Everything You Need To Know About European Carry On Sizes
Let’s face it, most European airlines are pretty, pretty stingy when it comes to their carry on size restrictions.
That's why we designed our Carry-on bag and Daily bag to comply with nearly all European carriers – as well as more generous American ones.
As the years pass, it feels increasingly like airlines are trying to squeeze every last euro out of passengers. Which leads us to a very important point: before flying anywhere in Europe, or flying to Europe from another region, you should always check European carry on size and weight allowances.
To find out the latest allowances for all the major European airlines, scroll down or click here.
On many European airlines, space is at a premium.
Many of us are familiar with the exhausting, soul-crushing feeling of trying to squeeze an American-sized carry-on bag into the petite European version of an overhead locker.
Before you know it, you’ve got a tired, frustrated mob of tweed-clad old-world intellectuals trying to elbow you out of the way as you wrestle your bag into the tight space above your head.
Not fun at all.
Worse than that – these days, you risk not being able to bring a carry-on into the cabin at all.
Some airlines will force half the passengers to check their carry-on at the last minute. And they’ll often charge you extra for the privilege.
That’s not ideal – especially if you carefully packed everything you need for the flight into that bag.
And so, with airlines getting stricter when it comes to what you can and can’t carry on, we thought we’d save you some stress by putting together this handy list of what various European airlines currently allow. (Every airline is different, and the policies can change quickly – so it pays to check on the airline’s website before you pack your bags.)
The latest European carry-on size and weight allowances
Sorted by airline (May 2022)
Note: the allowances below are for each airline’s most basic fare. Often, you can buy a more expensive ticket and get a more generous allowance.
Aer Lingus
Cabin allowance: 1 cabin bag and 1 personal item (e.g. handbag or laptop)
Maximum dimensions: For the cabin bag, the maximum dimensions are 55 x 40 x 24cm, and the personal item dimensions can’t exceed 25 x 33 x 20cm.
Weight allowed: 10kg
Aeroflot
Cabin allowance: 1 cabin bag
Maximum dimensions: 55 x 40 x 25cm
Weight allowed: 10kg
Air France
Cabin allowance: 1 cabin bag and 1 personal item (e.g. handbag or laptop)
Maximum dimensions: For the cabin bag, the maximum dimensions are 55 x 35 x 25cm, and the personal item dimensions can’t exceed 40 x 30 x 15cm.
Weight allowed: Depending on the ticket you have, the weight can be between 12-18kg. Your ticket will specify this.
British Airways
Cabin allowance: 1 cabin bag and 1 personal item (e.g. handbag or laptop)
Maximum dimensions: For the cabin bag, the maximum dimensions are 56 x 45 x 25cm, and the personal item dimensions are 40 x 30 x 15cm.
Weight allowed: The combined weight of the above shouldn’t exceed than 23kg.
easyJet
Cabin allowance: Only 1 cabin bag
Maximum dimensions: 56 x 45 x 25cm
Weight allowed: 15kg
Flybe
Cabin allowance: 1 cabin bag
Maximum dimensions: For the cabin bag, the maximum dimensions are 45 x 36 x 20cm.
Weight allowed: 7kg
Jet2
Cabin allowance: 1 cabin bag and 1 personal item (e.g. handbag or laptop)
Maximum dimensions: For the cabin bag, the maximum dimensions are 56 x 45 x 25cm. The smaller personal item should fit comfortably under your seat.
Weight allowed: 10kg total
KLM
Cabin allowance: 1 cabin bag and 1 personal item (e.g. handbag or laptop)
Maximum dimensions: For the cabin bag, the maximum dimensions are 55 x 35 x 25cm, and the personal item’s dimensions should be no more than 40 x 30 x 15cm.
Weight allowed: 12kg total
Lufthansa
Cabin allowance: 1 cabin bag and 1 foldable garment bags(or another foldable item, such as a foldable baby buggy).
Maximum dimensions: For the cabin bag, the maximum dimensions are 55 x 40 x 23cm, and the foldable item dimensions shouldn’t exceed 57 x 54 x 15cm.
Weight allowed: 8kg total
Norwegian
Cabin allowance: 1 cabin bag and 1 personal item (e.g. handbag or laptop)
Maximum dimensions: For the cabin bag, the maximum dimensions are 55 x 40 x 23cm, and the personal items dimensions should be 25 x 33 x 20cm.
