SAS Scandinavian Airlines Checked Baggage

SAS caps every checked bag at 32 kg. The last few kilos above 23 kg cost extra on most fares. The SAS checked baggage allowance runs on ticket type first and destination second.

The same bag can be free on one fare and a paid extra on another. Economy Light carries no checked bag at all, and that detail catches the most travelers by surprise.

This page covers the checked side of the SAS checked baggage allowance in full. It covers fare allowances, the size limit, what SAS will not carry in the hold, and the counter when a bag comes in heavy. See the SAS Scandinavian Airlines baggage page for cabin bag numbers.

The SAS baggage fees guide already covers prepaid pricing in full, so it is not repeated here.

Checked allowance by fare

SAS bundles baggage into fare families rather than selling one flat piece count. The SAS checked baggage page sets the size ceiling at 158 cm total. That is length plus width plus height, and it works out to about 62 inches.

Per bag weight runs from 23 kg up to 32 kg. It depends on ticket type and EuroBonus tier, per the record’s fare notes.

Economy Light includes no checked bag and no cabin bag either. Economy Standard and Flex add a checked allowance on top of the cabin bag. Premium and Business go up to 32 kg per bag.

Greenland routes carry their own cap of 30 kg per bag. That is lower than the 32 kg ceiling SAS allows elsewhere. A bag packed for a Copenhagen connection to Nuuk needs checking against the tighter number.

What SAS will not carry in the hold

SAS follows the standard airline line on lithium batteries. Loose spare batteries and power banks travel in the cabin, never inside a checked bag. A battery fire in the hold cannot be reached in flight, which is the reason behind the rule.

A smart bag with a battery that cannot be removed gets the same treatment across the industry. The battery has to come out and travel with you, or the bag has to be checked without it.

Firearms and sporting equipment such as skis or golf clubs need to be declared at check-in. SAS did not publish a standalone list of restricted checked items apart from its general conditions of carriage. Anything unusual is worth confirming with SAS directly before packing it.

Connecting flights and codeshares

On a multi carrier itinerary, SAS says the baggage policy of the first operating airline applies for the whole trip. That is not the SAS allowance for a SAS leg further down the route. On a codeshare through a US partner, the first carrier’s rules decide what is included.

The US Department of Transportation applies a most significant carrier rule on mixed domestic and international tickets. It steps in when the operating carriers disagree on baggage terms.

Overweight and oversize charges

A bag between 23.1 and 28 kg costs 90 USD on North America routes. One between 28.1 and 32 kg costs 160 USD. Both are payable at the airport, not online.

Europe and Scandinavia routes run cheaper, and domestic Scandinavian flights cheaper still. The same overweight bag costs more the longer the route gets.

Anything over 158 cm total is billed at the overweight rates. There is no separate oversize band. SAS does not publish a way to move weight between two checked bags to duck an overweight charge.

Airline counters generally weigh bags one at a time, not as a pooled total. Packing to 23 kg with a hard target is the surest way to avoid a surprise at the desk.

Bags built for the 23 kg line

SAS prices overweight bags in 5 kg bands. The empty weight of the suitcase itself decides how much you get to pack. Run your own fare through the baggage cost calculator before you pack.

• The Travelpro Maxlite 5 25 inch expandable spinner is one of the lighter 25 inch cases sold. That leaves more of the 23 kg limit for what goes inside.
• The Travelpro Maxlite 5 29 inch scales the same low empty weight up for a longer trip. It suits a Premium or Business fare with the 32 kg allowance.
• The Samsonite Omni PC 24 inch sits well inside the 158 cm limit at 62 total linear inches. It leaves room to spare at a strict gate.
• The Samsonite Omni PC 28 inch is large enough that weight, not size, becomes the real limit. The 32 kg cap runs out before the case does.
• The Amazon Basics 30 inch hardside checked luggage is priced low but worth measuring first. A 30 inch case can push past the SAS limit once packed full.

An Etekcity digital luggage scale answers the overweight question at home. The SAS overweight fee is fixed once the bag is on the counter belt.

How SAS compares

Against other European network carriers, the SAS checked baggage allowance sits in the middle of the pack. Lufthansa’s checked baggage allowance runs a similar 23 kg standard weight. KLM’s checked bag rules follow the same pattern of a 23 kg included piece with paid extras above it.

Where SAS differs is Economy Light, which strips out the checked bag entirely. That is closer to a low cost structure layered onto a full service airline. Reading the fare name carefully matters more on SAS than on a carrier that includes a bag on every ticket.

The bottom line

Book anything above Economy Light if a checked bag is coming. Weigh it at home against the 23 kg line. Remember that a connecting itinerary can shift the SAS checked baggage allowance to whichever carrier flies the first leg.

The general checked baggage weight limit guide covers how these bands work across airlines when your trip involves more than one carrier.

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