Handbag or small backpack
40 × 30 × 15 cm
Included
- Weight
- No numeric limit stated by British Airways
- Where it goes
- Under the seat in front
- Who gets it
- Included with every fare
- Wheels/handles
- Not stated on the official page
British Airways
British Airways hand luggage allowance
British Airways allows a handbag or small backpack up to 40 × 30 × 15 cm and a cabin bag up to 56 × 45 × 25 cm. BA’s baggage page doesn’t give a weight limit as a number for either bag. Instead, you must be able to lift your cabin bag into the overhead locker without help.
Cabin bag
56 × 45 × 25 cm
Included
- Weight
- No numeric limit stated by British Airways
- Where it goes
- Overhead locker
- Who gets it
- Included with every fare
- Wheels/handles
- Not stated on the official page
No weight limit — but there is a test
Most airlines put a number on the cabin bag. BA’s page doesn’t. The practical limit is you: you must be able to lift your cabin bag into the overhead locker without help. If you can’t lift it above your head comfortably at home, expect a problem at the gate. Don’t rely on figures quoted elsewhere online; if the official page adds a number, we’ll show it here with the date we checked.
The handbag is the shallowest we track
BA’s handbag limit is only 15 cm deep. Ryanair, easyJet, Jet2.com, Wizz Air and TUI Airways all allow a deeper under-seat bag. A backpack that’s fine on those airlines may be too thick for BA — check the depth when it’s packed.
The cabin bag size, 56 × 45 × 25 cm, is the same as easyJet and Jet2.com, so a case that fits one of those will match BA’s size too.
Who gets both bags?
BA’s baggage page shows one hand bag and one cabin bag for adults and children across its cabin and fare allowance sections. That makes BA one of the airlines here where the overhead cabin bag isn’t a paid extra. Your booking confirmation shows the allowance for your ticket.
Check your bag against BA’s sizes
Sports equipment with BA
Unlike the low-cost airlines, BA treats sports equipment as part of your checked baggage allowance rather than a separate add-on.
- Golf clubs: Golf equipment counts as one item of checked baggage when your ticket includes hold baggage. Tell BA more than 72 hours (at least 3 days) before you travel.
- Bicycles: The bicycle container can be up to 190 × 95 × 65 cm. BA advises telling them in advance for oversize sports items.
- Skis and snowboards: Skis or snowboards can be up to 190 × 75 × 65 cm.