Travelers rage as budget airline plans overhead bag fee: 'Highway robbery'

The Australian budget airline, owned by Qantas, will require passengers to pay fees from $25 AUD (about $18) per overhead bag per flight starting in February 2027.

The "priority carry-on" purchase will include priority boarding. Passengers will not be charged for a smaller bag, such as a backpack, handbag or laptop bag that can fit under the seat in front of them.

Fox News Digital reached out to Jetstar for comment.

In an interview with Fox News Digital, Steven Arroyo, an aviation expert based in Florida and a retired captain for United Airlines, said the new policy can "certainly expedite the boarding process."

He also said other airlines may follow suit.

"That's going to be the main focus. Will the consumer accept these new fees that airlines are proposing?"

Some travelers have not reacted well to the news.

A number of Instagram users responded with pleas to boycott. 

"Highway robbery, Jetstar! You think it will be less frustrating being charged for locker space than getting your stuff weighed?" an Instagram follower commented.

A second person quipped, "Soon they will also charge to use [the] toilet."

Some travelers agreed with the new policy.

"Fair enough because it's annoying when you have a small carry-on, and it has to be put several seats away from you because someone has a larger case," an Instagram user said.

On Reddit, a user said the new policy was better "than people trying to sneak in multiple 10kg bags." 

"If we are really lucky, the current carry-on addicts will reconsider," another Reddit user said.

"Jetstar is catching up to a market that got there years ago," Koen Karsbergen, an aviation strategy consultant and educator, told Fox News Digital.

Karsbergen said Frontier and Allegiant haven't included overhead bin space in their ticket prices for several years.

Still, Karsbergen isn't surprised by the backlash. 

"Nobody likes to pay for something we have had before for free," he said.

Arroyo pointed to the now-defunct airline PEOPLExpress. 

"It has happened in the past in the United States, and it could happen again," Arroyo said.

Kelly McGreal of Fox News Digital contributed reporting.