All you need to know flying hand luggage
In addition to writing this travel blog, I also regularly answer questions on an online forum. Not surprisingly, my expert topics all evolve around travel. From sightseeing recommendations to visa requirements to flying and airports. And the questions I seem to answer the most all have to do with luggage. In particular hand luggage. How much liquid am I allowed in hand luggage? Can I pack x, y and z into hand luggage? Is this bag too big as hand luggage. And so on. As a frequent flyer, I can answer most of these questions in my sleep. But it seems there is a lot of uncertainty out there, especially for first time flyers. Which got me thinking. Rather than answering the question over and over on the online forum, why don’t I just put it all into one blog post. In the hope that others can also benefit from it. A concise guide to all you need to know when flying with hand luggage.
How much hand luggage am I allowed to take with me?
Let’s start with the most pressing (but also most difficult) question. After all, this is pretty much the first thing you need to know when flying hand luggage. What is the size and weight limit for your particular flight.
I wish I could give you an exact size and weight here. But it isn’t this simple. Your hand luggage allowance varies greatly, depending on the airline you fly and which ticket you buy.
Whenever I fly a new airline, this will be the first thing I check. Often before I even book my ticket. No good booking a cheap ticket and paying exorbitant amounts on top for additional hand luggage (or even checked luggage). I am not a ‘knickers in my handbag’ kinda girl. I very rarely fly with just a backpack that contains my work stuff as well as my clothes and washbag. Instead, 95% of times, I will travel with a handbag, that is big enough to hold my laptop and work stuff, plus a small trolley bag for my personal stuff. Even if I am only travelling for one night. Therefore, it is important to me, that my flight ticket includes these two pieces of hand luggage. And whenever I write an airline review here on the blog, I will dedicate a chapter to the hand luggage allowance of said airline.
My favourite go to airline is British Airways, who might well have the most generous hand luggage allowance out there. Certainly, of the ones I’ve flown with. As standard with all tickets, British Airways will include two pieces of hand luggage. A decent sized hand luggage trolley that will go in the overhead locker. Plus, a personal item, that will need to be stored underneath the seat in front of you. And whilst there are other airlines that allow two pieces of hand luggage, most will have a weight restriction of 8 or 10kg for the larger bag. Whereas British Airways allows 20+ kilos, provided you can manoeuvre the bag on your own.
Lufthansa for example allows only 8kg for the larger hand luggage piece. But at least that is also always included in any economy class booking.
In stark contrast to that is Ryanair. With the Ryanair basic fare (the cheapest category they offer), you only get one small piece of hand luggage, that will need to be stored under the seat in front of you. The basic fare does not include any overhead locker allocation at all. Instead, you will need to book an additional hand luggage piece (or book priority boarding, which has the additional hand luggage included), if you want to take more hand luggage. And even then, your larger hand luggage only has an allowance of 10kg.
Therefore, I can only urge you to always check the hand luggage allowance of your chosen airline. Nothing worse than showing up at the airport and being told that your hand luggage is too big or too heavy (or both) and that it needs to be checked in. Especially as this may come with a hefty price tag.
How much liquids am I allowed in hand luggage?
When it comes to carrying liquids in hand luggage, there seems to be a lot of confusion. What counts as a liquid? How much am I allowed to take? How do I need to pack liquids? (just for clarification, I am talking about flights within Europe / taking off from Europe here only)
If you are flying with both checked luggage and hand luggage, I would recommend packing most of your liquids into your checked luggage. After all, you most likely will not need any of it during the flight.
However, if you are flying hand luggage only (as I most often do), this is a different matter. All your liquids will need to fit into hand luggage and therefore comply with the rules.
What qualifies as liquid?
When referring to liquids in hand luggage, this does not just mean your bottle of water. Instead, all liquids, gels, aerosols and creams count. So that includes the likes of cosmetics, perfumes, hair gel, shaving foam, spray deodorants, but also jam and honey.
How much liquids am I allowed to pack in hand luggage?
This is definitely something you need to know when flying hand luggage. As you don’t want to end up throwing away your favourite perfume or the local honey you bought as a souvenir.
The rule is simple. Every passenger is allowed one sealable clear bag that holds no more than 1 litre. In this you can put as many containers as you like, provided they each have no more than 100ml. It does not matter, if the container is full or half full, it cannot be more than 100ml capacity overall. So, a half full 150ml toothpaste is not allowed.
