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Hand baggage allowance
Everything you can and can't take into the cabin.
This page tells you about how much hand baggage you can take into the cabin with you, as well as all the items you can and can't take onboard.
To find out how much baggage you can check into the hold, take a look at our Check in baggage allowance page. Alternatively, visit our liquid restrictions page, to find out how much you can take onboard our flights.
Hand baggage is included as part of all of our tickets, and depending on the cabin you might be able to take more than just the one bag. Whichever cabin you’re in, the size of your bag needs to be a maximum of 23 x 36 x 56cm (that's around 9 x 14 x 22 inches).
Important: You must be able to place your hand baggage in the overhead bins unaided.
On this page:
Additional items you can take onboard
Economy and Premium
All passengers flying in our Economy or Premium cabins can take one piece of hand baggage per person weighing up to 10kg (or 22lb).
Upper Class
All Upper Class passengers can take up to two pieces of hand baggage per person, weighing up to 12kg (26lb) for one bag, or up to 16kg (35lb) combined weight. So for example, you could take a 12kg bag and another little bag of 4kg.
Children's hand baggage
Babies and toddlers aged 0-23 months are entitled to one bag each weighing up to 6kg (or 13lb).
Any children aged 2+ years are entitled to the same amount of hand baggage as an adult in the cabin allowances shown above.
When travelling with infants or children you can bring a fully collapsible pushchair and car seat, in addition to the free check in allowance.
Additional items you can take with you
To help with baggage conundrums, we’ve compiled the following list to clarify the bits and bobs you can take onboard in addition to the allowances above:
- Your handbag, small backpack/rucksack, pocketbook or purse, as you would normally use it (in other words, not just being used to contain items that would otherwise be regarded as baggage)
- Your overcoat or wrap
- Your umbrella or walking stick (these cannot be pointed or sharp)
- A small camera and/or pair of binoculars
- A reasonable amount of reading matter for the flight
- An infant’s food (for consumption on the flight)
- A small amount of duty free goods
- Headphones for onboard use (they’ll need the standard 3.5mm jack).
Laptops
You can bring laptops onboard, as long as you can fit them into your hand baggage.
If you're planning to bring any large electrical items with you (such as laptops), please remember that you’ll need to remove them from your bag for security screening. You’ll be asked to place them in a tray so they can be clearly scanned.
Mobility aids and wheelchairs
Mobility aids such as walking aids and manual collapsible wheelchairs can also be taken onboard some of our flights. Make sure you have a look at our Mobility aids and wheelchairs page for all the information on this.
Cigarettes, cigars and lighters
You can carry the following items onboard, but you can’t smoke them:
- Electronic cigarettes
- Rolling tobacco
- Cigarette lighters including butane, absorbed fuel (Zippo style) and battery-powered lighters can be carried on the person, except on flights to Antigua, Barbados, Grenada, Tobago, Havana and Delhi.
- Cigarettes
- Cigars
- Cigarette papers
Items not allowed onboard in your hand luggage
- Smart bags (unless the batteries can be removed)
- Torch-style cigarette lighters
- Non-safety matches
- Toy or replica guns (plastic or metal)
- Catapults
- Sharp items – this includes household items such as household cutlery, knives (of any length), paper knives, razor blades or darts
- Hypodermic syringes – unless you have a medical condition that requires you to inject on the flight. Find more information below.
- Scissors (scissors with blunt/round-ended blades, metal or plastic, less than 6cm in length or scissors with metal blades and pointed tips under 3cms are permitted)
- Sporting bats
- Billiard, snooker or pool cues
- Tradesmen’s tools (however, US airports will allow screwdrivers, wrenches, pliers and other tools, but not crowbars, drills, hammers or saws, as long as they are seven inches or less in length)
- Any dangerous articles such as flammables, corrosives, poisons, radioactive materials, ammunition, firearms or explosives.
For the full list of items that are not allowed onboard the flight, head over to our Dangerous articles page.
Hypodermic needles
We realise it’s essential for some of our passengers to carry hypodermic needles and other medical equipment in order to treat a medical condition. If you have a medical reason that requires you to inject during the course of a flight, naturally you can carry your syringes in your hand baggage.
However, please ensure you’re able to provide adequate medical evidence in the form of a doctor’s letter and prescription. You’ll be asked to show this when you check in and at security screening, and you should keep it with you at all times. We also ask that you bring your own sharps box so you can dispose of your needles safely and hygienically.
For more information, please refer to our page on flying with medication.
Additional security
- Do not pack wrapped gifts as our security agents may have to unwrap them for the purpose of searches.
- Remember that no sharp objects are permitted in your hand baggage, so pack them in your hold luggage before checking in. All sharp items in hand baggage will be removed and confiscated at security search and anyone trying to take an illegal item through security could be prosecuted.
- Open drinks are not allowed through security controls.
- Do not carry packages at the request of people not known to you.
- Do not leave your baggage unattended at any time.
- Take all reasonable steps to prevent anyone from placing anything in your baggage without your knowledge.
The security measures in place are there to protect you, and we ask for your co-operation and patience. Please proceed to the security control and then the departure gate in a timely manner as we will not delay an aircraft departure due to late arriving passengers.
Musical instruments
Some instruments might be small enough to fit into your hand baggage. Check the allowances above to see how much you can take into the cabin.
Alternatively, you can carry a maximum of two instruments onboard if you book a seat for each one. Each instrument cannot exceed 75kg (165 lb) and its centre of mass should be no more than 30cm (12 inches) above the top of the seat cushion. This is to make sure it doesn't fall onto anyone next to you (that could be awkward).
To book an extra seat for a musical instrument, please contact us in advance of your flight.
If your musical instrument is too big to fit into your hand baggage, you can put it in the hold, although you might need to pay an additional fee if it takes you over your check in baggage allowance. You can find more information on our Check in baggage allowances page.
Garment bags, wedding dresses and suits
Garment bags
A garment bag can only be used as your hand baggage in Economy or Premium if it fits the dimensions of the hand baggage allowance. If you’d like to bring one but it exceeds 23 x 36 x 56 cm, it will need to be as additional checked in baggage.
In Upper Class, your hand baggage can also include one garment bag, 20cm (8 inches) thick - again, this shouldn't exceed 12kg. This will count towards your two bag limit.
Wedding dresses and wedding suits
You’re welcome to take your wedding dress or wedding suit onboard in addition to your hand luggage. Our crew will, where space permits, hang your dress or suit for you but on some flights the wardrobe space is very limited so we can't guarantee this. Please pack your dress in a box or bag so that when the crew can’t find space to hang it, it can be safely stowed. With any wedding suits, please make sure they're packed in a soft suit carrier.
If you prefer not to carry it and would like to check it in, please pack your dress or suit into a separate suitcase and mark the suitcase as ‘fragile wedding garments’. Where possible the items should be packed into a plastic bag for extra protection. Please note that if the separate suitcase is outside of your baggage allowance you will need to purchase additional baggage.
Other useful links
Find out more about our Check in baggage allowances.
Read about the restrictions on carrying liquids on board.
Read about items that are illegal and items you need permission for.
Learn about our Additional baggage fees
Find out more about Flying with children and babies
Explore Our cabins.