Airline guide: baggage allowances and charges

A guide to airline baggage allowance, rules and charges, featuring information on 35 of the world's biggest carriers.

UK AIRLINES

British Airways

Hold baggage (standard economy fare): One free item; 23kg

Fee for excess baggage: £28 fee for additional bags booked online; £35 at the airport

Carry-on luggage: One item, must be able to lift into overhead locker unaided

Sporting equipment: Free under checked baggage allowance otherwise extra bag charge applies, limit 190cm x 75cm x 65cm

Music equipment: Free under checked baggage allowance otherwise extra bag charge applies, limit 190cm x 75cm x 65cm

Bmi

Hold baggage (standard economy fare): Unlimited items; total weight limit 20kg

Fee for excess baggage: £11 per kg

Carry-on luggage: One item, must be able to lift into overhead locker unaided

Sporting equipment: £30, 20kg limit

Music equipment: Accepted as hold baggage allowance otherwise extra bag charge applies, 20kg limit

Bmibaby

Hold baggage (standard economy fare): £12.99-£14.99 per bag each way, total weight limit 18kg

Fee for excess baggage: £12 per kg

Carry-on luggage: One item, 10kg limit

Sporting equipment: £17.99, subject to space

Music equipment: £17.99, subject to space

easyJet

Hold baggage (standard economy fare): £9 per bag each way when paid online, £18 at the airport, total weight limit 20kg

Fee for excess baggage: £10 per kg

Carry-on luggage: One item, must be able to lift into overhead locker unaided

Sporting equipment: £18.50-£26, subject to space

Music equipment: Free under checked baggage allowance otherwise extra bag charge applies.

Flybe

Hold baggage (standard economy fare): £9.99 for first bag each way, £28 for second bag, 20kg limit per bag

Fee for excess baggage: no information available

Carry-on luggage: One item, 10kg limit

Sporting equipment: £28, subject to space

Music equipment: £28m, subject to space

Jet2

Hold baggage (standard economy fare): £12.99 for one bag each way (22kg limit), £30.98 for two bags (30kg limit), £43.97 for three bags (30kg limit), when booked online

Fee for excess baggage: £10 per kg

Carry-on luggage: One item, 10kg limit, 56x45x25cm

Sporting equipment: £27.50, 20kg limit

Music equipment: £27.50 20kg limit

Monarch

Hold baggage (standard economy fare): £9.99 - £15.99 per bag each way, 20kg total limit

Fee for excess baggage: £7.50 per kg

Carry-on luggage: One item, 10kg limit

Sporting equipment: up to £35, 13kg limit

Music equipment: Accepted as hold baggage allowance otherwise extra bag charge applies, 10kg limit

Thomas Cook

Hold baggage (standard economy fare): One free item; 15kg limit

Fee for excess baggage: up to £70 each way for up to 10kg extra

Carry-on luggage: One item, 5kg limit

Sporting equipment: Up to £60, subject to space

Music equipment: Up to £60, subject to space

Thomson

Hold baggage (standard economy fare): One free item; 20kg limit

Fee for excess baggage: Up to £15 per kilo at the airport, 50 per cent cheaper online

Carry-on luggage: One item, 5kg limit

Sporting equipment: from £15, subject to space

Music equipment: Free under checked baggage allowance otherwise extra bag charge applies.

Virgin

Hold baggage (standard economy fare): One free item; 23kg limit

Fee for excess baggage: £32 for additional bags booked online; £40 at the airport

Carry-on luggage: One item, less than 6kg

Sporting equipment: One piece at no extra cost

Music equipment: Free under checked baggage allowance otherwise extra bag charge applies.

European airlines

Aer Lingus

Hold baggage (standard economy fare): Up to £12 per bag each way; 20kg limit

Fee for excess baggage: £6 per kg

Carry-on luggage: One item, 10kg limit

Sporting equipment: Up to £34

Music equipment: Free under checked baggage allowance otherwise extra bag charge applies.

Air France

Hold baggage (standard economy fare): One free item, 23kg limit

Fee for excess baggage: £48 for additional allowance, 20 per cent less online

Carry-on luggage: One item, 12kg limit

Sporting equipment: Free under checked baggage allowance otherwise extra bag charge applies.

