Luggage Allowance: Every Flight From Singapore to the Philippines

The short version

If you travel light and only bring a cabin bag, the budget carriers win. Scoot gives you the most free cabin weight at 10 kg, while Cebu Pacific and AirAsia give the standard 7 kg. If you always check a bag full of pasalubong, a full-service ticket on Philippine Airlines or Singapore Airlines often costs less once you add the 20 kg the budget fare left out, and you get a meal and a seat on top.

Hand-carry: the 7 kg rule (and Scoot’s 10 kg)

Almost every airline on this route caps free hand-carry at 7 kg total, split across one cabin bag and one small personal item like a handbag or laptop bag. Cebu Pacific, AirAsia and both full-service carriers all sit at 7 kg. Scoot is the outlier at 10 kg, which is genuinely useful if you are trying to avoid a checked bag entirely. Gate agents on the budget carriers do weigh cabin bags, so do not assume they will wave you through. A cabin bag tagged at the gate is charged at the airport excess rate, the most expensive way to pay.

Checked baggage: budget fares start at zero

This is where the money hides. On Cebu Pacific Go Basic, Scoot’s Fly fare, and AirAsia’s Low Fare, the checked allowance is zero. You buy it as an add-on, and it is always cheaper bought with the ticket than at the airport counter. Cebu Pacific’s Go Easy and Go Flexi bundle in 20 kg. Philippine Airlines and Singapore Airlines include 30 kg on most economy fares, rising to 35 kg in premium economy and 40 kg in business. Across every airline here, no single bag may exceed 32 kg, a handler-safety limit, even when your total allowance is higher.

The balikbayan-box question

A standard balikbayan box does not travel as normal checked baggage on these flights — it usually goes by sea or air cargo through a forwarder, which is a separate service from your ticket. If you are hand-carrying extra weight home as checked bags instead, price the airline’s prepaid excess against a door-to-door cargo forwarder before you decide. For a few kilos, prepaid airline baggage wins. For a full box, cargo is almost always cheaper.

A note on Jetstar Asia

Jetstar Asia flew Singapore to Manila for years, but the airline ceased all operations on 31 July 2025. It is no longer an option on this route, so it is left off the comparison. If an old blog post or a search result still lists Jetstar for Singapore to Manila, it is out of date.

How to not overpay

Buy your checked baggage online when you book, or at least well before the airport. Weigh your bag at home; a luggage scale costs a few dollars and saves far more. Spread weight across bags so none crosses 32 kg. And if you are close on cabin weight, wear your heaviest jacket and shoes through the gate. None of this is glamorous, but it is the difference between a calm check-in and a surprise fee at the counter.

Verify before you fly. Baggage allowances and fees change, and they can differ by exact fare code, promo, and aircraft. Every row above links to the airline’s official baggage page. Treat that page as the final word, and this tool as your fast head-to-head.