Smartwings is a Czech airline, and its Smartwings baggage rules come with one quirk worth paying attention to: it works the exact opposite way to Ryanair. With low-cost carriers you usually pay for a large cabin bag and get a small personal item for free, but with Smartwings it’s the other way round. 😅
Then there’s the second thing travellers regularly trip up on: it matters whether you’re flying a scheduled flight booked directly with Smartwings or a package holiday booked through a travel agency. With a package, the rules and limits are set by your tour operator, not by the Smartwings fares, so what you read on the airline’s website may not apply to you.
In this guide we’ll walk through all the types of Smartwings baggage for 2026, their dimensions, weights and prices, the individual fares, the fees, and the fact that Smartwings is one of the few airlines that will take animals on board. Prices can change during peak season, so treat them as a guide, and for a package always check the contract with your tour operator.
Smartwings baggage in a nutshell
- Free cabin bag for everyone: a trolley 55×40×23 cm, 8 kg is included even with the cheapest LITE fare.
- Small personal item (40×30×15 cm, 3 kg): only in PLUS, FLEX and Business fares, not in LITE.
- Checked baggage: 23 kg on scheduled flights (Business 2× 32 kg); on a package it depends on your tour operator.
- Smartwings takes animals both in the cabin and in the hold, unlike Ryanair, Wizz Air and easyJet.
- Watch out: sorting baggage out at the gate costs around €60. Booking online in advance is significantly cheaper.
Carry-on baggage: trolley free, but mind the personal item
Here’s the reversed logic worth remembering. The cabin bag, the classic trolley measuring 55×40×23 cm and weighing up to 8 kg, is free for every passenger, even on the cheapest LITE fare. Compared with low-cost airlines that’s pleasantly generous, because they usually charge extra for a large carry-on.
The catch is the small personal item measuring 40×30×15 cm and up to 3 kg, the one you’d use for a handbag or laptop. You don’t get it for free on the LITE fare — it’s only included with PLUS, FLEX and Business. So if you’re flying on the cheapest LITE, count on having just one cabin bag and nothing extra.
💡 Tip: How to fit everything into an 8 kg cabin bag and travel really light is something we cover in our guide to packing carry-on only. With a free trolley for everyone, Smartwings is actually ideal for travelling light. A solid Osprey carry-on bag makes it even easier.
Smartwings fares: LITE, PLUS, FLEX and Business
On scheduled flights you choose from four fares, and that’s exactly what decides your Smartwings baggage allowance. Here’s an overview of the most important points around baggage.
| Fare | Cabin bag (8 kg) | Personal item | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| LITE | 1 pc | ✕ | from €40 |
| PLUS | 1 pc | 1 pc | 1× 23 kg |
| FLEX | 1 pc | 1 pc | 1× 23 kg |
| Business | 2 pcs | 1 pc | 2× 32 kg |
Smartwings describes the fares nicely itself: LITE is “I travel light,” PLUS is “the golden middle ground,” FLEX is “I need freedom,” and Business is “maximum comfort.” For most holiday trips, PLUS is a sensible compromise, since it already includes both a personal item and checked baggage.
Scheduled flight or a package holiday?
This is the difference you need to know so you don’t end up overpaying for nothing. If you buy your ticket directly from Smartwings, the fares and prices described in this article apply. But if you’re flying a package booked through a travel agency, your baggage and its limits are set by your tour operator, not by Smartwings.
On a package, the price typically includes one piece of checked baggage, often around 15 or 20 kg, plus a carry-on, but you’ll only find the exact limit in the contract or brochure of your tour operator. Likewise, any extras such as excess weight, sports equipment or transporting a pet are arranged through the travel agency and at its prices.
⚠️ On a package, don’t rely on the numbers from the Smartwings website. The 23 and 32 kg limits are scheduled-flight fares. For your package, what counts is what’s written in black and white in your travel agency contract.
Checked baggage: 23 and 32 kg
On scheduled flights, Smartwings offers checked baggage up to 23 kg in the PLUS and FLEX fares and up to 2× 32 kg in Business. The LITE fare includes no checked baggage, and you can add Smartwings checked baggage from around €40. A single piece may weigh a maximum of 32 kg, the sum of its three dimensions must not exceed 250 cm, and no single side may exceed 150 cm.
Travelling with a baby? A child under two sitting on your lap doesn’t get their own baggage, but if your fare includes checked baggage, the child is allowed one checked piece up to 10 kg. And as always, add everything online in advance, ideally more than 36 hours before departure, when it’s cheapest.
All Smartwings fees (and how to avoid them)
As with other airlines, the most expensive option is whatever you sort out at the last minute or at the gate. Here are the most common fees — prices are per piece and per direction.
| Fee | How much | When |
|---|---|---|
| Excess weight or extra piece | €40–48 | online, ≥36 h / under 36 h before |
| Extra piece at the gate | €60 | sorted at the departure gate |
| Sports equipment | €90 | up to 32 kg, declare 48 h before |
| Animal in the cabin | €120 | carrier up to 8 kg |
The logic is simple: online in advance is cheapest, the airport check-in desk adds a service fee, and the gate is the most expensive of all. So if you sort your Smartwings extra baggage out from home via My Booking, you’ll save the most.
Flying with a dog or cat? Smartwings says yes
This is a big Smartwings advantage you won’t find elsewhere. While Ryanair, Wizz Air and easyJet don’t carry animals, Smartwings will take your dog or cat. You have two options depending on the size of your pet.