Music equipment: Free under checked baggage allowance otherwise extra bag charge applies

Alitalia

Hold baggage (standard economy fare): One free item, 23kg limit

Fee for excess baggage: Up to £17 per kg

Carry-on luggage: One item, 5kg limit

Sporting equipment: Up to £25.50

Music equipment: Free under checked baggage allowance otherwise extra bag charge applies.

Iberia

Hold baggage (standard economy fare): One free item, 23kg limit

Fee for excess baggage: £51 up to 32kg, £51 for a second bag

Carry-on luggage: One item, 10kg limit

Sporting equipment: Free under checked baggage allowance otherwise extra bag charge applies.

Music equipment: Free under checked baggage allowance otherwise extra bag charge applies.

Lufthansa

Hold baggage (standard economy fare): One free item, plus one free ski bag, 20kg limit

Fee for excess baggage: Up to £10 per kg

Carry-on luggage: One item; 8kg limit

Sporting equipment: Free under checked baggage allowance otherwise extra bag charge applies; 20kg limit

Music equipment: no information available

KLM

Hold baggage (standard economy fare): One free item, 23kg limit

Fee for excess baggage: £9 per kg online, £13 per kg at the airport

Carry-on luggage: One item, 12kg limit

Sporting equipment: Free under checked baggage allowance otherwise extra bag charge applies.

Music equipment: Free under checked baggage allowance otherwise extra bag charge applies.

Ryanair

Hold baggage (standard economy fare): Up to £20 per bag each way; 15kg limit, up to £40 for a second bag

Fee for excess baggage: £20 per kg

Carry-on luggage: One item, 10kg limit

Sporting equipment: Up to £50; 20kg limit

Music equipment: Up to £50; 20kg limit

SAS

Hold baggage (standard economy fare): One free item, 20kg limit

Fee for excess baggage: Up to £9.50 per kg

Carry-on luggage: One item, 8kg limit

Sporting equipment: Up to £17

Music equipment: One free piece

Swiss

Hold baggage (standard economy fare): One free item, 20kg limit

Fee for excess baggage: no information available

Carry-on luggage: One item, 8kg limit

Sporting equipment: Up to £30

Music equipment: Up to £30

TAP Portugal

Hold baggage (standard economy fare): One free item, 20kg limit

Fee for excess baggage: Up to £17 per kg

Carry-on luggage: One item, 8kg limit

Sporting equipment: Up to £42.50

Music equipment: Up to £42.50 

                                                                                            Source telegraph

Airline guide: food and drink

Our guide to in-flight food and drink reveals which airlines offer the best value meals and refreshments, and which cater for passengers with special dietary requirements. 

Ryanair charges more for in-flight food and drink than any other major British or Irish airline, according to new research.

Food and drinks on Ryanair have an average mark-up of 520 per cent compared with supermarket prices, while the mark-up on a cup of tea is 21,040 per cent, according to data compiled by Travelsupermarket.com as part of a study into the prices of in-flight food and drinks on 22 international airlines.

Ryanair charges £2.63 for a cup of tea or a bottle of mineral water, £3.16 for a cup-a-soup, and up to £4.91 for a sandwich – significantly more than any of its low-cost rivals.

Bmibaby, the no-frills subsidiary of Bmi, charges the second highest prices, with its products carrying an average mark up of 468 per cent, followed by Jet2 (438 per cent) and easyJet (430 per cent).

A spokesman for Ryanair said food was entirely avoidable on board its aircraft.

“Ryanair is Europe’s largest low fares airline offering Europe’s guaranteed lowest fares, not a discount food retailer,” he said. “We challenge Tesco, Sainsburys or Waitrose to carry a family of four from the UK to the Canary Islands for less than Ryanair.” Full service carriers

British Airways - free drinks and limited snacks on all short haul flights (before 10am there is a breakfast sandwich). On long haul you will generally receive one full meal and one snack per flight (varies by length of flight) plus free drinks.

Virgin Atlantic - on long haul you will generally receive one full meal and one snack per flight (varies by length of flight) plus free drinks.

Lufthansa/KLM/Air France - free drink and snack on short haul (usually a filled croissant, small sandwich or a one course meal). On long haul you will generally receive one full meal and one snack per flight (varies by length of flight) plus free drinks.

Aer Lingus - paid for service on short haul; on flights to the US you will generally receive one full meal and one snack per flight (varies by length of flight) plus free drinks.

Emirates - on long haul you will generally receive one full meal and one snack per flight (varies by length of flight) plus free drinks.

Source telegraph