Special Baggage

We understand that some items require special considerations when it comes to traveling.Whether you're planning to bring sports equipment, weapons, oversized luggage, musical instruments, or pets on your journey, we are here to assist you. From detailed instructions on handling sports equipment and oversized luggage to guidelines for traveling with weapons, musical instruments, and pets, this section provides the essential information you need for a seamless journey. Let's make your travel experience extraordinary!

Special Baggage Image

As an exception, Sporting equipment such as Kayaks and canoes, which are indivisible in nature, may be accepted with “Heavy” label to a maximum of 46 Kgs by charging applicable excess charge. Sporting equipment, which are heavier than 46 kg, shall be transported as Cargo as per the applicable Cargo Tariff……. 4.8

  •  The following procedure shall apply for special baggage charge (sporting equipment).


 

No.

Type of sporting equipment

 

SSR

Rate in

USD

 

Description

 

 

 

 

1

 

 

 

 

Scuba, Angling or Diving Equipment

 

 

 

 

SPEQ

 

 

 

 

80

a diving mask, snorkel, fins, wetsuit, BCD-jacket, regulator, an empty tank bottle, a lamp (switched off, energy source separately packed, removed battery protected against short circuit)

 

 

2

 

 

Horse Riding equipment

 

 

SPEQ

 

 

80

a saddle, a set of horse harness, a horse whip, a pair of riding boots, a bareback pad, 1 set of polo sticks

 

 

3

 

 

Inline-skates

 

 

SPEQ

 

 

80

a pair of inline skates, a set of body protection (knee, arms, etc.), a helmet


 

 

4

 

Bowling Equipment

 

SPEQ

 

80

a bowling bag, a bowling ball, a pair of shoes

 

5

 

Hockey equipment

 

SPEQ

 

80

a hockey bag, hockey sticks, a pair of ice skates, a set of body protection (knee, arms, etc.), a helmet

 

6

Tennis-/ Squash-/ Badminton-Equipment

 

SPEQ

 

80

a set of rackets and balls packed in a bag

7

Snow skiing Equipment

SPEQ

100

a pair of ski, a pair of poles, a pair of boots, a helmet

 

 

8

Golfing Equipment

 

 

SPEQ

 

 

100

a golf bag containing one set of golf clubs, golf balls and tees, a pair of golf shoes

 

 

9

Bicycle-Bike

 

 

BIKE

 

 

100

a regular bike (no motor / no e-bike) or a special children's trolley to use with a bike or a one-wheel bike

10

Kite surfboard

SPEQ

100

a kite, a board

 

11

Archery equipment

 

SPEQ

 

100

a set of bow and arrow packed in a durable protective container

 

12

Parachuting/Paragliding equipment

 

SPEQ

 

100

a set of Parachute Equipment packed in a container

 

 

 

13

Sporting/Hunting Weapons plus Ammunitions

 

 

 

SPEQ

 

 

 

100

Sporting/Hunting guns, pistols, rifles plus ammunition (according to IATA DGR Regulations and if packed in a separate bag)

 

14

Javelins

 

SPEQ

 

100

a set of javelin equipment packed in a container

 

 

15

Fishing equipment

 

 

SPEQ

 

 

100

a tackle box or a haversack or an angler's basket, a rod, a bag or a box

 

16

Skate board

 

SPEQ

 

100

a board, a set of body protection (knee, arms, etc.), a helmet

 

17

Alpinist equipment/Hiking/walking

 

SPEQ

 

100

a backpack, an ice pick, a pair of climbing iron, 1 pair of poles

 

18

Fencing Equipment

 

SPEQ

 

100

1 bag including helmet, fencing uniform and fencing sword

 

19

Wave board

 

SPEQ

 

100

a board, a set of body protection (knee, arms, etc.), a helmet


 

 

20

Wake board

 

SPEQ

 

100

a wake board

21

Waterski Equipment

SPEQ

100

a pair of water ski or a slalom water ski

22

Snow board

SPEQ

100

a snowboard, a pair of boots, a helmet

23

Surf boarding Equipment

SPEQ

200

a board (up to 3m)

24

Wind surfer, Ski BOB

SPEQ

200

a board, a sail, a boom, a mast, a gear bag

 

25

 

Hang Gliding Equipment

 

SPEQ

 

200

a set of hang gliding equipment packed in a container

 

 

26

 

 

Canoe, Kayak

 

 

SPEQ

 

 

200

a canoe or a kayak (no motor attached); 1 set of paddles

 

27

 

Vaulting Poles

 

SPEQ

 

200

a set of vaulting poles packed in a container

28

Boogie board/Body board

SPEQ

200

a board

29

Long board

SPEQ

200

a board (exceeding 2m)

 

30

 

Rubber dinghy/boat

 

SPEQ

 

200

a rubber dinghy (no motor attached); 1 set of paddles



  • The excess baggage charge for sporting equipment can be collected in local currency of the departure station.


