Following the news several months ago that Emirates would begin to charge passengers for economy seat selection, they have now reduced the complimentary baggage.

This effect is two-fold. First to reduce the amount of fuel that the airline burns in a year transporting passenger cargo, and increase the amount of revenue generated from passengers checking extra baggage.

What are the details?

the changes will kick in on the 4th of February and may affect those passengers that have already booked flights and plan to fly with baggage.

But, depending on where your origin or destination is (in relation to Dubai), you will have different rules apply to you. Read on to discover if you will be affected.

To/From Australia, Asia, TO Africa and Europe:

For these flights, Emirates measures the total weight of all your bags, rather than just the number of bags.

Those passengers that have bought an Emirates Economy Special ticket will only be allowed to check onboard 15kg, as opposed to 20kg.

Conversely, those flying on an Emirates Economy Saver ticket will have their luggage reduced from 30kg to 25kg.

There are no changes to the other two types of economy tickets nor business or first.

FROM Africa and To/From South America, Central America, and North America:

For these flights, Emirates measures how many bags you have, in addition to their weight.

For Economy Special and Saver tickets, instead of two pieces up to 23kg as before, you now can only have one luggage item up to the same weight. Business and first are not affected.

What does this mean?

It is a little odd, as for the long-haul routes to Asia and Australia it looks like that the airline will be saving money on fuel or earning more for each additional item. But why have a different policy for America and Africa that includes the same weight but just fewer bags?

"20kg has been the economy standard forever, this is a very bad idea. Long haul Aussies won’t like it at all" - Paul from Australia

Plus, Emirates competitors in the region Qatar and Etihad still have rather generous baggage allowance, such as Asia to America on Qatar offering 30kg. If Emirates is trying to save money then it doesn't make sense, and it is not a competitive move.

So why do it?

Perhaps it is in preparation for their upcoming premium economy class. They want to differentiate between the four economy tickets that they currently offer:

• Special ticket is the standard one-off ticket that can't be changed without a fee.
• Saver rewards offer the best value when you travel during lower-demand periods or when your travel dates are flexible.
• Flex rewards offer greater flexibility when making your travel plans. They cost more Skywards Miles than Saver rewards, but they offer you more seat availability during high-demand periods and on high-demand flights.
• Flex Plus rewards offer you even more reward seats during high-demand periods and on high-demand flights.

And make an upgrade to premium economy (to get back the usual baggage allowance) much more appetising.

What do you think? Let us know in the comments.