A smaller animal in the cabin (up to 8 kg including the carrier, with a carrier no larger than 43×30×27 cm) costs roughly €120 per direction and travels under the seat. A larger animal in the hold (up to 32 kg including the crate) costs around €220 per direction. The transport must be booked by phone at least 48 hours before departure.
💡 Tip: Watch out for the exceptions. Animals can’t be taken on flights to and from Dubai, Ras Al Khaimah and Marsa Alam, and on some routes with mandatory disinsection cats are only allowed in the hold. Guide and assistance dogs travel in the cabin free of charge. On a package, you arrange pet transport through your tour operator.
Special baggage: kids, sport and instruments
Smartwings is generous when it comes to children. It will carry a pushchair, car seat and travel cot for free, and you can take the pushchair right up to the boarding gate. For small children, a bottle of baby food up to 200 ml is allowed.
Sports equipment such as skis, a snowboard, a bike or golf clubs has a flat rate of around €90 per piece and direction, up to 32 kg, and needs to be declared at least 48 hours in advance. A smaller musical instrument can travel as carry-on if it doesn’t exceed 8 kg and 90×35×20 cm; for a larger one you can buy an extra seat.
Liquids and what you can (and can’t) take on board
The liquids rule isn’t a Smartwings one — it applies at security screening in general. Liquids, gels and sprays are allowed in containers up to 100 ml, all together in one transparent bag of up to 1 litre. The exception is baby food, which Smartwings allows up to 200 ml.
Some airports with new scanners allow more in 2026, but not everywhere, so to be safe count on 100 ml. A great trick to get around the limit is to switch to solid, water-free toiletries, which don’t count as liquids. We write more about this in our guide to packing light.
Is paid carry-on on its way out? (EU 2026)
You may have heard that carry-on baggage is supposed to be free with every airline. The European Parliament did back the right in January 2026 to take a small extra carry-on into the cabin for free, but it isn’t a valid law yet, and as of mid-2026 the details were still being negotiated.
Until the rule takes effect, go by the current fares. With Smartwings the situation is already pleasant on this front, because everyone gets the 8 kg cabin bag for free, so any European change would affect it the least. Keep an eye on it anyway — figures and prices may change before your trip.
Where to next
Flying with other airlines too? Compare the baggage rules for Ryanair, Wizz Air and easyJet. And when you want to fit everything in and pack smart, our guide to packing light and our roundup of the best carry-on bags will help. Safe travels, and may it be everyone else paying at the gate. 😉
What are the carry-on baggage dimensions for Smartwings?
Cabin baggage (trolley) measures 55×40×23 cm and weighs up to 8 kg, and every passenger gets it for free, including the LITE fare. A small personal bag measures 40×30×15 cm and weighs up to 3 kg, but only the PLUS, FLEX and Business fares include it in the price, not LITE.
Does the LITE fare with Smartwings include free baggage?
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Yes, even the cheapest LITE fare includes free cabin baggage up to 8 kg (55×40×23 cm). However, it doesn’t include a small personal bag or checked baggage, which you’ll need to purchase separately, checked baggage from around €40.
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Do baggage allowances differ between package holidays and scheduled Smartwings flights?
Yes. For scheduled flights purchased directly from Smartwings, the LITE, PLUS, FLEX and Business tariffs apply. For package holidays purchased through a travel agency, your travel agent determines the baggage limits and prices; checked baggage of around 15 or 20 kg is often included in the price. You’ll find the specific limit in your contract with the travel agency.
Can I fly with Smartwings with a dog or cat?
Yes, Smartwings, unlike Ryanair, Wizz Air, and easyJet, does transport animals. A smaller animal up to 8 kg including carrier travels in the cabin for approximately €120 per direction, larger ones in the cargo hold for approximately €220. Transport must be reported by phone at least 48 hours before departure.
How much does extra baggage cost at Smartwings at the gate?
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Baggage sorted out at the departure gate will cost you roughly 1,500 CZK (60 €) per piece. That’s significantly more than booking online in advance, where excess weight or an extra piece costs around 1,000 to 1,200 CZK (40-48 €). That’s why it’s worth taking care of everything online from home before your trip.
Tips and Tricks for Your Vacation
Don’t Overpay for Flights
Search for flights on Kayak. It’s our favorite search engine because it scans the websites of all airlines and always finds the cheapest connection.
Book Your Accommodation Smartly
The best experiences we’ve had when looking for accommodation (from Alaska to Morocco) are with Booking.com, where hotels, apartments, and entire houses are usually the cheapest and most widely available.
Don’t Forget Travel Insurance
Good travel insurance will protect you against illness, accidents, theft, or flight cancellations. We’ve had a few hospital visits abroad, so we know how important it is to have proper insurance arranged.
Where we insure ourselves: SafetyWing (best for everyone) and TrueTraveller (for extra-long trips).
Why don’t we recommend any Czech insurance company? Because they have too many restrictions. They set limits on the number of days abroad, travel insurance via a credit card often requires you to pay medical expenses only with that card, and they frequently limit the number of returns to the Czech Republic.
Find the Best Experiences
Get Your Guide is a huge online marketplace where you can book guided walks, trips, skip-the-line tickets, tours, and much more. We always find some extra fun there!
