Hand luggage size: cabin bag rules by airline

Hand luggage sizes and weights for 12 airlines, the rules for liquids and power banks, and the fees at the gate.

Prepared and checked by Marián Cabadaj. Last checked October 2026.

Where the data comes from

Ryanair baggage rules for size and weight: small bag under the seat and cabin trolley.

Wizz Air baggage rules for size and weight: small bag under the seat and cabin trolley.

easyJet baggage rules for size and weight: small bag under the seat and large cabin trolley.

LOT baggage rules for size and weight: personal item under the seat and cabin trolley.

Pegasus baggage rules for size and weight: small bag under the seat and cabin trolley.

Rules change and vary by fare, route and the day you buy the ticket. Always check them on your airline’s website before you fly. Last checked 20/10/2026. We could not read the pages of Austrian Airlines, Lufthansa, Eurowings, Smartwings, SunExpress, Air Cairo, Turkish Airlines that day, so they are not in the check. You will find their limits in the table further down the article.

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Hand luggage now comes in two sizes. A small bag under the seat is usually included in the fare. With low-cost airlines you pay extra for a larger cabin bag in the overhead locker. Each airline has its own sizes, and at the gate they measure to the centimetre.

You can check your bag in the tool at the top, under the title. Enter the size and weight and see the result for Ryanair, Wizz Air, easyJet, LOT and Pegasus. We read their rules again on their official websites on 20 October 2026. Below is a table for 12 airlines. We checked each value on the airline's website on 2 October 2026. After that come the rules for liquids, power banks and what to pack in a small bag. Some links in this article are affiliate links. If you book through them, we get a small commission at no extra cost to you.

With a cheap ticket, add the price of the cabin bag before you pay. Compare flights on Kiwi.com and for each flight check whether a cabin bag is included.

What size can hand luggage be?

There are two items. The personal item, a small bag or backpack under the seat in front of you, is 40 × 30 × 15 to 20 cm with most airlines. The cabin bag for the overhead locker is most often 55 × 40 × 23 cm and 8 to 10 kg.

A difference of 3 cm in depth is why the same suitcase fits in the Austrian Airlines sizer, but not in the Ryanair sizer, which allows 20 cm. When you buy a suitcase, look at the size including the wheels and handle. The volume in litres does not help you at the sizer.

Hand luggage by airline

The first column shows what you get free in the cheapest fare. The second shows what you get with a paid extra or a higher fare. Where the airline does not give a weight for the small bag, we write "not stated".

The table shows three practical things. First: LOT and Turkish Airlines include a cabin bag even in the cheapest fare. Ryanair, Wizz Air, Pegasus and SunExpress do not. Second: Smartwings does it the other way round. In the Lite fare you get a cabin bag, but no small bag. Third: easyJet has the largest free bag, 45 × 36 × 20 cm.

For Smartwings the figures differ. The Bratislava airport website gives 56 × 45 × 25 cm, the Smartwings rules give 55 × 40 × 23 cm. At the gate, the airline's rules apply, so we pack to the smaller size.

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Which airline flies from your airport?

You only need the rules of the airline you actually fly with. The list of airlines is on the website of your departure airport. Compare flights from UK airports, and for each one check which airline operates it and what bags the fare includes.

If you change planes, check the rules of each airline on the trip. For example, if you change in Vienna to an Austrian Airlines flight, the Austrian rules apply, so an 8 kg cabin bag from the Economy Light fare.

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What happens if your bag does not fit in the sizer?

You pay at the gate and the bag goes in the hold. This is the most expensive way to pay for luggage. According to the Ryanair fees page (Ryanair, 2026), a 10 kg bag without Priority costs €46 to €75 at the gate and €35.99 at the check-in desk. A bag larger than 55 × 40 × 20 cm costs €70 to €75 at the gate.

Wizz Air only says that the fee is paid at the gate according to the price list on its website. We did not find an exact amount on its site. Lufthansa and Austrian charge €60 to €110 at the gate, Eurowings €60. If you are not sure, pay for the cabin bag when you book. With Ryanair, Priority online costs from €12.49.

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How to avoid the fee

• Measure the bag when it is full. A packed front pocket can add 3 cm.
• A soft backpack squeezes into the sizer, a hard case does not.
• Wear the heavy things, for example your jacket and shoes. Nobody weighs them on board.
• With Wizz Air, watch the wheels. It allows at most 5 cm extra, and only for the bag under the seat.

What liquids can you take in hand luggage?

