Hand baggage

Hand baggage rules

Our general advice is to carry the very minimum of hand baggage, and to make sure you arrive early at the airport and allow plenty of time for security screening.

These rules can be summarised as:  

  • you are allowed just one piece of hand luggage* and this must not exceed 56cm x 45cm x 25cm. Most airlines do also allow passengers to carry a handbag too, but please check with your airline to make sure
  • your hand luggage must not contain any sharp items
  • you may only carry small amounts of liquid, gels, creams and pastes (in containers no bigger than 100ml) – and all these items must be inside one transparent re-sealable bag (maximum size: 20cm x 20cm) which will be screened separately at security.

You are allowed to carry greater quantities of liquids, gels, creams and pastes – but you should put these in your hold luggage. This and other information is listed on our hold baggage page.

If you are travelling with a baby, or you have a medical condition and need to carry medicines, for example, we realise that this might be difficult – so there are exceptions to these rules.

Details of all restrictions and guidelines are explained in the security leaflet and in our frequently asked questions. You can also view a full list of all prohibited articles.

To pass through security, you should also take your laptop, and any other big electrical items, out of your hand baggage, take your coat off, and be prepared to remove your shoes and belt if you are asked. All these items will be screened separately, as is explained in our check-in pages.

Once you’ve passed through security, you can board your flight with everything you buy in the departure lounge – including liquids and gels in quantities larger than 100ml.

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