I regularly read that you are allowed 10 items (on the count that 10x100ml is 1 litre). That is not true. You can bring 15 containers and more if you want. If they all fit into the 1 litre bag and the bag can still be properly closed.
As I travel hand luggage only 90% of the time, I have my toiletries pre-packed at all times.
My clear bag (which is a proper bag with zipper, not a thin single use bag) contains:
Shampoo, conditioner, leave-in conditioner, face wash, make up, make up remover, day cream, night cream, hand cream, 2 toothpastes, 2 perfumes, eye drops, lip stick, Vaseline, deodorant, sun cream, sometimes body lotion.
Well over 10 individual items. But because they are all under 100ml, it is absolutely fine and has never caused any issues.
Do I need to bring my own clear bag?
Some airports, like Heathrow, will provide clear bags for free at security. In these cases, you will not need to bring your own bag, you can just have your liquids ready and pack them at security. However, other airports, like Frankfurt and Dusseldorf, will charge for those clear bags.
I would recommend you bring your own clear bag and prepack it at home. This saves you the hassle of searching through your bag for that last little cream at security. After all, we all want to get through security quickly, so the better everyone is prepared, the easier it is.
There are a few rules for your liquid bag, that you need to know when flying hand luggage. The bag needs to be clear (so see through), it needs to be sealable and no more than 1 litre capacity. Which is approximately a 20x20cm plastic bag.
The cheapest option (for those only flying occasionally) would be to buy a box of zip lock bags in the supermarket. If, like me, you fly frequently, you probably want something a little sturdier. Years ago, I invested in a thicker plastic pouch with a proper zip. Yes, it cost around 10 GBP at the time, but it served me well for about 8 years now. Even on occasions when something leaked. I could just clear it all out, give it a proper wipe and use again.
Do the liquids need to be in their original packaging?
When preparing to fly hand luggage only, you can obviously go to the shops and buy shampoo, shower gels etc all in individual little containers (which often cost the same as a full-size bottle). Alternatively, you get a set of small bottles and containers that you fill at home. There is no need to label them all.
Are there exceptions to the 100ml liquid rule?
The 100ml rule applies to everyone flying with hand luggage. Obviously, if you have checked luggage, you can have larger bottles and containers in there.
But even if you fly hand luggage only, there are a few exceptions. You are allowed to bring liquid in bigger quantities if they fall under one of these three categories:
- If they are for medical purpose (keep them in their original container and bring a doctor’s note / copy of the prescription)
- If they contain baby food and baby milk
- If needed for special dietary requirements
In all honesty, I am a little unclear what counts as special dietary requirement here. As a lactose intolerant, it makes me wonder if that means I could bring my own lactose-free milk? I don’t know and have never tried it. But I suspect the answer is no.
There had been some changes to the liquid allowance in hand luggage recently. About two years ago, some airports (like London City for example) started changing all their scanning equipment. Resulting in the rules about liquids being relaxed. Instead of 100ml each, you were allowed to bring up to 2 litres, provided they could be scanned (so no metal bottles). This only applied to airports that had the latest scanning equipment. For all others, the 100ml rule still applied.
However, in summer 2024, this relaxed rule was temporarily stopped again. Not sure as and when it will come back. So, for now it is business as usual with nothing larger than 100ml.
Can I carry a water bottle in hand luggage?
OK, with the liquid rules thoroughly explained, what about water bottles? Am I allowed to bring one in my hand luggage?
Yes, you are allowed to bring a water bottle, and it can be larger than 100ml. However, it needs to be empty. Sounds pointless? Not really. A lot of airports these days have water dispenser after security. So, if you bring an empty bottle, you can fill it up. Saving you a lot of money, as you don’t have to buy an expensive bottle of water at the airport. Plus, one less plastic bottle wasted. Taking your own water bottle on board the aircraft isn’t a problem.
Is it a problem, if my hand luggage is too big?
This is a question I get asked a lot as it is something you definitely need to know when flying hand luggage. Will the airline mind, if my hand luggage is a little bigger than allowed? Or heavier?
I would say, it very much depends on the airline.
Low-cost airlines make their money with add-ones like additional luggage. Therefore, they will regularly check the size of your hand luggage when boarding. This usually happens with cages that your hand luggage needs to fit in. If it doesn’t fit, they might charge you extra to put your hand luggage in hold.
The more established airlines (like Lufthansa or BA) don’t generally check the size at the boarding gate. However, if a flight is busy, you might still be asked to put your bigger hand luggage into hold. Free of charge.
