Airline Cabin Bag Sizes 2026: Every Major Carrier in One Table
Every budget airline sells you a cheap seat, then hopes your bag pays them back at the gate. The sizes below come straight from each carrier's own policy pages, checked in July 2026, so you can measure at home instead of gambling at the sizer. One table, six airlines, the free allowance and the paid one. If you would rather never read a baggage page again, there is a bag built to the strictest of these limits waiting at the bottom.
Every major airline's 2026 cabin bag sizes in one table
| Airline | Free / under-seat bag | Larger overhead bag | How you get the larger bag |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ryanair | 40 x 30 x 20 cm, no weight limit stated | 55 x 40 x 20 cm, 10 kg | Paid, comes with Priority boarding |
| easyJet | 45 x 36 x 20 cm, up to 15 kg | 56 x 45 x 25 cm, 15 kg | Paid, or with certain seats and memberships |
| Wizz Air | 40 x 30 x 20 cm, up to 10 kg | 55 x 40 x 23 cm, 10 kg | With WIZZ Priority |
| Vueling | 40 x 30 x 20 cm, no weight limit stated | 55 x 40 x 20 cm, 10 kg | In the Fly bundles or for Premium passengers |
| Jet2 | 40 x 30 x 20 cm small bag, plus a 10 kg cabin bag up to 56 x 45 x 25 cm | Both bags included as standard | No add-on needed for the 10 kg bag |
| British Airways | 40 x 30 x 15 cm personal item, plus a cabin bag up to 56 x 45 x 25 cm | Both bags included as standard | No weight limit stated, you must lift it overhead unassisted |
easyJet's and British Airways' figures include handles and wheels. All sizes read from each airline's own policy page in July 2026. Airlines move these numbers quietly, so the date matters, check yours before you book.
Ryanair
Every Ryanair fare includes one free bag, 40 x 30 x 20 cm, and it has to fit under the seat in front of you. The policy page lists no weight limit for it. The overhead locker is the paid 10 kg cabin bag at 55 x 40 x 20 cm, sold with Priority boarding, and most short trips do not need it. Full detail is in our Ryanair personal item size guide.
easyJet
easyJet is the most generous of the budget carriers on the free bag: 45 x 36 x 20 cm and up to 15 kg, under the seat. The larger 56 x 45 x 25 cm overhead bag is a paid add-on, or it comes with certain seats and memberships. The measurements include handles and wheels, which is where hard cases fail. More in our Ryanair and easyJet survival guide.
Wizz Air
Wizz Air runs the same free size as Ryanair, 40 x 30 x 20 cm, capped at 10 kg, under the seat. WIZZ Priority adds a 55 x 40 x 23 cm trolley in the overhead, also 10 kg. The gate sizer cares about shape, not weight, so a soft bag built to the limit clears where a bulging hard case does not.
Vueling
Vueling's free under-seat bag is 40 x 30 x 20 cm, with no weight limit stated in the help article. The larger 55 x 40 x 20 cm overhead bag, 10 kg, is included in the Fly bundles and for Premium passengers, and Fly Light can add it. Vueling is also the one carrier that publishes its gate fees plainly, see below.
Jet2
Jet2 gives you the most in the cabin as standard: a 10 kg bag up to 56 x 45 x 25 cm, plus a small under-seat bag up to 40 x 30 x 20 cm. Two bags, both included, no add-on. The catch is busy flights, where hand luggage may be checked into the hold, so Jet2 sells Guaranteed Cabin Luggage if you want your bag in the cabin no matter what.
British Airways
British Airways includes two bags on every fare: a cabin bag up to 56 x 45 x 25 cm for the overhead, and a smaller personal item up to 40 x 30 x 15 cm for under the seat. No weight limit is stated, but you have to lift the cabin bag into the locker yourself. Note the personal item is only 15 cm deep, shallower than the budget carriers' 20 cm.
What the gate fee actually costs
Airlines rarely print a flat gate fee on their policy pages, and the numbers move, so the safest habit is to check the fee for your route inside your booking before you fly. The one carrier that publishes it clearly is Vueling: at the time of writing it lists 60 to 75 euros for an under-seat bag over 40 x 30 x 20 at the gate, and 110 to 140 euros for anything over 55 x 40 x 20, per item, per flight. The rest keep the figure behind the booking flow. Either way, the cheapest fee is the one you never pay because you measured at home.
One bag, every airline on this table
The BRAW Explorer 2 measures 40 x 30 x 20 cm at its base. That is the exact free under-seat allowance on Ryanair, Wizz Air and Vueling, and it matches Jet2's under-seat bag to the centimetre. On easyJet it slides into the 45 x 36 x 20 free bag with room to spare. British Airways is the one to watch: its free personal item is only 15 cm deep, so on BA the base rides as your 56 x 45 x 25 cabin bag instead.
Unzip the expansion and the depth grows to 25 cm, which takes the bag beyond every free under-seat allowance on this page. That is what the compression straps are for: cinch it back to 20 cm before you reach the sizer and it drops back inside the free limit.
The shell is 1050d Cordura with a 900d weatherproof facing, so it holds its shape in the sizer without a rigid frame adding bulk. Inside there is a padded sleeve for up to a 15in laptop and the ClipPod vacuum system for compressing a week of clothes into the base size. It is £115 right now, down from £135.
Frequently asked questions
Does a backpack count as a personal item on Ryanair?
Yes. Ryanair measures the bag, not the style. Any bag within 40 x 30 x 20 cm counts, backpack included, as long as it fits under the seat in front of you.
How strict is Ryanair with the 40 x 30 x 20 bag?
Strict at the sizer. Ryanair's own policy says an oversized bag is refused at the gate or placed in the hold for a fee. A bag built to the exact allowance takes the gamble out of it.
What happens if my bag is slightly too big at the gate?
The airline can make you check it into the hold and charge a gate fee. The amount is rarely printed on the policy page, so check your route's fee at booking. Measuring at home is cheaper every time.
Can I take a handbag as well as a cabin bag on easyJet?
easyJet's free allowance is one bag, up to 45 x 36 x 20 cm and 15 kg, under the seat. A second, larger overhead bag is the paid tier, or it comes with certain seats and memberships.
What size bag fits under a Ryanair seat?
40 x 30 x 20 cm. That is the free personal bag limit, and it has to fit under the seat in front of you.
Which airlines let a 40 x 30 x 20 bag fly free?
Ryanair, Wizz Air and Vueling all use 40 x 30 x 20 for the free under-seat bag. Jet2 uses the same size for its under-seat bag, on top of a 10 kg cabin bag. easyJet's free bag is bigger at 45 x 36 x 20, so a 40 x 30 x 20 bag fits inside it with room to spare.
Full guides: Ryanair personal item size, airline personal item size limits, how to avoid airline baggage fees, and our BRAW vs Airback comparison. The bag that fits them all: the Explorer 2.