It often feels airlines are getting stingier when it comes to hand luggage allowance. Some carriers no longer include a standard hand luggage item as part of their lowest cost tickets, and those that do induce passenger stress with smaller dimension allotments.
Not meeting strict hand luggage dimensions can result in your luggage being tagged as hold luggage and an unexpected fee. That’s why larger hand luggage allowances have become a top priority for some frequent travellers.
Which?, the UK’s consumer champion, has done the research to figure out which of the UK’s most popular airlines has the best hand luggage allowance. The consumer researcher evaluated hand luggage dimensions and maximum weight to rank each airline.
According to Which? Ryanair’s baggage allowance is the least generous. The budget airline’s Basic fare only entitles passengers to one, small bag which must fit under the seat in front of them.
Ryanair’s Regular fare entitles passengers to priority boarding and two cabin bags, including an additional 10kg case that can be stowed in the overhead locker. This fare class can cost anywhere from £6 – £36 if chosen when booking, or £20 – £60 if you add it at a later date.
Which? recommends Ryanair passengers always opt for the Basic fare and manually add on extra services and bags as needed, as opposed to opting for the more expensive bundled fare which include add-ons like seat selection.
Which? confirmed that easyJet Standard ticket holders will need to pay extra for anything beyond a small, underseat bag (measuring 45 x 36 x 20 cm including any handles and wheels, weighing a maximum of 15kg).
While easyJet offers a Standard Plus fare that includes a large cabin bag, Which says passengers may be able to get a better deal by choosing a Standard fare, and adding cabin bags manually. The consumer researcher recommends comparing prices on two different browsers or devices to see what’s cheaper.
According to Which? British Airways has the most generous hand luggage allowance. The carrier permits passengers to bring hand luggage weighing up to 23kg and a second, small bag weighing up to 23kg.
Which? confirms British Airways fares will seem more expensive during booking than budget airlines like Ryanair, but when you factor in the additional costs of cabin bags this evens out more.
When Which? carried out price comparisons, they found multiple examples where adding hand baggage bumped the cost of budget flights with Ryanair higher than British Airways and Jet2 fares.
Jet2 is the Which? Recommended Provider and the consumer researcher says its baggage policy holds up well to British Airways. The Jet2 Economy Basic fare entitles passengers to both a small personal piece of hand luggage and a cabin bag weighing up to 10kg.
You can find a full list of each airline and their free baggage allowances (including weight and volume) below:
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