Weight allowed: 10kg total
Ryanair
Cabin allowance: Only 1 small bag allowed
Maximum dimensions: No more than 40 x 20 x 25cm.
Weight allowed: No official weight restriction, but it must be small enough to be stored in the overhead compartment.
Thomas Cook Airlines
Cabin allowance: 1 cabin bag and 1 personal item (e.g. handbag or laptop)
Maximum dimensions: For the cabin bag, the maximum dimensions are 55 x 40 x 20cm. The smaller personal item should be small enough that it can fit comfortably under the seat.
Weight allowed: 8kg
TUI Airways
Cabin allowance: 1 cabin bag
Maximum dimensions: No more than 55 x 40 x 20cm.
Weight allowed: 10kg
Turkish Airlines
Cabin allowance: 1 cabin bag
Maximum dimensions: No more than 55 x 40 x 23cm.
Weight allowed: 8kg.
Vueling Airlines
Cabin allowance: 1 cabin bag and 1 personal item (e.g. handbag or laptop)
Maximum dimensions: For the cabin bag, the maximum dimensions are 55 x 40 x 20cm, and the personal item should be 35 x 20 x 20cm.
Weight allowed: 10kg total.
Wizz Air
Cabin allowance: 1 cabin bag
Maximum dimensions: No more than 40 x 30 x 20cm.
Weight allowed: No more than 10kg.
Cabin allowance: 1 cabin bag and 1 small personal item such as a handbag, backpack, or laptop bag that must fit under the seat in front of you.
Maximum dimensions: Maximum dimensions (including handles and wheels): 55 x 40 x 20cm, and the personal item should be 40 x 30 x 15cm.
Weight allowed: 10kg.
Check first ✓
Remember: when flying on one of these airlines, always check the latest info on the airline’s website before choosing and packing a carry on bag.
Hot tip: We collected even more airline guidelines here → carryonbagsizes.com
How To Pack Light And Stay Within Airline Weight Limits
We could (and likely will!) write a whole lot more about how to stay light when you’re on the move, but let’s cover a few quick tips for anyone who’s about to get on the road.
Firstly, when you’re packing your carry-on, always ask yourself the hard questions: do I really need fifteen pairs of socks with me on this trip?
Getting to a state of feeling at home even when you’re not at home is often an exercise in packing discipline – being very deliberate about the things you bring with you on the move.
If you’re allowed to bring a personal item with you onto the plane in addition to your carry-on, it’s generally a good idea to try and fit your heaviest items in the smaller bag – it’s less likely to be weighed by a gate agent. You could put your clothes in your larger bag and your laptop in your smaller one, for example.
Pack strategically. Lay out everything that you might need, then cut back until you’re down to the essentials. Then pack what you’ve decided is a must-have – starting with the heaviest and least used items, which can go at the bottom of your bag.
You can even weigh your bag at home to make sure it isn’t too heavy.
In the end, feisty airline agents aren’t the only reason to downsize your overall pack load. After all, someone has to actually carry your stuff around – and unless you have a very generous travel partner, that someone is very likely you!
LOOKING FOR A CARRY-ON BAG DESIGNED FOR EUROPEAN AIRLINE LIMITS?
Look no further. Check out the Minaal Carry-on 3.0.
3 comments
If you do carry on only, within the required sizes, no checked bags, will the airline still be strict with your carry on weight. We will not be checking two 50 lbs suitcases, so not contributing to the checked luggage weight.
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Minaal replied:
Hi Jennifer! Good question – in our experience, the strictness will be the same regardless of whether you have any checked luggage. The staff member at the gate responsible for enforcing the airline rules usually won’t know if you have checked luggage, because you would have already dropped it off.
Where is Condor?
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Minaal replied:
Hi Andrea – we need to add a few more airlines to this page! We’ll get on that. In the meantime, you can find Condor’s carry-on details at our website tool: https://www.carryonbagsizes.com/
Where is Iceland Air?
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Minaal replied:
Hi Rich – sorry for the late reply, this comment slipped under our radar. We’ll be updating this post soon with more airlines (including Iceland Air!) – in the meantime you can find info for every airline, worldwide, at www.carryonbagsizes.com <http://www.carryonbagsizes.com/>
