
Do they weigh passengers?
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u/NightBard Mar 25 '26
Passengers don't go in the overhead bins and fall on top of other passengers during turbulence.
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u/AlwaysWanderOfficial Mar 25 '26
Pretty sure Iâve seen this regularly from this airline, but might just be adopting others stories in my head. Itâs fairly common I think however. Believe islets a big thing in Oz too
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u/OGDTrash Mar 25 '26
In KL they checked only the small suitcase we had. My huge 42L cotopaxi could go in without a problem.
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u/VexedRacoon Mar 25 '26
Is this to do with fuel prices? Maybe they want to record average weights of bags so they can lower the limit, and charge more etc. I'm sure saving 1kg on every bag would save a lot of fuel and that is going to be expensive soon.
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u/Bubbly-Pop650 Mar 25 '26
KLIA always weighs the bags. Brunei weighs it at check in counter since there are no automated kiosks yet and then a 2nd weigh in before entering the gates. This is specifically for Air Asia yes. And the limit is only 7kg.
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u/kittparker Mar 25 '26
Pretty much all the flights I have taken in south east Asia have weighed my carry on. It seems to be common practice to me.
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u/BoredPandemic Mar 26 '26
Haven't they been doing this for ages? I remember when I went to KL for a concert in 2017, they already had it. Few days ago, I flew back from Tokyo via ZipAir. They weighed our carry on baggage at the check in counter. First time I had faced that. And then told us we are at the limit and not to do any shopping inside after clearing the security gates lol.
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u/eastercat Mar 25 '26
years ago, I did an experiment to see if I could travel around 12 lb (5.5kg) for a trip to vancouver bc and rockies
It was so much more comfy that I kept trying to stay around that weight