Here are the cabin bag sizes of every major airline operating in Scotland - including Ryanair & easyJet

If you’re looking to enjoy a short trip away and are keen to stop heavy luggage weighing you down, travelling light with just a carry-on is an easy way to do so.

As well as being practical, it can also save you some money when flying. But with more than forty airlines operating from Scottish airports – and each having their own unique guidance on cabin bag sizes and weights – it can quickly become confusing.

Even without mentioning the various flight operators which charge for a larger carry-on suitcase to be brought on board, there are a variety of dimensions and restrictions travellers need to keep in mind.

So to save you some of the hassle, we’ve pulled together a table with everything you need to know about hand luggage if you’re travelling from airports in Scotland including Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Glasgow Prestwick, or Inverness.

What are the most common carry-on sizes across Scottish airports?

We all know the fear of being asked to fit your suitcase in a baggage sizer at the airport, with many developing various hacks, tips and tricks to get away with carrying on board more luggage than you should.

No one wants to start a holiday off by having to pay extra for oversized luggage, especially with how expensive some of the fees can get, and with each airline having different requirements it can quickly become confusing.

Cabin bags are, unfortunately, not a one-size-fits-all solution when travelling. But a number of airlines do call for luggage which is either the same, or a very similar, size.

Passengers queue at Edinburgh Airport

Of the airlines operating in various Scottish airports, 13 call for a carry-on bag which is 55 x 40 x 23cm. This includes Air Canada, Air Transat, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Edelweiss, Eurowings, Finnair, Lufthansa, Norwegian, SAS Scandinavian, SunExpress, Turkish Airlines, and Wizz Air.

The second most common cabin bag size across airports in Scotland is 55 x 40 x 20cm, which is just 2cm smaller. Both TUI and Ryanair are among the airlines which require carry-on bags to meet these dimensions, alongside Hainan Airlines, Pegasus, Wideroe, and Vueling.

The overall most common carry-on size in Scottish airports

• 55 x 40 x 23cm – 13 airlines
• 55 x 40 x 20cm — 6 airlines
• 56 x 35 x 23cm / 56 x 36 x 23cm (very slight difference likely due to conversion from imperial to metric) – 6 airlines
• 56 x 45 x 25cm – 4 airlines
• 55 x 35 x 25cm – 3 airlines
• 55 x 40 x 25cm – 2 airlines

A number of American flight operators have similarly sized hand luggage, often either slightly rounded up or down when converted from imperial to metric. Overall, this means that these operators call for carry-on luggage to be no larger than 56 x 36 x 23cm (or 56 x 35 x 23cm, for some).

Which airlines have the biggest hand luggage allowance?

The most generous hand luggage allowance comes from airlines including British Airways, Aegean Airlines, and Jet2 with hand luggage capped at 56 x 45 x 25cm, though weight requirements vary.

easyJet also follows the same guidelines, however customers have to pay in order to add a piece of cabin baggage to their booking.

Which airlines have the smallest hand luggage allowance?

Loganair and Aer Lingus are the two airlines which have the smallest, physical requirements for hand luggage.

Scotland’s national airline, Loganair, offers very limited room for cabin baggage. It must weigh under 6kg and not exceed dimensions of 40cm x 35 cm x 18cm in order to fit either in the overhead locker or beneath your seat.

A Loganair aircraft

Meanwhile, Aer Lingus has two different carry-on options. If you are travelling only on an Aer Lingus flight operated by Emerald Airlines (those with flight numbers in the range EI 3000 - EI 3999), you may only carry on board a carry-on bag sized 48 x 33 x 20cm and which weights a maximum of 7kg.

However, transatlantic flights through the airline may take on board hand luggage which can be sized up to 55 x 40 x 24cm, with a weight limit of either 7kg or 10kg.

Which airlines charge for cabin bags?

Unlike some airlines, budget flight operators often charge passengers an additional fee in order to take any cabin bags on board.

While a personal item which fits beneath the seat in front of you is included almost universally, the same cannot be said for a piece of luggage which will fit in the overhead locker.

Airlines which charge for hand luggage:

• easyJet
• Eurowings
• Finnair
• Norwegian
• Pegasus
• Ryanair
• SAS Scandinavian
• SunExpress
• Transavia Vueling
• Wideroe
• Wizz Air

If you are travelling to or from Scotland with any of the above airlines, it would be worth double checking your booking.

Many of these operators will allow travellers to add an additional cabin bag to their flight for a small fee, while with others it will come down to the ticket fare you select such as WizzAir or Ryanair’s Priority fares.