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Turkish Airlines is the largest mainline carrier in the world with passenger flights to over 315 locations across four continents and over 20 countries. This three-star airline is known for safety and flight availability, and you may find yourself on a Turkish Airlines flight or partner flight if you have international travel plans.

To prepare for your next flight on this carrier, make sure you’re familiar with their baggage terms and conditions. Find out everything you need to know about Turkish Airlines baggage allowances and policies in this complete guide.

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Turkish Airlines Baggage Rules

As is often the case, the baggage rules for Turkish Airlines are not the same for every flight. Because some routes enforce additional restrictions and some flights are operated through partner airlines, you need to calculate baggage for every trip. Use the site’s baggage calculator to find the policies and fees for your flight.

If you find that you will need excess baggage or other paid luggage, it’s always a good idea to pay these fees ahead of time. Here, we’ll go over this airline’s standard rules for baggage and how to pay for checked bags.

Checked Baggage Allowance

The way that registered or checked baggage allowances are calculated varies by flight class and route. This airline uses two concepts to determine baggage rules called the piece concept and the kilogram concept.

Flights under the piece concept of baggage restrict each of a passenger’s individual bags to a certain weight, and flights under the kilogram concept of baggage restrict all of a passenger’s luggage together to a certain weight. Under the kilogram concept, it doesn’t matter how many bags you bring as long as you’re under the total weight restriction. Under the piece concept, you get two registered or checked bags included in the price of your ticket.

Not all policies and fees are the same even for flights that use the same concept. With that said, here are a few rules found to be true for most flights.

On international flights, under the piece concept, in Economy class each individual piece of baggage can weigh up to 23 kilograms and passengers are permitted to register up to two bags for free.

In Business class, each piece of baggage can weigh up to 32 kilograms or about 70.5 pounds. Infant passengers are permitted one bag and one stroller at no cost. Each bag is not to exceed 158 linear centimeters or 62 linear inches.

On domestic flights that use the piece concept, Economy passengers in EcoFly are permitted to bring two bags weighing up to 15 kilograms or 33 pounds each, Economy passengers in ExtraFly are permitted to bring two bags weighing up to 20 kilograms or 44 pounds each, and Economy passengers in PrimeFly are permitted to bring two bags weighing up to 25 kilograms or 55 pounds each.

Business class passengers on domestic flights can carry bags weighing 30 kilograms or about 66 pounds each.

Generally, flights that use the kilogram concept permit passengers in Economy class to carry a total of 20 kilograms or 44 pounds and passengers in Business class to carry a total of 30 kilograms or 66 pounds. Still, check the exact weight allowance for kilogram concept flights as it varies by route.

Most destinations in the U.S. and several in South America and parts of Africa use the piece baggage concept, but the majority of flights use the kilogram concept. Kilogram concept destinations are separated into five zones. You can see all destinations by zone here.

Certain international routes may have lower weight allowances or impose additional baggage restrictions. If you are taking a flight with multiple legs and Turkish Airlines is not determined to be the Most Important Carrier by IATA methods, then you will follow another airline’s baggage policies.

How to Get Free Checked Bags

For most flights, passengers can check two bags for free. But if you are traveling with excess baggage, you can get your fees reimbursed with a travel credit card. Here are two of our favorites.

Chase Sapphire Reserve®

Earn 50,000 bonus points when you spend $4,000 within three months of signing up. This card earns 5x points on travel purchased through Chase, 3x points on all other travel, and 10x points on hotels and rental cars booked through Chase. This card also gives you 50% value when you redeem points for travel. You can book Turkish Airlines flights and pay fees with Chase rewards points.

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

Earn 75,000 bonus points when you spend $4,000 within three months of signing up. This card earns 2x miles on travel purchases and 1.25x miles on everything else. Cardholders receive a $100 credit toward Global Entry and TSA PreCheck membership fees. Use your points to pay for tickets and baggage.

Excess Baggage Fees

Sports equipment including golf bags and skis, musical instruments, and other common forms of baggage that exceed weight restrictions are permitted, but you will need to pay excess baggage fees.

Turkish Airlines gives you a free pass for sports equipment on your first international flight.

On piece concept flights, you are permitted to carry bags weighing no more than 32 kg each. Any bag weighing more than the standard allowance of 23 kg and less than the excess baggage allowance of 32 kg incurs a fee of 80 USD each. On kilogram concept flights, the price for excess baggage is determined by the route you’re taking.

Most domestic flights charge an excess baggage fee of $2 per kilogram or a little over a dollar a pound. The price of excess baggage for international flights may be anywhere from $7 per kilogram to $30.50 per kilogram. Generally, flight zones 3, 4, and 5 are the most expensive when it comes to traveling with extra weight.

If you need to travel with more than your two checked bags, excess baggage fees also apply. The cost for an additional bag on a piece concept flight may be anywhere from about $160 to about $290.

You can purchase excess baggage online at the time of booking or before checking in for your flight using your ticket number.