But that is just one side of it. Whilst some hand luggage sizes seem very random (i.e. Ryanair hand luggage being smaller than anyone else’s), some make sense. There is a limit to the size you can physically fit into an overheard locker. Or size of bag you can squeeze under the seat in front of you. Which means if your hand luggage exceeds the maximum size, it might not fit. Which may or may not occur an additional charge.
When flying BA Cityflyer (the British Airways subsidiary flying in and out of London City Airport), the aircrafts are smaller (usually Embraer 190), therefore the overhead lockers are smaller than on other BA flights. So even though the hand luggage is well within BA size requirement, passengers regularly struggle getting them in. If they can’t, the bag will go into hold. But as this is still British Airways, not Ryanair, they won’t charge for it.
Am I allowed to take a power bank when flying hand luggage?
Although some airlines will offer in seat charging, I will usually have a power bank in my handbag. And that is fine. Provided the power bank does not exceed the maximum allowed capacity of 100Wh. So, a power bank with around 20.000 mAh is generally fine. Please note that any lithium battery (including power banks) MUST always be in your hand luggage. It cannot be packed into your checked luggage. Years ago, I learned that the hard way, when I accidentally packed my power bank into my hold luggage. When unpacking at home, I found a note from the airport in Germany, telling me that they had removed the power bank during security checks. I could pick it up at lost luggage within 14 days. A mistake you only make once in your life.
What about electronics + electrical items in hand luggage?
Generally, most electronics are fine in hand luggage. When flying hand luggage only, I will usually have my laptop with me. Plus, the aforementioned power bank, laptop mouse, two mobile phones, various chargers, hair straightener, laser measure and a few spare batteries.
All these items are fine to have in hand luggage. Although, you might need to take out some (like the laptop and occasionally the hair straightener) at security, so that they can be scanned separately.
Anything with lithium battery needs to be packed into hand luggage and cannot go into hold, so this does not only include your power bank, but also your laptop and mobile phones.
Can I pack a razor in hand luggage?
Due to security concerns, there are limitations on ‘dangerous’ items that can be in your hand luggage. So, when packing, you’ll need to know if things can go into hand luggage or not. Luckily, you can pack disposable razors into your hand luggage, without any issue. But any razor with an open / unsecured blade should be packed into your hold luggage or left at home.
You are also allowed nail clippers and small scissors in your hand luggage, provided the blade is no more than 6cm.
Am I allowed to pack knitting needles into hand luggage?
Surprisingly, the answer is yes. Knitting and crochet needles are fine in hand luggage. However, to avoid any discussion at security, I would recommend packing bamboo needles rather than metal ones.
Can I carry medicine in my hand luggage?
I’ve already mentioned that you are allowed to pack liquid medicine, even if it is above 100ml, if you provide a doctor’s note / copy of the prescription.
But what about other medicines. Generally, you are allowed to pack medicine into your hand luggage. If it is medicine that you regularly rely on, I would strongly recommend that you pack it in hand luggage. As there is always the risk of checked luggage being delayed (or God forbid lost).
I usually carry a little first aid kit with me that has tablets in for the most common symptoms (i.e. headache, diarrhoea, cold) and these have never caused any issues at security. If you have more uncommon tablets (especially some that require prescription), I recommend carrying those in their original box and with a copy of the prescription, just in case. Depending on your destination, it might be worth double checking that you are actually allowed to bring specific medicines with you.
Even medical equipment such as syringes and inhalers are fine to carry in hand luggage, if they are essential. Again, provide a doctor’s note and you should be fine.
Can I pack food into my hand luggage?
Yes, you can pack food into your hand luggage. But there are some rules that apply. Firstly, if it is liquid or semi liquid, it needs to comply with the 100ml rule.
Further, you might want to check entry requirements for your destination. As you might be forbidden from bringing in certain foods. The EU for example does not allow import of any meat or dairy product from abroad. Which these days includes the UK, courtesy of Brexit.
If you pack food to be consumed whilst waiting at the airport or during your flight, should generally be fine. Provided it is empty and disposed of before you arrive at your destination.
When flying from Germany to the UK, I regularly pick up some sweets and German goodies along the way. That might even include a fresh bread or some pastries from a German bakery. Which is not a problem, provided I don’t exceed my hand luggage allowance.
I think this is all for now, feels like I’ve been going for hours here. There are probably loads more you need to know when flying hand luggage. But hopefully this should cover the basics. Please feel free to ask.
