Published 14th October 2026
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Links marked Ad are paid links: if you buy through one, this site earns a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Hand luggage only can cut a short-haul fare a long way, and it goes wrong at the gate when the bag is the wrong size. The airline's rules decide what counts, and they differ between carriers by a few centimetres in each direction. This article sets out the published sizes for two UK carriers, what happens when a bag is too big, and how to pack inside the limits.
Check the airline's own page for your flight
Every airline sets its own cabin bag rules, and they change. The sizes below come from easyJet's and Jet2's own baggage pages. If you fly with another carrier, including Ryanair or British Airways, read its baggage page for the specific fare you have booked, because allowances can differ by fare and seat.
The holiday budget planner has a transport field per traveller, and any bag fee belongs in it.
What easyJet publishes
easyJet gives everyone one small under-seat cabin bag. The size is a maximum of 45 x 36 x 20 cm including handles and wheels, and it must fit under the seat in front of you. It can weigh up to 15kg, though easyJet asks that you can lift and carry it yourself.
A large cabin bag, at 56 x 45 x 25 cm including handles and wheels, is not free. A customer who has paid to add one to their booking, an easyJet Plus member, or a customer on an Inclusive Plus fare can bring one, and it also has a 15kg limit. A large bag added to a booking includes Speedy Boarding. The maximum is two cabin bags per person.
The difference in cost is stated on the page: it is always cheaper to add a large cabin bag online than at the gate, where it costs £60. Take a family of four, each carrying a large bag that was not booked in advance. That is £240 at the gate, before anyone has chosen a seat.
One detail catches people out. If you do not choose a seat, easyJet allocates one at check-in, and if you are auto-allocated an Up Front or Extra Legroom seat, your allowance is one small under-seat bag. That is another reason to decide the bag question when you book.
What Jet2 publishes
Jet2 allows one piece of hand luggage per person at no extra charge. It must weigh no more than 10kg and be no larger than 56 x 45 x 25 cm, including wheels and handles. You can also bring one small bag that goes under the seat in front of you, such as a handbag, laptop bag or airport purchase, up to 40 x 30 x 20 cm.
Jet2's page adds that on busy flights you may be asked to put your hand luggage in the hold. To keep it with you, you can add Guaranteed Cabin Luggage to your booking through its manage booking page.
Comparing the numbers
The two small bags differ more than the headline figures suggest:
- easyJet's under-seat bag is 45 x 36 x 20 cm, which is 32,400 cubic centimetres, or about 32 litres
- Jet2's under-seat bag is 40 x 30 x 20 cm, which is 24,000 cubic centimetres, or 24 litres
- Both airlines' large bags are 56 x 45 x 25 cm, which is 63,000 cubic centimetres, or 63 litres
A bag sold by volume can still be the wrong shape for the airline's box, so compare the dimensions, not the litres. Measure the bag with its handles and wheels, since both airlines say those count.
Weight is the other number. Jet2's limit is 10kg for the main bag and easyJet's is 15kg, so a bag that is fine for one can fail on the other. If you want to know before you leave, a Ad luggage scale takes a few seconds. A Ad flexible tape measure shows whether the packed bag matches the stated dimensions.
Choosing the bag
For an under-seat bag, a Ad soft under-seat cabin bag is easier than a rigid case, because a soft one can be squeezed slightly into the space. A Ad cabin suitcase at 56 x 45 x 25 cm is the right category for the large allowance. Whichever you choose, weigh it empty first. A hard case that is heavy when empty leaves less of the weight allowance for what goes inside.
Packing inside the limits
Three things take more room and weight than you expect:
- Shoes. Wear the heaviest pair on the plane.
- Toiletries. GOV.UK's rules for liquids apply at security. At most airports, containers over 100ml are not allowed through, even if they are only partly full, and some airports allow up to 2 litres, so check your departure airport. Where liquids must be separated, they go in one clear, resealable plastic bag holding no more than a litre, about 20cm x 20cm. A set of Ad 100ml travel bottles covers the container size. A Ad clear liquids bag covers the bag. Liquids for essential medical purposes, special dietary requirements, and baby food or baby milk, up to 2 litres, are allowed at all UK airports.
- Clothes. Ad Packing cubes keep a bag organised and make it easy to repack at the gate if you need to move something.
Solid toiletries, such as a shampoo bar or a stick deodorant, avoid the 100ml problem altogether.
Batteries go in the cabin
The CAA's guidance is to always keep vapes and power banks with you in the cabin, and never to pack them in checked luggage, because they can overheat. Each passenger may bring two power banks, which should not be charged on board. Under 100Wh is the common range for phones, laptops and cameras, and 100Wh to 160Wh needs airline approval. If the rating is not printed on the battery, multiply volts by amp-hours.
That also matters if your bag may be sent to the hold at the gate. The CAA says to remove batteries and lithium devices from any cabin bag that will be taken to the hold at boarding, so pack them in one pouch that comes out in seconds.
Putting it in the budget
Work out which fare includes the bag you need and enter the total in the transport field. A fare with a large bag included, or one added at booking, is a known cost. A bag taken to the gate is the one that turns a cheap flight into an expensive one, which is covered in more detail under hidden holiday costs.