Whether you are planning your first surf trip to Indonesia, or your 100th, navigating Indonesian Airlines surfboard baggage policies with the lack of information online, can be a nightmare.
Want to get straight to it?
Garuda Surfboard Fees
Lion Air Surfboard Fees
Batik Air Surfboard Fees
Super Air Jet Surfboard Fees
Wings Air Surfboard Fees
Citilink Surfboard Fees
We hear so many stories about surfers getting caught out by baggage limitations or changes to fees when they come to check in to their Indo flights. Surfboards left behind cause they weren’t allowed to check them in, or in some cases arriving smashed to bits.
Before you book your flights, it’s important to understand the surfboard fees for different Indonesian airlines and their limitations to size, weight and the number of boards you are technically allowed to carry.
These fees can significantly impact your travel budget, so if you are heading to Aceh, Mentawai, Batukaras, Krui, Bali, Lombok, Sumba, Sumbawa, Rote or anywhere across the amazing Indonesian archipelago in search of waves, here is the information you need.
Let’s go.
Quick Tips For Flying in Indonesia With Surfboards
Before we get into each Indonesian airline specifically, here are some tips and bits of information that will make traveling with surfboards in Indonesia much easier.
Pack Board Bags Light
Indonesia is hot and humid and the men and women who work at the airports moving your luggage from conveyor belts to airplanes and back at the other end are working in it all day, everyday.
So imagine being in their shoes for a minute, as a behemoth board bag full of boards, foils, flip-flops, towels, suncream and pack of Bintang comes round the corner of the conveyor for them to handle.
It’s going to get dragged and bounced, not carried and placed.
The few times I have seen boards arriving damaged, is when the bags have been really heavy.
A few years back flying between Bali and Rote we bumped in to Tipi Jabrik checking in for the same flight. He was traveling with one board, and absolutely no packaging, not even a board sock. The check-in staff were a bit confused, but stuck the fragile sticker straight on the bottom of it and sent it off. It got to Rote without even a scratch.
We are not saying do this, and all airlines do state now that boards must be in recognized and suitable surfboard bags. Just dont fill it with other things.
Watch Out For Flights With a Wings Air Leg
Lion Air, Batik Air, Super Air Jet and Wings Air are all part of the Lion Air Group. Which means depending on your travel plans you might find the flight you are booking through Lion Air is actually Batik Air or that you have two legs operated by different airlines. This isn’t a problem and Lion Air, Batik Air and Super Air Jet share the same policy when it comes to surfboards.
BUT, if your route includes a leg operated by Wings Air, your boards can be no longer than 200 cm at check in, and will cost a nasty 1,000,000 IDR per surfboard for the Wings Air Leg.
That means if you fly from Bali to Rote with 3 boards you will have to pay 3 x 200,000 per board on your Lion Air Flight, and then 3 x 1,000,000 per board from Kupang to Rote with Wings Air. Thats a whopping 3.6 million Rupiah to account for in board bag fees.
In a lot of cases, Wings Air are the only flight options. It is just easier to digest the fee when you are not caught out on the day.
International Transits
Let’s say you are heading from Mentawai to Bali. You find Batik Air flights from Padang to Kuala Lumpur, and then Kuala Lumpur to Bali. These are not one ticket flights as you must go through immigration, so in KL you go through security and then check-in again for your flight to Bali.
At this point you are actually now checking in for Batik Air Malaysia, which has its own surfboard charging policy. We showed up with cash in hand ready to pay 200k per board, only to find out we were now paying overweight at the airport fees per kilo of board bag. It stung hard.
So, even if you start and end in Indonesia with the same airline, watch out for different fees when transiting international airports.
With those tips out the way, lets get into Indonesian Airline Surfboard Fees and Policies
Garuda Indonesia Surfboard Fees
- Accepts Surfboards? Yes
- Counts as Checked Baggage? Yes
- Cost: FREE
- Max Weight: 23Kg
- Max Length: 300cm
- Website: https://www.garuda-indonesia.com/
Garuda Indonesia stands out as the most surfboard-friendly airline in the country. They give a free 23KG for sports equipment which includes surfboards, on top of your standard baggage allowance. While their tickets are often the most expensive options, this generous allowance can make up for it on certain routes.
We highlight the certain routes as they only fly between more major Indonesian destinations. If you are travelling to some of Indonesia’s more remote islands, there is a strong chance Garuda will not operate that route.
You are allowed one free sport equipment piece which includes surfboards. The maximum weight is 23kg and boards can be up to 300cm in length, so even longboards are included.
One big thing to note here, is if your Garuda route uses of the ATR aircraft the maximum board size is 160cm.
Garuda operate most of their flights from Jakarta. Good Garuda routes for surfers from Jakarta include:
- Jakarta – Medan: Good for connecting flights onto Nias, Banyak Islands, Telos, Simeulue
- Jakarta – Padang: The gateway to Mentawai
- Jakarta – Bandar Lampung: Good for Krui
- Jakarta – Bali Denpasar: No explanation needed.
- Jakarta – Praya Lombok: Good for exploring all of Lombok. Also West Sumbawa spots like Super Suck and Yoyos by connecting with a ferry crossing from Lombok.
With Garuda flying international routes to Jakarta from Melbourne, Sydney, Japan, Seoul and Amsterdam it can be a great option for people looking to surf in Indonesia
Lion Air Surfboard Fees
- Accepts Surfboards? Yes
- Counts as Checked Baggage? No
- Cost: 200,000 IDR per board
- Max Weight: 23Kg
- Max Length: 230cm
- Website: https://www.lionair.co.id/
Travel anywhere across Indonesia and you are likely to come across a Lion Air flight. Even way back in 2018, Lion Air carried almost 35% of all Indonesias air travelers. With over 440 flights per day, to 41 domestic locations, and 269 routes, it’s an airline that you will get used to if you spend any amount of time traveling and surfing in Indonesia.
