Qantas cut Indian Ocean islanders' baggage to 23kg and raised excess fees 208%

Qantas has held the tender for flights between Perth and Australia's Indian Ocean territories only since November 2025, taking over from Virgin Australia after nearly a decade — and winning it on promises of lower prices, 5,000 more passengers and 200 tonnes of extra airfreight a year. From October 1, 2026, tickets on the twice-weekly route include a 23kg checked bag instead of 30kg, extra bags can only be bought at the airport with a 46kg cap, and the excess rate jumps from $3.33 to $10.26 per kilogram — a 208% increase.

For residents of Christmas Island and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands the checked bag is a supply line, not a convenience: locals time mainland trips to buy baby formula, nappies and goods with no reliable island supply, while freight moves only on the same flights, a fortnightly fresh-produce service and a six-weekly ship, all frequently delayed by weather and logistics. Qantas says the new policy manages aircraft weight, cuts baggage offloads, frees up seats and maximises tourism opportunities for the islands.

The reaction was immediate and political. Indian Ocean Territories administrator Farzian Zainal said the community was 'rightfully frustrated and outraged' and 'we can't apply a mainland lens'; federal member for Lingiari Marion Scrymgour called it 'a bad decision from Qantas, with no communications or consultation', and wrote to CEO Vanessa Hudson and federal government members seeking a reversal. Territories Minister Kristy McBain pointedly noted the flights are subsidised to keep island air services affordable.

Included allowance cut 30kg to 23kg; excess baggage up 208% from $3.33 to $10.26/kg; a federal letter demanding reversal

Qantas runs the only commercial air link — 'there isn't another carrier that we can jump on', as one 34-year resident put it — so customers cannot take their business elsewhere.

The cuts landed within a year of a tender win that was pitched on lower prices and more freight, reading as a broken promise to the community it was won from.

Baggage on this route carries essentials — formula, nappies, goods that never reach island shelves — so the change is a cost-of-living decision, not a travel perk.

No consultation preceded a decision the federal MP called unilateral, converting an operational tweak into a political liability with the government that subsidises the route.

On a monopoly lifeline route the market can't punish you, but the government funding the subsidy can. Unilateral cuts to terms a captive community depends on turn an ops fix into a political problem.

Christmas Island residents called a community meeting for the Saturday after the report, and the administrator formalised the community's objections. Scrymgour's letter to CEO Vanessa Hudson and federal ministers asked for the decision to be reversed; the Territories Minister called the baggage change 'an operational decision by Qantas' while underlining the federal subsidy. Qantas defended the policy on weight, offloads and tourism grounds and gave no indication it would reverse course.