  • Provided that the below three criteria are all fulfilled, any sporting equipment shall be transported for free on Ethiopian flights.

  • The dimension of the sporting equipment is less than or equal to 158cms or 62 inches,

  • The weight of the sporting equipment is less than or equal to 23 kgs even if it is the 2nd PC

  • The passenger is carrying only 1 checked-in baggage, making the sporting equipment the 2nd PC


  •  Ethiopian shall not carry Jet Ski

  • The passenger shall be required to sign all copies of a ‘Collect Charges Letter ‘. (Ref Appendix 04.03.I below) The original copy of the letter shall be sent to the destination station in Flight Pouch. It shall be placed in a MAILGRAM envelope attached to the passenger manifest.

 

Special Baggage Image

Musical instruments shall be permitted to be carried in cabin as a carry-on baggage so long as the dimension of the instrument (inside or outside of its package) do not exceed the carry-on dimension standard set by the airline. That is to say 23*40*55 (cm)...... 4.15.4

  • Block seat baggage service assures passengers safe transportation of fragile or bulky baggage which should not be checked or carried in the baggage compartment.

  • Such service is accomplished by allowing passengers to reserve a seat for such items subject to normal reservation procedures.

  • Generally, the following list of items are considered in this category;

  1. Base viol and cello

  2. Musical instruments other than normal sized stringed instruments

  3. Typewriters

  4. Tv sets

  5. Radios

  6. Electronics Instruments

  7. Cosmetic Cases

  8. Tape recorders

  9. Cameras and related equipments

  10.  Pictures and paintings

  11.  courier / Diplomatic Bag

  • Block seat baggage service is provided to passengers traveling solely on Ethiopian and ET/LH codeshare flights. And also Ethiopian portion of interline trips, or in case a similar service is offered by other carriers, to the entire portion of the interline trip involving such carriers 

  • Securing, loading and lashing of bulky, oversize, fragile or valuable  baggage should be handled by approved staff.

  • Block seat baggage must be placed forward of all seated pax in the aircraft. It must be secured in a seatbelt and seat belt extensions. Articles too large and bulky will not be accepted. Any block seat bag shall not protrude to the aisle or over the height of the seat.

  • Weight of property carried as block seat baggage will not be considered when determining passenger’s free baggage allowance and excess charge. Weight of such block baggage will be shown in total weight of checked baggage when international travel is involved.

Special Baggage Image

Travelling with Pets

A. Policy

  1. Pets (cats and dogs) as defined in current passenger tariffs, when in a container and accompanied by a passenger or shipped as Cargo, may be carried in cabin or baggage compartment.

  2. Ethiopian accepts Dog or Cat into the cabin with limited number per compartment(2 in Economy class  and 1 in business class) with a box measuring dimensions not more than 55 (L) X 40 (W) X 20 (H) cm and does not exceed 8kgs including transport container.

  3. Dog or Cat contained in boxes larger than 55 (L) X 40 (W) X 20 (H) cm dimension, shall not be accepted in cabin and therefore shall be loaded in belly.

  4. Dogs trained to lead the seeing impaired (seeing-eye dogs), if accompanying a passenger who is dependent on the dog and if the dog is properly harnessed, and muzzled may be carried in the cabin on all Ethiopian Airlines passenger aircraft without charge. Such carriage is dependent on any local or governmental restrictions.

  5. Dogs trained to assist the hearing impaired (hearing–ear dogs), if accompanying a passenger who is dependent on the dog and if the dog is properly harnessed, and muzzled may be carried in the cabin on all Ethiopian Airlines passenger aircraft without charge. Such carriage is dependent on any local or governmental restrictions and advance arrangements must be made before accepting hearing ear dog as PETC.

