Jetstar will soon charge customers money for using overhead lockers on its aircraft, with prices starting from $23.

The Qantas-owned budget carrier said it was part of a change in its carry-on model, which included removing its 7-kilogram carry-on weight limit.

It would instead move to a size-based carry-on baggage model and a fee to use the overhead bins.

From 2 February 2027, all Jetstar bookings would include one underseat bag such as a backpack, handbag or laptop.

Those who needed more carry-on baggage would have to pre-purchase what the airline called Priority Carry-on.

The add-on would allow for a second larger bag for the overhead locker, and those passengers would be among the first to board.

Jetstar said the availability of Priority Carry-on would be limited, and would start at $23 one-way on selected flights and vary.

For example, Dunedin to Auckland one-way would start at $23, Christchurch to Wellington one-way would be from $28, and Auckland to Brisbane from $34.

“We know that weighing carry-on bags at the gate can be frustrating for our customers and for our crew,” Jetstar chief executive Stephanie Tully said.

“To make packing easier we’ve decided to remove the 7kg weight limit, so from February, the main thing customers will need to think about is the size of their carry-on.”

Jetstar also detailed its size limits for underseat and overhead bags.

Underseat bags would have to be up to 40 x 30 x 20cm, and overhead bags with Priority Carry-on would have to be up to 56 x 36 x 23cm.

“By giving customers an underseat bag with the option to add Priority Carry-on, we can make better use of overhead locker space, streamline boarding and help more flights depart on time,” Tully said.

“Our new carry-on baggage model provides more choice to customers while helping to keep our fares low. You only pay for what you need – travelling with less means paying less, and you can always add more if you need.”

Jetstar said there were no changes to its checked baggage allowance.

It said customers with existing bookings for travel after 2 February 2027 would be upgraded to include Priority Carry-on at no cost.

Source: RNZ

Consumer New Zealand is warning online shoppers to be extra aware when attempting to buy Kiwi-made following a number of reports about online stores appearing to be local, when in fact they are based overseas.

A website called Mytamariki says it sells products that “support everyday family life in New Zealand”, however the business address and website is listed as being in Hong Kong.

Reviews of the website on Facebook and Trust Pilot have claimed products on the site are also available on AliExpress.

Consumer New Zealand chief executive Jon Duffy told Morning Report websites similar to these are becoming more common.

“Unfortunately they’re on the increase and it is really difficult for consumers to tell the difference sometimes.

“There’s different ways consumers can interact with websites that are pretending to be from New Zealand, but aren’t. It could be directly through a website like the Mytamariki example, but equally through places like Facebook Marketplace, Shopify, and other platforms like that.

“There’s ample opportunity for businesses to claim New Zealand origin, but not actually be from here.”

He says there are some simple things people can do if they are unsure if a business is legitimately based in New Zealand.

“If a business is claiming to be located in a particular location in New Zealand, do a Google Maps check, see if that shopfront is actually there.

“There was a recent example of a business claiming to be based in Arrowtown when it wasn’t, and that took in a number of people, but that business certainly didn’t have its shopfront on the main street of Arrowtown.

“The domain name commissioner, which is part of Internet NZ, registers all .co.nz and .nz domain names. So if a business purports to have a New Zealand domain name, you can look up who’s behind that business through the domain name commissioner.

“And if the website’s appearing to be a .co.nz website but they’re not registered with the domain name commissioner, that is a huge red flag and you shouldn’t deal with them.”

Duffy says it is not as simple as authorities having a website taken down, given the global nature of online retail.

“If a site is actively misleading people and it’s trading through a platform such as Facebook or Shopify, you can complain. Whether they take action, you kind of roll the dice.

“It’s illegal for businesses to mislead consumers in New Zealand, but often these businesses are based overseas. So regulators like the New Zealand Commerce Commission really struggle to do anything about misrepresentations about country origin and things like that when the business is based offshore.”

Duffy said there was a difference between a store being misleading and one being run by scammers.

“Some are just outright scams. They’re looking to take money off you and they never had the product that they said they were going to sell. So that’s out-and-out fraud. But other businesses will misrepresent what they’re selling to you.

“Using that Arrowtown example, it was advertising designer New Zealand-made clothing, but what turned up was cheap, Chinese-made product that didn’t match the description. So you got something, but it certainly wasn’t what you thought you were paying for.

“And then being able to turn around and deal with the website to get a refund as you would get if you were dealing with a genuinely domestically located store, proves very, very difficult.”

“Unfortunately, consumers need to protect themselves, because there’s very little the New Zealand authorities can do,” Duffy said.

Mytamariki has been contacted for comment.

Source: RNZ