We’ve all experienced the anxiety of arriving at the airport, worrying about how heavy our bags are and whether they’ll exceed the luggage allowance at check in. Should I really have packed two jackets for a beach holiday? Will they have a hairdryer at the hotel? Will they let me spread the weight between two bags? Sound familiar?
Airline luggage policies are confusing at the best of times, let alone when they seem to be constantly changing, which is why we’ve created this cheat sheet to ease the burden of baggage. Regardless of whether you’re escaping on a long weekend with just your carry-on bags, or taking the family on a two weeks summer getaway, use our guide below to find out your airline’s rates.
Cabin Baggage Allowances
Whether you’re attempting to squeeze all of your belongings into hand-luggage for a short city break, or working out how to keep the kids entertained on a long-haul flight, you’re definitely going to want to know your cabin baggage allowance. With weights ranging from 7kg to 23kg, there’s a major difference between airlines in terms of what you can carry on.
Top Tip: Keep an eye out for which airlines do and don’t allow personal items like handbags and laptop bags to be carried on with you, as these might incur separate charges, or have to be checked in – if they’re not included.
| Airline | Hand Luggage Weight (kg) | Dimensions (cm) | Personal Item Allowed? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aer Lingus | 10kg | 20 x 24 x 55 | Y |
| Air France | 12kg | 55 x 25 x 35 | Y |
| British Airways | 23kg | 56 x 45 x 25 | Y |
| Delta | N/A | 114 | N |
| easyJet | N/A | 56 x 45 x 24 | N |
| Emirates | 7kg | 55 x x38 x 20 | N |
| Etihad Airways | 7kg | 50 x 40 x 20 | Y |
| Flybe | 10kg | 55 x 35 x 20 | Y |
| Jet2 | 10kg | 56 x 45 x 25 | Y |
| KLM | 12kg | 55 x 35 x 25 | Y |
| Lufthansa | 8kg | 55 x 40 x 23 | Y |
| Norwegian | 10kg | 55 x 40 x 23 | Y |
| Ryanair | 10kg | 40 x 20 x 45 | Y |
| Thomas Cook Airlines | 11kg | 55 x 40 x 20 | Y |
| TUI Airways | 10kg | 55 x 40 x 20 | N |
| Virgin Atlantic | 10kg | 23 x 36 x 56 | N |
Checked In Luggage
When you’re heading out for a two week break in the sun, it can be tempting to pack lots of unnecessary items “just in case” – especially when you’ve got little ones in tow. But with some airlines charging over £250 for overweight bags, it definitely pays to weigh before you go away!
Top Tip: Check in advance which airlines charge for overweight bags on a ‘per kilogram’ basis, and which providers will make you purchase the full price of another bag.
| Airline | Hold Luggage Charge | Max Weight | Max Dimensions | Overweight Baggage Charges |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aer Lingus | £24 | 32kg | 158 | £9 per kg |
| Air France | £0 | N/A | 258 | £47 (long) / £63 (short) |
| British Airways | £36 | 32kg | 90 x 75 x 36 | £65 per bag |
| Delta | £57 for second bag | 23kg | 157 | £72 per bag |
| easyJet | £9-£50 | 32kg | 275 | £10 per kg |
| Emirates | Charges on booking | 40kg | 300 | £10 (long) / £20 (short) |
| Etihad Airways | £0 | N/A | 70 x 50 x 38 | £196 |
| Flybe | £24 based on 23kg bag | 23kg | N/A | £15 per kg |
| Jet2 | £24 | 32kg | N/A | £45 per bag / £12 per kg |
| KLM | £0 | 23kg | 158 | €55 - €300 |
| Lufthansa | £0 | 23kg | 158 | £13-£44 |
| Norwegian | £0 | 32kg | 250 x 79 x 112 | £70 |
| Ryanair | £25-£40 per 20kg bag | 20kg | 81 x 119 x 119 | £10 per kg |
| Thomas Cook | £25 for 10kg bag | 30kg | 158 | £15 - £90 booked in advance |
| TUI Airways | Charges on booking | N/A | N/A | £15 per kg |
| Virgin Atlantic | £0 | N/A | 90 x 75 x 43 | £65 (1 bag) / £140 (2 bags) |
Child Fare Policy
Travelling with children can often feel like a carefully planned operation, so the last thing you want is an airlines policy making it more expensive, long-winded or tiresome. To find out which airlines are the most family friendly, we looked at both their infant and child policies, to see where you can ‘carry on’ your kids and where will charge you another full priced ticket.