  6. Assistance or Service dogs for visually impaired and hearing impaired persons are transported free of charge on all Ethiopian flights and may also travel inside cabin. Please remember to notify us of your guide dog ahead of time

  7. As evidence that an animal is a service animal, identification card or certificate must be presented by the passenger.

B. Procedure on carriage of pets

Ethiopian shall accept pets in the cabin on all Ethiopian Q-400 aircrafts.

  1. Q-400 Aircraft Pets in containers accompanied by passenger or shipped as cargo may be carried in the baggage compartment(s).

  2. Advance arrangements are required for pets in containers accompanied by passenger or shipped as cargo.

C. Booking Procedure

Details of the type of pet and size of the container should be indicated during reservation.

Ethiopian does not accept emotional support or psychiatric service animal for transportation in the cabin unless the passenger provides a current documentation (i.e., no older than one year from the date of the passenger ‘s scheduled initial flight) on the letterhead of a licensed mental health professional (e.g., psychiatrist, psychologist, licensed clinical social worker, medical doctor).

D. Condition of Carriage

  1. Governmental restrictions regarding pet carriage and acceptance vary from country to country. Please contact your nearest Ethiopian Airlines office or your travel agent.

  2. In the event passenger and pet are making interline connections, the applicable regulation of the interlining carrier should be checked.

  3. The charge for pet in cabin/baggage compartment will be at excess baggage rates in accordance with current applicable tariffs, regardless of weight of other baggage. 

Route

Revised Pet Charges Effective for Sales and Travel 01-NOV-20  U.F.N

between any ET international online points

For PET transported in Cabin with weight  up to 8Kg including the cage

120 EUR/110GBP/150 USD per direction( for one way)

between any ET international online points

For PET transported in hold ( pets that are more than 8KG up to 32kg )

370 USD per direction( for one way)

between any ET Domestic points

For PET transported in Cabin with weight  up to 8Kg including the cage

100 USD per direction( for one way)

between any ET Domestic points

For PET transported in hold ( pets that are more than 8KG up to 32kg )

500% of the excess baggage rate  provided (GSM Sec04.04 7.6) is fulfilled

General rules and application

Exception: For ET codeshare flights the operating carrier rules shall apply.
                 
PET that is more than 32 KG shall be transported as cargo per cargo procedure
PET/AVIH is charged the above payment OLNY regardless of whether it is within free baggage allowance or Not

4. Owner assumes all risk for injury sickness or death of any pet accepted for transportation, and assumes responsibility for compliance with all governmental regulations and restrictions. Ethiopian will not be responsible in the event that any pet is refused carriage into or through, any state, country or territory. 

E. Common Cage sizes

 

Cage Name

 

Cage Type

External Dimensions (inches)

External Dimensions (centimeters)

 

Cage Weight

Small

100*

21 Lx 16 W x 15 H

53 x 41 x 38

7 lbs (3 kg)

Medium

200

27 Lx 20 W x 19 H

69 x 51 x 48

13 lbs (6 kg)

Intermediate

300

33 Lx 22 W x 23 H

84 x 56 x 58

18 lbs (8 kg)

Large

400

36 Lx 24 W x 26 H

91 x 61 x 66

24 lbs (11 kg)

Extra Large

500**

40 Lx 27 W x 30 H

102 x 69 x 76

32 lbs (15 kg)

Giant

700**

48 Lx 32 W x 35 H

122 x 81 x 89

51 lbs (23 kg)

Special Baggage Image
  • Ethiopian shall permit transportation of cremated human ash as cabin and checked-in baggage.

Carriage of cremated Human Remain

The following procedures shall be applied to accept cremated human ash on Ethiopian flights either as cabin or checked-in baggage;

  1. Prior to travel, the pax shall be advised to contact the embassy of destination country in order to ascertain that carriage of cremated ash into the country permitted

  2. The passenger shall be advised to choose a container or urn made of plastic or cardboard to carry the ashes.Urns made up of ceramic and metal are not permitted

  3. PAx shall palace the ashes in a sealed plastic bag inside of the travel container or Urn to prevent the ashes from spilling

  4. PAx should secure the deceased person’s passport, cremation certificate and death certificate

  5. All relevant docs including cremation certificate and death certificate which are in foreign language need to be translated and authenticated into the local language to avoid misunderstanding with local authorities


  1. PAx should arrive early to check-in and finalize formalities ahead of time , in case any eventualities may occur at the airport

