Air India lists a cabin allowance of 7 kg for Economy, and a bag that does not go above 115 cm when length, width and height are added together. Akasa Air and Air India Express state the same total.
Flyers who travel light on short domestic trips, and carry only a cabin bag, will find that two numbers decide the outcome at the gate. One is the sum of the three sides, and the other is the weight of the empty bag. The “20 inch” label on a trolley bag covers only a single side of it.
This guide compares five hard shell cabin trolley bags from Mokobara, VIP, Safari, American Tourister and Assembly. All figures come from the brand pages and airline pages, and the sums of the sides are our own arithmetic.
How do Indian airlines measure a cabin bag?
Akasa Air, SpiceJet and Air India Express give the limit as the three sides added together. Air India goes further and gives each side, with 55 cm for height, 40 cm for length and 20 cm for width, along with the total.
SpiceJet publishes two sets of numbers, one for its Boeing aircraft and another for its Q400 aircraft, so the allowed size depends on the plane operating the flight. The IndiGo cabin baggage page gives no numbers and refers flyers to the details of their own booking, while its baggage allowance page lists per side limits and a second total whose bag type is not clear.
Air India Express, in a support article from Tata Digital, says the weight limit includes duty free bags. A laptop carried in its own bag is allowed as an extra on that airline.
Does a cabin trolley bag fit the 115 cm total limit?
Brand pages print the size of a bag in different orders, and some list height first while others list length first. Adding the three numbers removes that confusion, and it is the figure most airlines say they check.
On that basis, three of the five bags add up to more than the common total on paper. The brand pages do not say whether the wheels and the telescopic handle are counted in the listed size, so the packed bag measured with both in place is the safer reference before a flight.
Depth is a separate matter for flyers on Air India, because a bag deeper than the stated width can be questioned even when the total is acceptable. Only one of the five bags lists a depth that matches that width.
How much does an empty cabin bag weigh against the weight limit?
A bag that weighs around 3 kg before packing leaves a little over half of the allowance for clothes, chargers and toiletries. The five bags here weigh between 2.2 kg and 3.23 kg when empty, which leaves roughly 3.8 kg to 4.8 kg for contents, by our arithmetic.
SpiceJet counts laptop bags and duty free bags toward its limit. Air India says up to 12 kg can be carried on after a domestic excess hand baggage charge, and a bag above that must be checked in.
A table on the Mokobara blog lists Air India at 8 kg. The Air India page itself says 7 kg for Economy, and that page is the one followed in this guide.
Which shell is better for a cabin bag: polycarbonate, polypropylene or ABS?
Polycarbonate is described by Travelpro as tough and flexible, with resistance to cracks, scratches and impact. It costs more than other hard shell resins, is harder to repair, and is heavier than polypropylene and ABS, as per the same guide.
Polypropylene is the lightest hard side option, and it is crack resistant but less rigid than polycarbonate. Its colour can fade in sunlight. ABS is rigid, water resistant and inexpensive, though high heat or rough handling can damage it.
Soft shells use polyester fabric, which is lightweight and flexible, and the strength rises with the denier rating, which typically runs from 600D to 900D. None of the five bags below is a soft shell.
The five bags at a glance
Mokobara Transit Luggage Cabin
A shell of German Makrolon polycarbonate is used on this bag, and the listed size of 54 x 37.5 x 23.5 cm adds up to the common total exactly. It has 40 L of space, eight spinner wheels and a one push TSA approved lock.
The telescoping handle has three height settings. At 3.23 kg empty, this is the heaviest of the five, so it suits flyers who prefer a polycarbonate shell and accept a smaller share of the weight limit for packing.
One year of free airline damage cover comes with the bag, as per the brand page.
VIP Vero Cabin
Listed at 55 x 39 x 23 cm, this bag offers 48 L of capacity, the largest of the group. The outer shell is scratch resistant polycarbonate with a polyester lining, and the lock is a flushed TSA lock.
The listed dimensions add up to 117 cm, and the 23 cm depth is above the width stated by Air India. At 2.44 kg empty, it is among the lighter polycarbonate options here.
Care advice from the brand is to empty the bag after each trip and wipe the shell and wheels with a soft damp cloth. A dust bag is recommended for storage.
Safari Hue Printed Trolley Bag
An unbreakable polycarbonate shell is the claim on the product page, with a cabin size of 55 x 40 x 25 cm with 43 L of capacity. Those sides add up to 120 cm, the highest sum of the five and above the total that Air India, Akasa Air, SpiceJet and Air India Express state.
This bag has dual wheels and a fixed combination lock rather than a TSA branded one. It weighs 3 kg empty. The same product page also lists medium and large sizes, which are not cabin bags.
The brand page left unclear, in November 2026, whether this size can be ordered, and that may differ by size, so check the size you want before planning around it.
American Tourister Airconic 2.0
A polypropylene hardside shell is used here, and the cabin spinner is listed as 40 x 55 x 20 cm for length, height and width. That is 2.2 kg empty with 35.5 L of space, the lightest and smallest in capacity of the five.
Depth on this bag equals the width in the Air India limit. The page mentions a waterproof zipper and double wheels, but it does not name the built in lock.
Warranty cover is for manufacturing defects only and needs an approved service centre along with a card or receipt. It excludes extreme temperature, solvents, acids and water.
Assembly Stark Blue
The shell is 100% German polycarbonate, and the page lists 37 x 24 x 55 cm for length, breadth and height with 45 L of space. The sides add up to 116 cm, just over the common total, and the 24 cm depth is above the Air India width.
It has 360 degree spinner wheels, a keyless TSA lock and a telescopic trolley handle, with a weight of 2.9 kg empty. The dust cover that comes with it can double as a laundry bag.
A 30 day returns policy is listed for this bag.
Warranty terms and what they exclude
Four of the five brands state a three year warranty on their pages. The Mokobara terms cover the shell, wheels, trolley and hardware, and leave out theft, loss, overpacking, wear and tear, scratches, scuffs, heat, fire, chemicals and commercial use.
The Safari policy page excludes abrasions, cuts, scratches, dents and soiling from normal handling. It also asks for the warranty card and the original invoice, and the period is the one printed on the card. Its home page advertises a five year warranty with an asterisk and no conditions shown.
Exclusions for scratches and scuffs sit in the terms of both brands, and a cabin bag handled at the gate and in the overhead locker will pick up such marks. Reading the exclusion list before buying shows what a claim can realistically cover.
American Tourister restricts its cover to manufacturing defects, which is a narrower category than shell damage from handling.
Locks and standards
A TSA lock lets security staff open the bag without cutting it. The Mokobara blog calls it optional but recommended, and the American Tourister notes say locks prevent accidental opening and cannot reliably stop theft.
IS 8517:1977 is the Indian specification for air travel bags. A consultancy article on BIS certification says it is not a mandatory item at present, and no compulsory BIS mark was found for cabin trolley bags.
None of the brand pages state that a bag can be expanded, so the listed size is the working size.
Flyers who want a quick check before leaving home can place the packed bag against a tape measure, with the wheels and the handle in place, and add the three sides. Staff at the gate use the same method with a sizer frame, and a bag that does not fit the frame can be sent to the hold.
Air India Express, Akasa Air and SpiceJet each publish their limits on their own baggage pages, which change from time to time, so the airline page for the day of travel is the final reference.