Book Air India’s cheapest Economy Value fare between the US and India, and you get one checked bag. Not two. Most travelers assume international economy still means two free suitcases, but on Air India it depends on the fare code you clicked.
That single detail drives most of the Air India baggage allowance rules below.
Carry-on and personal item limits
Economy and Premium Economy passengers get one carry-on at 7 kg (15 lb). First and Business Class passengers get 10 kg (22 lb). Both cabins share the same size cap: 55 cm by 40 cm by 20 cm, or 21 in by 15 in by 7 in.
The three sides should add up to no more than 115 cm (45 in). The personal item is where the Air India baggage allowance gets stricter than most US carriers. Delta and United do not weigh your tote or backpack.
Air India caps the personal item at 3 kg (6 lb). A passenger flying with an infant can combine personal and infant items up to 5 kg (11 lb) total.
Checked baggage depends on your fare, not just your cabin
On routes between the US and India, Economy Value gives one piece up to 23 kg (50 lb). Economy Classic and Economy Flex both give two pieces at 23 kg (50 lb) each. Premium Economy carries two pieces at 23 kg (50 lb) on both Value and Flex fares.
Business and First Class travelers get two pieces at 32 kg (70 lb) each. That holds regardless of fare. Flying between India and Canada follows a similar split, with Economy at two pieces of 23 kg (50 lb) and Executive or First at two pieces of 32 kg (70 lb).
Each Business or First piece is capped at 158 cm (62 in) of combined length, width, and height. Economy and Premium Economy pieces share a combined limit of 273 cm (107 in) across both bags. Use the size checker before you pack the second bag to that edge.
What it costs to go over
Air India prices excess baggage on the US to India routes in layers, and the layers stack. Extra weight within your existing piece allowance, up to 32 kg (70 lb), runs 130 USD. An oversized bag within your allowance, up to 203 cm (79 in), also runs 130 USD.
Add a whole extra piece and the fee jumps to 240 USD. Combine that extra piece with excess weight or an oversized bag and it climbs to 370 USD. Push a bag past 203 cm (79 in) as an additional piece and Air India can charge 960 USD.
That single fee buys most of a second ticket. Paying online in advance rather than at the airport counter can save a meaningful percentage. Run the numbers first with the baggage cost calculator.
Where the published numbers and the booking site disagree
The Air India baggage allowance above covers the direct US to India routes. A connecting itinerary through a third country can be a different story. One traveler flying Air India from New York to London on a connecting ticket reported being quoted a one bag, 20 kg limit at the airport, well under the two piece allowance their booking site had listed.
The overage fee quoted for that flight ran into the thousands of dollars once converted per kilo. Nothing on Air India’s own site flagged the risk for that routing. The lesson: confirm the allowance for your exact routing at booking, not just the headline India figures.
Rules that only bite on the US route
Air India does not carry pets in the cabin or the hold on non-stop flights between the US and India. The one exception is a certified service dog traveling with a disabled passenger, carried free.
Powder like substances over 350 mL (12 oz) in carry-on baggage face extra screening on flights headed to the US. That is a TSA rule layered on top of the Air India baggage allowance. Cremated remains must travel in an X-ray transparent urn so security can see through it.
How Air India stacks up against other full service carriers
Air India’s checked allowance largely matches Lufthansa or British Airways out of the US. Two bags in economy, generous weight caps up front. The gap shows up in the fine print: that Value fare dropping to one bag, and a personal item weight limit almost nobody else enforces.
Flying a mixed itinerary with a low cost carrier on one leg? Check our general carry-on rules guide first. You do not want to apply Air India’s numbers to a different airline’s bag.
The bottom line
Read your fare code before you pack. Value gets you one bag. Classic and Flex get you two, and the size and weight math barely changes above that.
The one number worth writing down is the personal item cap. At 3 kg (6 lb), it is easy to exceed with a laptop, charger, and a jacket stuffed in on a cold morning. Every published figure above came from Air India’s own site, checked against the official Air India baggage allowance page for US flights.
See our editorial policy for how we check and recheck the Air India baggage allowance against the carrier directly.
Some links on this page are Amazon affiliate links. If you buy through one, Carry On Sizes may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. It never changes what we recommend. How this works.
More airlines in Asia
See every carrier in the Asia index.