  2. Size and weight of any cabin bag /checked-in bag should be handled per Ethiopian baggage handling policy.

Traveling with extra baggage? Ethiopian Airlines has you covered. Explore our options for additional baggage allowance and ensure a seamless journey. Click to learn more and pack without limits!
Extra baggage
Traveling with extra baggage? Ethiopian Airlines has you covered. Explore our options for additional baggage allowance and ensure a seamless journey. Click to learn more and pack without limits!
Extra baggage

  1. What are the safety concerns for cabin baggage?

Passengers are not allowed to carry the following items in their hand baggage for passengers’ safety and security reasons. To minimize inconvenience, you are advised to check in or put these items in your checked baggage instead:


Please note that these items will be retrieved at the boarding gate by the local authorities and depending on local rules and regulations, the items may not be returned to you.

  1. What are the rules and charges for travelling with animals?

Ethiopian shall accept only Dog or Cat into the cabin with limited number per compartment (2 in economy class and 1 in business class) with a box measuring dimensions not more than 55x40x20cms and does not exceed 8kgs including transport container, otherwise it should be loaded in belly.

  1. Is baggage transferred when I’m on connecting Ethiopian airlines flights?

Yes, Ethiopian receives connecting passenger’s baggage from other airlines. If luggage of connecting passenger is not submitted by the delivering carrier such connecting passenger should be informed using a slip prepared for this purpose that their luggage is not delivered to Ethiopian and hence not to expect at final destination.

  1. Can I carry firearms, weapons, and ammunition in my baggage?

Ammunition, firearms, sharp knives and/or other security-restricted items belonging to passengers shall not be carried inside cabin and/or flight deck (cockpit), and passengers must declare such items at the time of check-in. All ammunition shall be carried in the aircraft hold as checked baggage only and with approval of concerned Security Authorities.

 1. What is the free baggage allowance for my flight?

If you are traveling in Economy class piece system 2 pieces 23kg each and C-9 3pieces 23kg each or 2 pieces 32kg each.

Note that some weight system depends on the routes where you are traveling.

2. How much weight can I carry for my checked baggage?

It depends on the route and class if you are traveling in Economy class piece system 2 pieces 23kg each and C-9 3pieces 23kg each or 2 pieces 32kg each.

 3. What are the dimensions allowed for my carry-on luggage?

 (55cmx40cmx20cm)

4. Can I bring additional items like a laptop bag or a purse as hand luggage?

 Its possible to have the below Items on addition to carry-on luggage: -

1 Laptop, books, purse, 1iPad/1 phone but the maximum weight should not exceed 3kg.

5.Are there any restrictions on the number of bags I can check-in for free?

Economy class 2bags and business class 2/3bags

  1. What is Ethiopian Airlines' allowed size and weight for carry-on baggage in Economy class?

In Economy class with Ethiopian Airlines, passengers are allowed 1 piece of hand luggage with a maximum weight of 7 kg and a maximum sum of dimensions equal to 118 cm (46 in).

  1. What is the carry-on baggage allowance for Business class passengers with Ethiopian Airlines?

Business class passengers with Ethiopian Airlines are allowed 2 pieces of hand luggage, each weighing a maximum of 7 kg.

  1. Can I bring personal items in addition to my carry-on baggage on Ethiopian Airlines?

Yes, Ethiopian Airlines allows personal accessories in addition to the specified carry-on baggage allowance in both Economy and Business class.

  1. Are there restrictions on the types of items I can bring in my carry-on bag with Ethiopian Airlines?

Ethiopian Airlines, like other airlines, may have restrictions on carrying liquids, gels, and certain hazardous items in carry-on bags. Familiarize yourself with Ethiopian Airlines' specific policies.

  1. Can I bring food on board in my carry-on bag with Ethiopian Airlines?

Generally, you can bring snacks and non-liquid food items in your carry-on bag with Ethiopian Airlines, adhering to their specified policies.

  1. What happens if my carry-on bag exceeds the size or weight limit with Ethiopian Airlines?

If your carry-on bag exceeds the specified size or weight limit with Ethiopian Airlines, you may be subject to additional fees, or you may need to check the bag.

  1. Is there a difference in carry-on allowances for different classes of service with Ethiopian Airlines?

Yes, there is a difference. Business class passengers with Ethiopian Airlines have a higher allowance, with 2 pieces of hand luggage weighing 7 kg each, compared to Economy class.


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