Cabin Bag Size by Airline: Hand Luggage Limits for UK Flights

Cabin bag size depends on the airline. On the pages we could read on 30 October 2026, British Airways allows a 56 x 45 x 25 cm cabin bag, Jet2 (Jet2holidays page) 56 x 45 x 25 cm and 10 kg, and TUI Airways 55 x 40 x 20 cm and 10 kg, plus a small bag of 40 x 30 x 15 cm to 40 x 30 x 20 cm under the seat.

This page compares hand luggage size airline by airline for seven carriers that UK travellers use: easyJet, Ryanair, Jet2, British Airways, Wizz Air, TUI and Virgin Atlantic. Every figure comes from the airline's own page, read on 30 October 2026, and the date sits in the caption of each table. Where a page would not load or held no baggage figures, we say so instead of filling the gap from memory or from another website.

Three of the seven pages gave us figures. Four did not, and they are listed apart in the second table. Airlines can change their limits, so treat any table, ours included, as a starting point and check the airline's page and your booking confirmation before you pack.

British Airways, Jet2holidays and TUI Airways published readable figures. The table gives the bag that goes under the seat, the larger cabin bag, the weight limit the page states and the hold bag where the page states one.

What the differences mean in practice

The two larger cabin bags are not interchangeable. A 56 x 45 x 25 cm bag that passes at British Airways or Jet2holidays is 1 cm too long, 5 cm too wide and 5 cm too deep for the 55 x 40 x 20 cm limit on TUI Airways. By volume, the TUI limit works out at 44,000 cm3 against 63,000 cm3, about 30% smaller.

The under-seat bag differs too. British Airways allows 15 cm of depth where Jet2holidays and TUI Airways allow 20 cm, which makes its bag 18,000 cm3 against 24,000 cm3, a quarter smaller. A rucksack that is full to the brim is the item most likely to be caught by that depth.

Four airlines are not confirmed on their own pages today: easyJet, Ryanair, Wizz Air and Virgin Atlantic. We did not work around that. No figure for them comes from memory, from a comparison site or from a forum, because a size that was right last year can be wrong now.

For these four, the airline's own page is the only reliable source of the current size and weight, and your booking confirmation is the only record of what your fare includes.

Jet2holidays says its 10 kg hand luggage allowance is free of charge. The British Airways and TUI Airways pages list their hand baggage as an allowance and name no price for it; the fees they print are for hold bags and excess weight. The table lists every fee the three pages state.

On those rates, five kilograms over the allowance costs £75 on a TUI Airways short or mid-haul flight and £60 on Jet2holidays, before any seasonal change. The two figures apply to different bookings, so they are not a ranking of the airlines.

If a cabin bag is over the limit, the TUI Airways page says it may be moved to the hold and a charge may apply. It also says you must be able to lift your bag into the overhead locker yourself. The British Airways and Jet2holidays pages we read do not state what happens to an oversize cabin bag.

Measure the packed bag at its longest, widest and deepest points and compare each of the three numbers with the airline's limit. The British Airways and Jet2holidays pages say their sizes include wheels and handles. The TUI Airways page does not say either way, so measure the whole bag.

1. Pack the bag as you will carry it, with the pockets filled.
2. Stand it upright on a flat floor and measure the height from the ground to the top of the handle.
3. Measure the width across the widest point, then the depth at the thickest point, where a full bag bulges.
4. Weigh the packed bag. Jet2holidays and TUI Airways state 10 kg; the British Airways page states no cabin weight.
5. Compare each dimension separately. A bag that meets two of the three limits still fails the third.

GOV.UK's hand luggage page does not set bag sizes. It tells passengers to check with their airline how many bags, and what size, they can take on the plane.

At most airports you cannot take liquids in containers larger than 100 ml through security, and some airports allow containers of up to 2 litres, so check your departure airport. The rules are the airports' and the Government's, not the airline's, and they apply on top of the size limits above.

• What is the standard hand luggage size in the UK?

  There is no single size: each airline sets its own. On the pages we read on 30 October 2026, British Airways and Jet2holidays state 56 x 45 x 25 cm for the larger cabin bag and TUI Airways states 55 x 40 x 20 cm. GOV.UK tells passengers to check with their airline.

• What are the cabin bag sizes for easyJet, Ryanair, Wizz Air and Virgin Atlantic?

  We could not confirm them on the airlines’ own pages on 30 October 2026. Check the airline’s cabin baggage page and your booking confirmation.

• Does hand luggage size include wheels and handles?

  On British Airways and Jet2holidays, yes: both pages say the size includes wheels and handles. The TUI Airways page does not say, so measure the whole bag to be safe.

• Is there a weight limit for a cabin bag?

  Jet2holidays and TUI Airways both state 10 kg. The British Airways page we read states no cabin bag weight, only checked bag weights, so look at your booking confirmation.

• Can I take a handbag as well as a cabin bag?

  On the three airlines we confirmed, yes: a small bag that fits under the seat is allowed as well, at 40 x 30 x 15 cm on British Airways Economy and 40 x 30 x 20 cm on Jet2holidays and TUI Airways.

• Do babies and young children get a hand luggage allowance?

  The TUI Airways page says children under 2 have no hand luggage allowance. The Jet2holidays page, for infants under two, adds 10 kg to the accompanying adult’s 22 kg hold bag and states no hand luggage allowance for them.

• Why does one airline page show two handbag sizes?

  On 30 October 2026 the British Airways baggage page showed 40 x 30 x 15 cm in its Economy section and 45 x 36 x 20 cm in a calculator table that did not name a cabin. We used the Economy figure. If your bag sits between the two, check your booking before you rely on it.

• What are the liquids limits in hand luggage?

  GOV.UK says that at most airports containers larger than 100 ml cannot go through security, with the rest in one transparent resealable bag of no more than a litre if asked. Some airports allow up to 2 litres, and at all UK airports containers of up to 2 litres are allowed for medical, dietary and baby food or milk needs.