Each liquid, gel and cream must be in a container of up to 100 ml, and all of them together in one clear resealable bag of up to 1 litre. According to the security rules of Bratislava airport (BTS, 2026), the size of the container counts, not how much is left in it. A half-empty 200 ml tube will not pass.

Medicines and baby food can be over 100 ml if you need them for the trip. What you take out of your bag at security depends on the airport. In Bratislava, for example, you do not take out liquids up to 100 ml, a laptop, a tablet or a power bank. You only take out medicines and baby food over 100 ml and sealed duty free bags. Check the website of your departure airport.

The 100 ml rule is the same across the EU. The European Commission (2026) applies it to all airports, and from 1 September 2024 it brought it back also where airports already had new scanners. So do not expect different rules on the way back unless the airport clearly says so. UK airports follow UK rules. According to GOV.UK (2026), most UK airports allow containers of up to 100 ml, but some allow up to 2 litres. Check the rules of your departure airport and of the airport on your way back.

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Power banks, knives and lighters

A power bank always goes in your hand luggage. It is banned in a suitcase in the hold. The limit is 100 Wh. For a power bank over 100 Wh and up to 160 Wh you need the airline's approval. In its bulletin SIB 2025-03 (EASA, 2025), the European Union Aviation Safety Agency recommends that you do not use power banks during the flight.

Airlines now set their own rules. From 15 January 2026, the Lufthansa Group, which includes Austrian and Eurowings, bans using or charging a power bank on board and allows at most two. According to its list of restricted items (Wizz Air, 2026), Wizz Air allows only one, and you must not use it. Ryanair allows two and lets you charge your phone from them, except during taxiing, take-off and landing. But the power bank must not be in the overhead locker.

Knives and scissors with a blade longer than 6 cm do not go in the cabin. Snap-off knives and razor blades are not allowed at all. You can carry one lighter in your pocket and show it at security, but not in your luggage.

What to pack in a small 40 × 30 × 20 cm bag?

It is enough for three or four days if you pack in the right order. This is how we do it:

• First, the things you cannot fly without: documents, medicines in their original packaging, chargers and the power bank on top, so you do not have to look for them at security.
• Then the liquids bag. Toothpaste, cream and shampoo in 100 ml bottles, or solid versions, which do not count towards the limit.
• Roll your clothes, they take up less space. Wear one pair of shoes, and pack a flat second pair in the bag.
• Wear your jacket and jumper. The jacket pockets hold things that would make the bag too full.

If it does not fit, do not pay for a large suitcase in the hold straight away. A cabin bag with priority is often cheaper, and you do not wait at the baggage belt.

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When is a package holiday or a coach better?

With a cheap ticket, luggage quickly makes the whole trip more expensive. Two people with a cabin bag there and back pay €50 or more with Ryanair just for the bags. For a week at the sea with your family, compare the ticket with luggage and a package holiday.

With a package holiday, the hold luggage is often included in the price. Check the exact limit in your travel documents before you pack. When you compare it with a flight ticket, add a suitcase there and back to the ticket price.

For a short trip by land, think about the coach. Your suitcase goes in the luggage hold, no sizer measures it and it does not go through the liquids check.

Frequently asked questions

How big can hand luggage on a plane be?

A small bag under the seat is mostly 40 × 30 × 15 to 20 cm, a cabin bag 55 × 40 × 20 to 23 cm. Ryanair allows 20 cm depth for the cabin bag, Wizz Air, Austrian and Lufthansa 23 cm.

How much can hand luggage weigh?

A cabin bag can weigh 8 kg with Austrian, Lufthansa, LOT, Turkish and Pegasus, 10 kg with Ryanair and Wizz Air, and 15 kg with easyJet. For the small bag, Ryanair and Austrian do not give a weight, Wizz Air allows 10 kg.

Can I take liquids over 100 ml in hand luggage?

Only medicines and baby food that you need for the trip. All other liquids must be in containers of up to 100 ml in one bag of up to 1 litre.

Can I take a power bank on a plane?

Yes, but only in hand luggage and up to 100 Wh. Wizz Air allows one and the Lufthansa Group two. Both ban using them during the flight.

How much does a cabin bag cost at the gate with Ryanair?

According to the Ryanair fees page, €46 to €75 for a 10 kg bag without Priority, and €70 to €75 for a bag larger than 55 × 40 × 20 cm. Online, Priority costs from €12.49.

Before each flight, open your airline's website and measure your bag when it is full. Sizes change more often than ticket prices, and at the gate they measure by the rules on the day you fly.