Air Seychelles caps domestic cabin bags at just 5kg. That is one of the tightest carry-on weight limits in the Indian Ocean region. The Air Seychelles baggage allowance shifts sharply depending on whether you fly between the islands or on a regional route to places like Mumbai or Johannesburg.
Getting this wrong at Mahe airport can mean a bag gets pulled at the gate. Air Seychelles does not fly to the United States. Most American travelers reach it by connecting through a partner like Etihad Airways or another regional carrier.
On a through ticket, the baggage rule that applies is usually set by whichever carrier sold the whole itinerary. It is worth confirming this at booking. A mixed itinerary can carry baggage fees from either partner, and the fare rules decide which one wins.
Air Seychelles baggage allowance for carry-on bags
Air Seychelles allows one cabin bag up to 55 by 40 by 20 centimeters. In inches that is roughly 21.7 by 15.7 by 7.9. A small personal item, such as a laptop bag or slim briefcase, travels alongside it.
The weight limit is where this Air Seychelles baggage allowance stands apart from most global carriers. On domestic Mahe to Praslin hops the limit is a strict 5kg for every passenger, resident or visitor.
On regional international routes the cabin allowance rises. Economy gets 7kg and Business gets 12kg, so check which type of flight you hold before packing. A quick pass through the size checker confirms whether a bag clears the dimension limit either way.
Personal item rules
The personal item has to be small: a handbag, laptop bag, slim backpack or briefcase. It travels next to the cabin bag but does not carry its own separate weight cap.
Travelers who show up with a full size backpack as their second item often find it counted against the same weight ceiling as the main cabin bag.
Checked baggage allowance
Checked bags on any Air Seychelles flight must stay within 90 by 75 by 43 centimeters. No single piece can weigh more than 32kg.
On domestic flights, residents get 15kg free and non residents get 23kg free, both capped at 32kg per item. On regional international flights, Business includes 40kg total and Economy includes 30kg.
Infants under two get a 10kg checked allowance. It can cover a car seat or a collapsible stroller.
Anyone unsure what a bag actually weighs before leaving home can run the numbers through the baggage cost tool first.
Excess and overweight fees
Domestic excess baggage runs SCR 85 per kilogram for residents and SCR 110 per kilogram for non residents. Regional international excess runs USD 8 per kilogram when paid online, with a five kilogram minimum charge.
Nothing over 32kg travels as checked baggage at all. A bag past that weight, or past the size limit above, has to go as cargo instead, at the passenger’s own cost.
What travelers actually run into
Forum threads from travelers flying the Mahe to Praslin hop describe the 5kg cabin limit as genuinely enforced. It is not just a number on a poster. Regulars advise packing a soft duffel or small backpack rather than a rigid case.
A bag that looks oversized tends to get sent to the hold anyway. One recurring tip from Seychelles travel forums is that liquid restrictions only bind the cabin bag, since checked luggage carries no such limit.
Security at Mahe is also described as fairly relaxed about drinking from a water bottle at the checkpoint. Travelers say the empty bottle can then continue onward, a small comfort on a hot island transfer.
Packing around a strict weight limit
A 5kg cabin allowance is closer to what a low-cost European carrier charges for than a typical international limit. Treat any inter island Air Seychelles segment like a strict budget flight.
Weigh the bag at home before heading out, since gate agents at small island airports do check. Leave the heavy items for the checked bag, where the domestic allowance is far more generous.
A short read through general packing guidance helps before a trip built around island hopping rather than one long haul flight.
Restricted and connecting itineraries
Anyone flying in on a codeshare or interline ticket should check both the marketing carrier’s restricted items policy and the Air Seychelles domestic limits. The two rarely match.
The safest approach is to pack to the tighter of the two limits on any trip with an inter island leg. The TSA rules on the US portion of a connecting itinerary still apply for liquids and electronics.
Those TSA rules sit separate from whatever Air Seychelles enforces once you land in the islands. A traveler starting from a US airport should plan for both sets of rules, not just one.
The bottom line
The Air Seychelles baggage allowance splits cleanly along one line. Domestic island hops carry a tight 5kg cabin limit and a modest checked allowance, while regional international routes carry a more normal 7kg to 12kg cabin allowance and 30kg to 40kg checked allowance.
Pack for the tighter domestic number if your trip includes any inter island leg. Confirm which fare rules govern a connecting ticket before you fly, and weigh everything before leaving the hotel rather than at the check-in counter.
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