As you know, budget airlines give cheaper tickets for flying without checked in baggage. Some of my last trips were using this type of flight, and sometimes made me confusing about how big items and how much liquid I could bring in.
When I traveled alone to Borneo, I brought one big bag and one backpack. I did not have scales, both are not heavy so I guess they would not exceed than 7 kg. But the lady in AirAsia check-in counter in Changi Airport Singapore (SIN) seems hesitant seeing my big bag, she said I had to check-in it because maybe it would not fix inside cabin. It would cost S$8 one way (up to 15kg), 4 times than checked in baggage price via website, S$2 (now they raise it up to S$4, so in airport would be S$16 I guess). Because I looked disappointed and reluctant to pay for the baggage, the lady kindly weighed my bag (and it was indeed only 5 kg, but still she’s not sure if it fixed the cabin or not) and let me go with my bag and boarding pass. She said if it did not fix, the air crews would put my bag inside baggage airplane for free. Yay! And well, actually it fixed. The lady just exaggerated.
In Brunei Airport (BWN) I was not that lucky. Somehow my bag’s weight was increasing, more than 7 kg so I had to pay 8 dollars (Brunei and Singapore dollars are in the same rate). Hiks, if only I added S$2 for checked in baggage online in each flight SIN-BKI (Kota Kinabalu), BKI-BWN, BWN-BKI and BKI-SIN! Different than BWN and SIN, AirAsia counter in BKI is not so annoying to check our carry on bags.
I did not have any difficulties in bringing liquid in my Borneo traveling, because I’ve prepared all travel-pack things such as toothpaste, perfume, contact solution, soap, shampoo etc, all accumulated were less than 100 ml. But when I went to Jakarta last week, I needed to bring some 100 ml perfumes and one face-wash tube 125 ml not from duty-free shops airport, excluding my own liquid things. I had to give up the 125 ml tube, but I brought other liquids and put them inside plastic zipped bags (and praying). I thought one person is only allowed to carry up to 100 ml in TOTAL. But apparently more than 100 ml is OK as long as each item less than 100 ml.
In my last trip with Jetstar airlines, in Changi counter they did not check my carry on bags, but in Soekarno-Hatta Airport Jakarta (CGK) they asked. Or it depends on the counter staff? I did a “Hiding” method, which is approaching check-in without bringing bag, so they wouldn’t check the weight (but for liquid they will check inside boarding gate, should not play any tricks for this one). In CGK, apparently they asked for carry on bag to weigh it and patch-up with ‘Jetstar’ sticker. Then in boarding gate I got nervous, how if they realized that my bag had no ‘Jetstar’ sticker?
I was lucky, they didn’t care. Buuuuut I’d just known that carry on bags in Jetstar is up to 10 kg (not 7 kg like AirAsia)! I shouldn’t need to hide my luggage at that time, seriously it did not exceed than 10 kg. I think I will not do this hiding method again. Better to check my luggage’s weight first at home. Or just purchase checked in baggage ticket for safe.