They are very surfboard friendly, and we have never had an issue traveling with surfboards on Lion Air. You just need to know how it works.
Surfboards are charged at 200,000 IDR (about $20 AUD) per surfboard and they are charged per leg. They will ask how many boards you have in the bag, and they often will check. Pack slim and you can normally get 1 in the there for free, just don’t cause a scene if they check and charge you.
Surfboards are paid for in cash when you check in for your flight. You cannot pre-book surfboards on Lion Air.
Board can be up to 230 cm (7.6 ft) for jet aircraft, or 200 cm (6.5 ft) for propeller aircraft. But saying that, we have also flown with Lion Air with a double longboard bag 10ft long with no drama. Note, if your itinerary includes a connecting leg operated by Wings Air, you will only be able to check in a board up to 200 cm.
Your board bag can weigh up to 23 kg and is completely separate to your regular baggage allowance.
One important note: Lion Air does state that it limits the total number of surfboards per flight to five. If this limit is exceeded, additional boards may be held for the next flight. However, we have never had this happen in our years of flying Lion Air.
Lion Air Surfboard Baggage Information
Batik Air Surfboard Fees
- Accepts Surfboards? Yes
- Counts as Checked Baggage? No
- Cost: 200,000 IDR per board
- Max Weight: 23Kg
- Max Length: 230cm
- Website: https://www.batikair.com
Batik Air is actually part of the same group as Lion Air, and so their baggage policies are the very same.
Surfboards are charged at 200,000 IDR (about $20 AUD) per surfboard and they are charged per leg. Surfboards are paid for in cash when you check in for your flight. You cannot pre-book surfboards on Batik Air.
Boards can be up to 230 cm (7.6 ft) for jet aircraft, or 200 cm (6.5 ft) for propeller aircraft. Note, if your itinerary includes a connecting leg operated by Wings Air, you will only be able to check in a board up to 200 cm.
For Batik Air, your surfboard bag can weigh up to 23 kg and is completely separate to your regular baggage allowance
Batik Air Surfboard Baggage Information
Super Air Jet Surfboard Fees
- Accepts Surfboards? Yes
- Counts as Checked Baggage? No
- Cost: 200,000 IDR per board
- Max Weight: 23Kg
- Max Length: 230cm
- Website: https://www.superairjet.com/
Super Air Jet is another airline in the Lion Air group and so their surfboard policy is the same as Lion and Batik Air.
Surfboards are charged at 200,000 IDR (about $20 AUD) per surfboard and they are charged per leg. Surfboards are paid for in cash when you check in for your flight. You cannot pre-book surfboards on Super Air Jet.
Boards can be up to 230 cm (7.6 ft) for jet aircraft, or 200 cm (6.5 ft) for propeller aircraft. Note, if your itinerary includes a connecting leg operated by Wings Air, you will only be able to check in a board up to 200 cm.
For Super Air Jet, your surfboard bag can weigh up to 23 kg and is completely separate to your regular baggage allowance.
Super Air Jet Surfboard Baggage Information
Wings Air Surfboard Fees
- Accepts Surfboards? Yes
- Counts as Checked Baggage? No
- Cost: 1,000,000 IDR per board (Yes you read that right)
- Max Weight: 23Kg
- Max Length: 200cm
- Website:
Wings Air is another part of the Lion Air Group, that operate the smaller ATR type aircraft and provide access to many of Indonesias more remote corners. While it is part of the Lion Air Group, it has a completely different set or rules and fees for surfboards, and it is a big difference so make sure you read this.
Effective May 12, 2024, Wings air increased its surfboard fees from 200k per board to 1,000,000 (One Million) IDR, PER BOARD, PER FLIGHT! And they know to count how many boards you might have rammed into that slim travel bag.
Boards can be no longer than 200cm, and must be under 23kg in weight.
If you are traveling to Rote and want to avoid the high fees from Kupang to Rote, we recommend taking the Express Bahari fast ferry rather than the flight. It is considerably cheaper, and only adds a few hours to your travel time to Rote.
Wings Air Flights From Kupang to Rote Island NTT
Citilink Surfboard Fees
- Accepts Surfboards? Yes
- Counts as Checked Baggage? Yes
- Cost: Chaged per kilo over included baggage alowance
- Max Weight: 30Kg
- Max Length: 227cm
- Website: https://www.citilink.co.id/
Citilink counts surfboards as part of your checked luggage. So if your flight includes 20kg of luggage, you can bring a 20kg board bag in its place.
The baggage allowance you get will depend on your route as well as the ticket type you purchase. It’s important to note that it is different for different routes and ticket types.
Citilink overweight baggage fees for surfboards vary based on the route and distance. For Jakarta – Kupang they charge 140,000 IDR per kilo over your included allowance if you pay at the airport. You can pre-book additional weight when booking and save some money. An additional 5kg will cost you 630,000 IDR, or 10kg additional for 1,260,000 IDR. More information on Citilink excess baggage fees here.
Citilink have different maximum lengths for surfboards based on the aircraft type operating that route. For Airbus 320, the maximum length is 227cm (around 7’5). For ATR 72-600 aircraft the length dimensions can not exceed 170cm which is around 5’5 and can potentially be an issue.