| Airline | Infant Fare | Additional Seat for Infant | Child Fare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aer Lingus | £38 return / 10% of adult fare (to US) | Full Adult Fare | Full adult fare, discount available for transatlantic flights (2-11 years) |
| Air France | 15% of adult fare (Short haul) 33% (long haul) | 15-33% of adult fare (route dependant) | Full adult fare, discount available on certain flights) |
| British Airways | 10% of adult fare (route dependant) | 75& of adult fare | Full adult fare |
| Delta | % of adult fare | 10% of adult fare | Full adult fare |
| easyJet | £50 return | Full Adult Fare | Full adult fare |
| Emirates | 10% adult fare | 75% of adult fare | 75% of adult fare (under 12) |
| Etihad Airways | 10% adult fare | 75% of adult fare | 66% or 75% of adult fare depending on route |
| Flybe | 12% adult fare | Full Adult Fare | Full adult fare |
| Jet2 | £40 return | Full Adult Fare | Full adult fare |
| KLM | 10% adult fare | 75% of adult fare | Up to 25% discount of adult fare (2-11) |
| Lufthansa | 10% adult fare | 75% of adult fare | Full adult fare |
| Norwegian | 10% adult fare | 75% of adult fare | 75% of adult fare, or 90% adult fare for international flights |
| Ryanair | £50 return | Full Adult Fare | Full adult fare, but free seats when booking |
| Thomas Cook Airlines | 10% adult fare | Full Adult Fare | Full adult fare |
| TUI Airways | Infanct fees vary | Full Adult Fare | Full adult fare |
| Virgin Atlantic | 10% adult fare | 75-85% of adult fare | Full adult fare |
Suitcase Scenarios
Still struggling to visualise what 23kg looks like in terms of two weeks-worth of clothes and toiletries? Or how much you can really fit into your hand-luggage for a short trip away? And how on earth can you squeeze the kids clothes in there as well!
Stress no more, we’ve done the hard work for you!
Taking into account the average items needed for both holiday scenarios, we’ve done the maths and weighed up how much you can actually squeeze into your suitcase this summer.
City Break Packing List
- Dresses x3
- 1.5 kg
- T-shirts x3
- 0.54 kg
- Shorts x2
- 0.5 kg
- Pair of Trainers
- 0.6 kg
- Pair of Sandals
- 0.35 kg
- PJs
- 0.3 kg
- Underwear x5
- 0.2 kg
- Small Bag
- 0.4 kg
- Jacket
- 1 kg
- Straighteners
- 0.3 kg
- Toiletries (Plastic Bag)
- 1 kg
- Adapters/Charger
- 0.1 kg
- Carry-on Suitcase
- 2.6 kg
- 10 kg
Family Holiday Package List
- Dresses x4
- 2 kg
- T-shirts x5
- 0.9 kg
- Pair of Sandals x2
- 0.7 kg
- Shorts/Skirts x2
- 0.5 kg
- Swimwear x2
- 1 kg
- Underwear x15
- 3 kg
- PJs x2
- 0.6 kg
- Beach Bag
- 0.5 kg
- Small Bag
- 0.4 kg
- Straighteners
- 0.3 kg
- Make Up Bag
- 0.5 kg
- Toiletries
- 1.2 kg
- Sun Cream x3
- 0.9 kg
- First Aid Kit
- 0.2 kg
- Adapters/Charger
- 0.1 kg
- Beach Towels x2
- 1.5 kg
- Suitcase
- 3.3 kg
- Child
- Kids T-Shirts x7
- 0.7 kg
- Kids Shorts x7
- 1.4 kg
- Pair of Sandals x2
- 0.7 kg
- Swimwear x2
- 0.6 kg
- Underwear x15
- 1.5 kg
- PJs x2
- 0.3 kg
- Hat
- 0.15 kg
- Toiletries
- 0.4 kg
- 23 kg