I’m going on a trip and I’m going to bring… hand luggage! Hand luggage is perfect when you want to skip the time-consuming baggage claim process or when you’re going on a short city trip. You can keep your possessions at hand during flight and avoid the risk of having your checked baggage lost or damaged. Sounds great, but your hand luggage has size restrictions. We tell you what size your hand luggage can be, what happens if your hand luggage is too big and what you can take in your hand luggage. Happy travelling!
What size is hand luggage
No traveller wants to stand at check-in with the wrong size hand luggage. The actual size and weight limits of hand luggage differ widely and each airline has their own set of size restrictions. Don’t worry, we’ve picked out a few key measurements for the most common airlines.
| Airline | Size hand luggage in cm | Maximum weight | Additional information |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air France | 55 x 35 x 25 + one personal item of 40 x 30x 15 | 12 - 18 kg depending on ticket type | 1 cabin bag plus 1 personal item |
| Air Lingus | 55 x 40 x 24 | 10 kg | 1 cabin bag plus 1 personal item |
| Aurigny | 48 x 36 x 20 | 10 kg for regional / 6 kg for inter-island | 1 cabin bag |
| British Airways | 56 x 45 x 25 + one hand/laptopbag of 40 x 30 x 15 | 23 kg combined weight | 1 cabin bag plus 1 laptop or handbag |
| Easyjet | 56 x 45 x 25 | No weight restrictions | 1 cabin bag |
| Emirates | 55 x 38 x 20 | 7 kg | 1 cabin bag |
| KLM | 55 x 35 x 25 + one accessory of 40 x 30 x 15 | 12 kg combined weight | 1 cabin bag plus 1 small bag |
| Lufthansa | 55 x 40 x 23 | 8 kg | 1 cabin bag plus 1 underseat bag |
| Ryan Air | 40 x 20 x 25 | No weight restriction | 1 small bag |
| TUI Airways | 55 x 40 x 20 | 10 kg | 1 cabihn bag |
| Wizz Air | 40 x 30 x 20 | 10 kg | 1 cabin bag |
What happens if your hand luggage is too big
Sometimes you just can’t measure your hand luggage at home, but don’t worry: before you board the aircraft, most flights have a hand luggage sizer close to the gate. It’s a metal frame that your hand luggage needs to fit inside. What happens when you find out that your hand luggage is too big? Well, you might be forced to check your bag at the boarding gate and be made to pay a checked bag fee. These fees differ per airline, but the costs you pay at the airport for excess baggage are always higher than you pay if you book in advance.
Two reasons why hand luggage can be checked at the gate:
- Your hand luggage looks suspiciously large and fails to fit the sizer. You’ll need to pay a checked bag fee.
- The airline is running out of space in the overhead bins and asks passengers to check-in hand luggage at the gate. You may not need to pay a checked bag fee, even if your hand luggage is too big.
If your hand luggage is within the size limit and fits the sizer, you should never need to pay any fees for gate-checking your bag.
What can you take in hand luggage
Packing for your trip can seem like solving a jigsaw puzzle since there are restrictions on what items you can take onto an aircraft. A really useful resource for getting up-to-date information about what you can and can’t take in your hand luggage is gov.uk. We have a reference guide of the most common items for you to know what you can take in your hand luggage.
| Laptop | Tablet | Hairdryer or straightener | |
| (Digital) Camera | Travel iron | Electric razor | |
| Scissors with rounded ends | Disposable razor blades | Nail clipper | |
| Umbrella | Tweezers | Liquid for contact lenses | |
| Printer cartridges | Medication (doctors note) | Syrups and liquid | |
| Milk powder | Sterile water for baby | Baby food |
Keep the following in mind when you pack your hand luggage:
- You can carry small amounts of liquids in your hand luggage. Just make sure you pack them in containers of no more than 100ml and carry them in a clear, resealable plastic bag.
- You’re allowed to carry devices like mobile phones, digital camera’s and laptops in your hand luggage. They do need some extra screening though. Just be sure that your devices are fully charged when you go through airport security.
Fly away with your new hand luggage