Carry-On Allowance

On most flights, each Economy Class passenger is permitted one carry-on. Passengers in Business class are permitted two cabin or carry-on bags of standard size.

In general, each carry-on item  may not exceed 55 x 40 x 23 centimeters or 21.7 x 15.7 x 9 inches. This is a total of 118 linear centimeters or about 46.5 inches. Each bag may weigh up to 8 kilograms or about 17.6 pounds.

Carry-ons must fit in the overhead bins and remain closed completely when flying.

Personal Items

All passengers may bring a personal item at no additional cost regardless of their flight class. This item is not to exceed 40 x 30 x 15 centimeters or 15.7 x 11.8 x 5.9 inches.

You are free to take non-prohibited liquids, toiletries such as shaving cream and toothpaste, respiratory devices, medication, beauty items, and small forms of sporting equipment such as tennis racquets with you in the cabin as your personal item.

Infants and Children

Infant passengers may travel with a piece of baggage weighing up to 10 kg. Strollers measuring less than 115 centimeters or 45.3 inches that fold up are permitted on every flight at no additional cost.

Children and adults must follow the same baggage allowances. If you are traveling with an infant, you can carry baby food with you for in-flight feeding.

Bringing Pets Onboard

There is a pet transportation fee for bringing your pet with you on a flight, either in the cabin or with the plane’s cargo.

As of October 2021, cats and dogs with respiratory problems are only permitted to travel in the cabin and may weigh no more than 8 kilograms or 17.6 pounds together with their crate. These breeds include Pugs, Shih Tzus, and Boston Terriers.

Small birds such as parakeets may travel in the cabin as long as their carrier fits underneath the seat in front of you and your seat is not in a row with emergency doors or reserved for strollers.

Puppies and kittens less than 10 weeks old are not permitted. Trained service dogs used for medical, not emotional, support are permitted to fly. You may be required to fill out additional forms for select flights that adhere to U.S. DoT regulations for service animals.

A pet’s crate can measure up to 23 x 30 x 40 centimeters or 9 x 11.8 x 15.7 inches if they are traveling in the cabin. Crates over these dimensions will be placed in cargo. All pet crates must be of hard material.

The United States CDC prohibits dogs considered to be at high risk of carrying rabies from entering. See a complete list of these countries – which includes Kenya, Peru, India, and Vietnam –via the link.

For more information about prohibited pets and fees, visit this page.

Valuable, Fragile, and Other Items

You can fly with fragile items in your checked or carry-on bags as long as they are secured. Fragile items such as glass may not be permitted if they are likely to break or leak.

If any of your baggage is damaged in the airport or airplane, Turkish Airlines will reimburse you for the full costs of the damages.

Prohibited Items

Under no circumstances can you take unsecured liquid or semi-solid substances with you on a Turkish Airlines flight. You must vacuum seal or otherwise securely contain such substances to avoid the risk of leaks or spills. You may travel with up to five liters of said substances with no more than one liter per container or package. 

Accessibility and mobility items such as foldable wheelchairs and walkers and medical items such as portable electronic breathing equipment may be taken with you on a flight.

Smart baggage that uses lithium batteries is also permitted in the cabin, but batteries must be separated from their devices when traveling and placed in their original packaging.

Items prohibited in the cabin include:

• Sharp objects such as knives and weapons (toy or real)
• Oversized sports equipment such as golf clubs and baseball bats
• Flammable items such as camp stoves and weaponized lighters

When to Pay for Baggage

If you are traveling with the two checked bags, carry-on, and personal item included with every ticket and all of your bags meet size and weight restrictions, then you will not need to pay for baggage. If you are traveling with extra bags or overweight luggage, you will need to pay fees.

You can pay most fees when booking your ticket online or before flying by logging into your account and adding it to your flight. It is not recommended to wait until checking in. If you qualify for baggage discounts, check with the airport Sales Office to make sure your discounts are applied.

Exclusions and Waivers

Soldiers of the Turkish Peace Force in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus qualify for discounts on excess baggage. If you qualify for a discount,

Students also qualify for baggage discounts if they are enrolled in the Miles & Smiles program as a resident of Turkey or a student from another country studying abroad in Turkey.

The fee for qualifying students and soldiers is $0.40 for every 1 kilogram or 2.2 pounds.

Final Thoughts

Turkish Airlines flies to “most countries,” so it’s no wonder that their baggage policies are so varied. Your best bet when choosing this airline is to check the fees and conditions for every flight so that there are no surprises. Use this guide to familiarize yourself with the general allowances and policies, then double-check the rules for your route and pay for your baggage (if applicable) in advance of your flight.

✈️ Looking for a new travel credit card this year? See today’s top offers below:

• Best Travel Rewards Credit Cards
• Best Airlines Credit Cards
• Best Hotel Credit Cards
• Best Business Credit Cards
• Best Cash Back Credit Cards
• Best Overall in 2022