British Airways Cabin Bag Size (2026)

On British Airways, BA Cityflyer and BA Euroflyer flights, every cabin, including Economy Basic (hand bag and cabin bag only), includes 1 hand bag up to 40 × 30 × 15 cm (under the seat, guaranteed in the cabin) plus 1 cabin bag up to 56 × 45 × 25 cm including wheels and handles. You must be able to lift the cabin bag into the overhead locker unassisted. The larger cabin bag may need to go in the hold for space, so keep valuables, electronics and essential medicines in the hand bag. British Airways’ baggage essentials page does not publish a kg limit for cabin or hand bags, only the lift rule. Hold bags depend on your fare (full details on our British Airways baggage fees page).

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Cabin bag and hand bag sizes

Inches: British Airways publishes inches beside cm on the baggage essentials page (16 × 12 × 6 and 22 × 18 × 10). Centimeters come first; the inches are British Airways’ own figures.

Wheels and handles: the cabin bag size includes wheels and handles (official). For the hand bag this is not published; it must easily fit under the seat.

Operators covered on this page: British Airways, BA Cityflyer, BA Euroflyer (per the baggage essentials intro). Partner and codeshare flights may differ; the operating carrier’s rules apply.

Cabin bag “fees” (almost none)

British Airways does not sell a paid priority option for the cabin bag. What you pay for is checked bags.

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Economy Basic note: Basic still includes the full cabin bag plus the hand bag. What it drops is the hold bag. Basic is not under-seat only.

Euro Traveller and World Traveller: the short-haul economy brand is Euro Traveller; long-haul is World Traveller. Bag rights on this page follow the Economy Basic and Economy with checked bag wording on baggage essentials, not a separate table of cabin sizes.

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• Basic still gets 56×45×25. The “hand baggage only” fare is not under-seat-only.

• The cabin bag is not guaranteed onboard. Official: may need to go in the hold. Pack valuables, meds and electronics in the hand bag.

• No cabin kg limit is published on the baggage essentials page. Third-party “23 kg combined” figures are not on British Airways’ baggage essentials page. Follow British Airways’ rule that you must lift the bag unassisted, unless a British Airways page prints a kg limit.

• Wheels and handles count on the 56 × 45 × 25 cabin bag.

• Partner and codeshare allowances may differ even on a British Airways flight number.

• The calculator on the same page can also show 45 × 36 × 20 cm for a handbag or backpack. For flights operated by British Airways, BA Cityflyer or BA Euroflyer, use the baggage essentials size of 40 × 30 × 15 cm for the under-seat hand bag; don’t treat 45 × 36 × 20 as the rule on those flights unless your itinerary shows that size.

• Power banks and spare batteries must be in hand baggage, and the FAQ says to keep spare batteries and power packs in the smaller under-seat bag (not the cabin bag, which may go in the hold).

• Infant on Basic: no free infant hold bag, but you still get up to two essential extras (pushchair, car seat, cot or back carrier) even on Basic.

• Accessibility: if you cannot lift it, British Airways allows a cabin bag that an able-bodied adult could reasonably lift.

• No Ryanair-style paid Priority is needed for the overhead cabin bag on the British Airways flights covered here.

• Exceptions to under-seat storage by seat type (exit row, bulkhead, First or Club seats) are not confirmed on the baggage essentials page; pack assuming the hand bag goes under the seat unless your seat map or a British Airways page says otherwise.

Traveler caution: Basic means no hold bag, not no overhead bag. Check sizes on britishairways.com before you fly.

What is the British Airways cabin bag size?
On British Airways, BA Cityflyer and BA Euroflyer flights, the official baggage essentials page allows 1 cabin bag up to 56 × 45 × 25 cm including wheels and handles, plus 1 hand bag up to 40 × 30 × 15 cm that must fit under the seat and is guaranteed in the cabin. You must lift the cabin bag into the overhead unassisted. No cabin-bag kg limit is printed on that page.

Does British Airways Economy Basic include a cabin bag or carry-on?
Yes. Economy Basic is labeled “hand bag and cabin bag only”: both pieces, no checked baggage. You pay if you want hold bags.

Does British Airways allow a free personal item plus a cabin bag?
Yes. British Airways calls them the hand bag (under the seat, guaranteed) and the cabin bag (overhead, may go in the hold). Both are the free hand-baggage allowance on the cabins listed on baggage essentials.

What happens if there is no overhead space?
British Airways’ cabin bag rules say the cabin bag may need to go in the hold. Pack no valuables, electronics or essential medicines in it. The hand bag stays guaranteed under the seat. Exit-row, bulkhead or some premium seats may need under-seat items in a locker (baggage essentials under-seat line is the default).

Is there a British Airways cabin bag weight limit?
The baggage essentials page says you must be able to lift the cabin bag unassisted. It does not publish a kg figure for hand or cabin bags on that page. Treat third-party “23 kg combined” claims with caution unless British Airways prints that figure on a page you open.

Do Euro Traveller and World Traveller have different cabin bag sizes?
British Airways’ travel class pages describe carry-on plus optional hold bags and point to baggage allowances. The numeric cabin sizes on baggage essentials for British Airways, BA Cityflyer and BA Euroflyer are the same 40 × 30 × 15 and 56 × 45 × 25 across Economy Basic through First. The number and weight of hold bags change by cabin and fare, not the cabin bag centimeters.

• British Airways personal item
• British Airways baggage fees
• Ryanair cabin bag

Fees, fare bundles, and size rules change. Confirm the latest limits and live bag prices on official British Airways pages before you travel. BagRule is an independent publisher and is not affiliated with British Airways.