AirAsia vs Malaysia Airlines carry-on size
Standard economy fare · checked 28 September 2026
AirAsia and Malaysia Airlines trade off size and weight on the standard economy fare: neither is more generous on every point. AirAsia includes a 56×23×36 cm cabin bag and a 40×30×10 cm personal item, while Malaysia Airlines includes a 56×36×23 cm, 7 kg cabin bag and a 25×36×25 cm personal item. AirAsia and Malaysia Airlines were last checked against their official pages on 28 September 2026.
Side by side
| Rule | AirAsia | Malaysia Airlines |
|---|---|---|
| Standard fare | Free cabin allowance | Economy Class |
| Cabin bag | Included: 56×23×36 cm | Included: 56×36×23 cm, 7 kg |
| Personal item | Included: 40×30×10 cm | Included: 25×36×25 cm |
| Weight limits | 7 kg for both bags | cabin bag 7 kg; 7 kg for both bags |
| Last checked | 28 September 2026 | 28 September 2026 |
What is different
- AirAsia's personal item limit allows 4 cm more on the length than Malaysia Airlines': 40 cm against 36 cm.
- AirAsia's personal item limit allows 5 cm more on the width than Malaysia Airlines': 30 cm against 25 cm.
- Malaysia Airlines' personal item limit allows 15 cm more on the depth than AirAsia's: 25 cm against 10 cm.
- Against the cabin bag limit, a 22 × 14 × 9 in (55.9 × 35.6 × 22.9 cm) bag fits, but with only 0.1 cm (0 in) to spare on the length at AirAsia, and fits, but with only 0.1 cm (0 in) to spare on the length at Malaysia Airlines.
- Against the cabin bag limit, a 55 × 40 × 20 cm (21.7 × 15.7 × 7.9 in) bag is 4 cm (1.6 in) too big on the width at AirAsia, and is 4 cm (1.6 in) too big on the width at Malaysia Airlines.
- Against the personal item limit, a 40 × 30 × 20 cm (15.7 × 11.8 × 7.9 in) bag is 10 cm (3.9 in) too big on the depth at AirAsia, and is 5 cm (2 in) too big on the width (and 1 other limit) at Malaysia Airlines.
- AirAsia and Malaysia Airlines both list Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, India and China among their main markets, so on routes to these countries the two sets of rules can be compared directly.
- AirAsia publishes one fare for cabin baggage, with the cabin bag included; Malaysia Airlines includes the cabin bag on all 2 of its published fares.
One bag for both
Cabin bag
- A cabin bag of up to 56 × 36 × 23 cm (22 × 14.1 × 9 in) is within the size limits of both AirAsia and Malaysia Airlines.
- Keep it to 7 kg (15.4 lb), the only weight limit published for this bag, set by Malaysia Airlines.
- AirAsia also limits both cabin bags together to 7 kg.
Personal item
- A personal item of up to 36 × 25 × 10 cm (14.1 × 9.8 × 3.9 in) is within the size limits of both AirAsia and Malaysia Airlines.
- AirAsia also limits both cabin bags together to 7 kg.
Every fare
Both airlines publish other fares with different bags. See every AirAsia fare and every Malaysia Airlines fare.
AirAsia vs Malaysia Airlines: questions
- Is the AirAsia cabin bag allowance bigger than Malaysia Airlines'?
- Not on every point. AirAsia's personal item limit allows 4 cm more on the length than Malaysia Airlines': 40 cm against 36 cm. AirAsia's personal item limit allows 5 cm more on the width than Malaysia Airlines': 30 cm against 25 cm.
- Which bag fits both AirAsia and Malaysia Airlines?
- A cabin bag of up to 56 × 36 × 23 cm (22 × 14.1 × 9 in) is within the size limits of both AirAsia and Malaysia Airlines. Our checker turns your own bag in every direction and tests it on AirAsia and Malaysia Airlines at once in trip mode.
Official sources
AirAsia
- https://www.airasia.com/aa/inflight-comforts/en/gb/baggage.html — checked on 28 September 2026
Malaysia Airlines
- https://www.malaysiaairlines.com/us/en/travel-info/baggage/cabin-baggage.html — checked on 28 September 2026