Hand Luggage Rules Explained: Ryanair, easyJet, British Airways & TUI Compared

Four airlines, four different sets of hand luggage rules — and four different ways to get caught out at the gate.

📍 Covers Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Luton & London City | ✈️ Ryanair, easyJet, BA, TUI | 🕐 Updated for current allowances |

If you've ever stood at a check-in desk watching someone repack their bag in a panic, you'll know why hand luggage rules cause more stress than almost anything else about flying. Every airline sets its own size limits, its own weight limits, and its own idea of what counts as a "free" bag — and the gap between them is bigger than most people expect.

This guide breaks down the current hand luggage rules for Ryanair, the hand luggage rules for easyJet, British Airways, and TUI, so you know exactly what you can carry before you leave the house. We've also covered the airline hand luggage rules around liquids, since UK airports are no longer all playing by the same rulebook either.

One quiet tip before you start packing: whichever airline you're flying, a private transfer with real boot space means you're never forced to choose between an extra jumper and an extra pair of shoes just to keep your cabin bag under the limit. Get an instant quote and let the car take the strain instead of your carry-on.

Hand Luggage Rules at a Glance

• Ryanair

  • Free personal item: 40 × 30 × 20 cm (under seat)

  • Free cabin bag: Not included — requires Priority

  • Weight limit: 10 kg with Priority

• EasyJet

  • Free personal item: 45 × 36 × 20 cm (under seat, up to 15 kg)

  • Free cabin bag: Not included on Standard fares

  • Weight limit: Up to 15 kg (personal item)

• British Airways

  • Free personal item: 40 × 30 × 15 cm (under seat)

  • Free cabin bag: 56 × 45 × 25 cm — included on every fare

  • Weight limit: 23 kg combined

• TUI

  • Free personal item: 40 × 30 × 20 cm (under seat)

  • Free cabin bag: 55 × 40 × 20 cm — included on every fare

  • Weight limit: 10 kg (cabin bag only)

All dimensions include wheels and handles — a bag that's borderline before you attach a luggage tag can easily be borderline after. British Airways stands out as the most generous of the four, since even its cheapest fare includes both a full-size cabin bag and a personal item at no extra cost.

Ryanair Hand Luggage Rules

Free allowance: One small personal bag up to 40 x 30 x 20cm, which must fit fully under the seat in front of you. This is the only free bag on a standard Ryanair fare.

Priority passengers: Adding Priority & 2 Cabin Bags allows a second bag up to 55 x 40 x 20cm and 10kg in the overhead locker.

What catches people out: travellers assume the free personal bag can go in the overhead locker like a normal small suitcase — it can't. If it doesn't fit under the seat, it's treated as an oversized bag and you'll be charged at the gate, often at the highest walk-up rate on the day.

easyJet Hand Luggage Rules

Free allowance: One under-seat bag up to 45 x 36 x 20cm, weighing up to 15kg — the most generous free allowance of the two budget carriers.

Larger cabin bag: A bigger bag up to 56 x 45 x 25cm in the overhead locker requires an Up Front, Extra Legroom, FLEXI fare, or easyJet Plus membership.

What catches people out: the free bag is genuinely roomy by budget-airline standards, but it still has to fit under the seat — a bag that's the right height and width but too deep for the seat gap ahead of you will still be gate-checked.

British Airways Hand Luggage Rules

Free allowance: One personal item up to 40 x 30 x 15cmand one cabin bag up to 56 x 45 x 25cm, on every fare including the cheapest Basic ticket. Combined weight allowance is 23kg.

What catches people out: on very full flights, BA may ask passengers to check the larger cabin bag into the hold for free if overhead space runs out — so keep anything essential (medication, chargers, valuables) in your personal item rather than your cabin bag.

TUI Hand Luggage Rules

Free allowance: One cabin bag up to 55 x 40 x 20cm and 10kg, plus a separate personal item up to 40 x 30 x 20cm — both included on every booking, whether package holiday or flight-only.

What catches people out: TUI is one of the stricter airlines when it comes to actually weighing cabin bags at the gate, and its 20cm bag depth is shallower than some competitors' 25cm allowance, so a bag bought with another airline in mind may not fit.

How to Avoid Hand Luggage Fees at the Gate

✅ Measure before you pack — bag manufacturers' "cabin approved" labels don't guarantee a fit with every airline; check the exact dimensions against the airline you're flying with, not a generic industry standard.

✅ Weigh your bag at home — a kitchen or luggage scale takes thirty seconds and avoids a surprise at check-in, particularly with TUI and easyJet's weight-based limits.

✅ Wear your bulkiest items — a coat or boots worn onto the plane don't count toward your allowance, even though they'd push a packed bag over the limit.

✅ Keep essentials in your personal item — on airlines like British Airways where the larger bag can be gate-checked when lockers fill up, valuables and medication should stay in the bag that's guaranteed to travel with you.

✅ Check your specific departure airport's liquid rules — don't assume the 2-litre allowance applies everywhere; it's airport-specific, not airline-specific.

FAQ

• Can I take a handbag and a cabin bag on any of these airlines for free?

  Only British Airways and TUI include both a full cabin bag and a personal item free on every fare. With Ryanair and easyJet's standard fares, only the smaller personal item is free — a second bag needs an upgrade.

• Which airline has the most generous free hand luggage allowance?

  British Airways, by a clear margin — a 56 x 45 x 25cm cabin bag plus a 40 x 30 x 15cm personal item, both free, with a combined 23kg weight limit.

• What happens if my bag is too big at the gate?

  You'll typically be charged to check it into the hold on the spot, usually at a higher rate than booking extra baggage online in advance — sometimes £45–60 or more.

• Do the 100ml liquid rules still apply everywhere in the UK?

  No. Airports with new CT scanners, including Heathrow, Gatwick, Birmingham and Edinburgh, now allow up to 2 litres. Airports including Manchester, Stansted and Luton still enforce the 100ml limit.

• Can I bring medication in my hand luggage above the liquid limit?

  Yes, medication is generally exempt from standard liquid restrictions, though airlines and airports may ask for supporting documentation for larger quantities.

• Does TUI weigh cabin bags at the gate?

  es — TUI is known to actively weigh and measure cabin bags, particularly on busy departures, more consistently than some other UK airlines.

• Is the personal item allowance the same across all four airlines?

  No. Sizes range from 40 x 30 x 15cm on British Airways to 45 x 36 x 20cm on easyJet, so a bag that fits one airline's personal item allowance may not fit another's.

• What's the easiest way to avoid hand luggage stress altogether?

  Pack light, measure and weigh before you leave, and build in extra time at the airport rather than assuming you'll sort it out at the gate — a private transfer with fixed pickup timing makes that easier to plan around than public transport.