When it comes to packing for a trip or a holiday, many factors will come into play. The weather, activities and climate you'll be heading into are just some of these, which is why you'll no doubt have done your research before you head off abroad, to save you feeling uncomfortable and not being prepared for any situation you might face.
So doing your research when it comes to packing rules with airlines should also be on your preparation list before you embark on any trip on a plane. Sometimes it can seem like these rules can change overnight, so even if you've only recently flown with the same airline and think you have everything sussed out, it's always worth checking and double checking to save you being caught out at the airport, in front of your fellow passengers.
Ryanair, easyJet, Jet2, TUI and British Airways - airlines that all fly from Bristol Airport - each have their own sets of rules when it comes to baggage, hand luggage and other items you'll be bringing with you. This includes specific bag measurements and weight limits, additional costs, specialist equipment for babies, musical instruments, medical items and sports equipment, to name a few - here's a handy guide to help you pack for your next flight and avoid fines and other embarrassment, too...
Read more: Day trips and one night stays abroad flying from Bristol Airport
British Airways
You can use this handy tool to see how much baggage you can take on your specific British Airways flight. If you need to add more baggage to your reservation, you can pay to add more by logging in to the 'Manage My Booking' feature.
If you have more than two pieces of hand luggage, or they're over the permitted size specified using the tool above, you may have to put your larger bags into the hold as checked baggage. When you have used your free checked baggage allowance, you'll have to pay to put any extra bags into the hold.
If your checked baggage weighs more than 23kg (or your flight's baggage allowance if different), you may have to pay a heavy bag charge of £65 per overweight bag, however bags over 32kg won't be accepted as checked baggage. You should also ensure, if your journey includes a flight with another airline, that you're aware of their baggage allowances, as these could be different.
Medical supplies and equipment
According to official British Airways guidance: "There aren’t any weight limits or overweight charges for medical equipment, but there is a limit to the number of checked bags you can bring for medication or medical supplies. All checked bags with medical supplies need to be supported by an official medical letter and authorised when you check in at the airport.
"You may be asked to check your larger cabin bag in on busy flights, so it’s best to pack essential medication into hand baggage that’s guaranteed to travel in the cabin. Please see our medical information for specific advice.
"If your journey includes a flight with another airline, their policies may be different. Please check before you fly."
Baggage allowance for infants and children
British Airways' infant baggage allowance includes a 23kg bag checked into the hold for an infant, no matter the cabin they are travelling in. There is no checked baggage allowance if you are travelling with your infant on a hand baggage only (Basic) fare.
Children, and infants with a seat, have the same free baggage allowance as adults. You can find out the other items you can check in for your family, here.
Wheelchairs and mobility aids
It is free to take wheelchairs, mobility aids and related equipment if it is for your personal use and within the size limits, according to British Airways' guidance. You can find more information, including about wheelchair dimensions, service dogs and other impairments or disabilities, here. British Airways allows service dogs dree of charge in the cabin of all flights, but may limit the number of dogs carried in the cabin.
Sports equipment and musical instruments
You can travel with a wide range of personal belongings as part of your normal baggage allowance. This includes sports equipment and musical instruments, however if they weigh over 23kg you may be required to pay extra costs.
You can find out more about sports equipment rules for British Airways flights here, including ski and snowboarding equipment, skateboards, surfboards, bikes and more. While all information about musical instruments on board can be found here.
EasyJet
Cabin luggage
Each easyJet passenger can bring one small cabin bag per person on board for free. It can be a maximum size of 45 x 36 x 20cm (including any handles or wheels) and needs to be able to fit under the seat in front of you.
Your bag can weigh up to 15kg, but easyJet asks that you are able to lift and carry it yourself. If you'd also like to bring a large cabin bag on board (a maximum size of 56 x 45 x 25cm including any handles or wheels) you can either select an 'Up Front' or 'Extra Legroom' seat, or book a large cabin bag for your flight - the latter of which being a newly added feature to easyJet's booking process and bag policy.
If you're an easyJet Plus cardholder or customer who has booked a FLEXI fare, you can also bring a large cabin bag on board (in addition to your small cabin bag) as part of your membership or fare benefits. The maximum number of cabin bags available per person is two - one small cabin bag for all customers and one large cabin bag for customers where it is included with their seat, fare or membership.
Purchasing all your bags online is both cheaper and will help you avoid paying bag fees at the airport, and/or your bags being placed in the hold.
Hold luggage
Each customer (including children and infants) can buy up to three hold bags. A standard hold bag is 23kg, however you can buy extra weight in 3kg units, up to a maximum of 32kg per bag.
If you're travelling with family or friends on the same flight and booking, you can pool your total weight allowance. No single item can weigh more than 32kg, while the maximum total bag size (length, width and height) must be under 275cm.
Twilight bag drop
If you have an early morning flight departing from Bristol (as well as London Gatwick, Manchester or Berlin Brandenburg) you can drop off your hold bags the evening before, to save time the next day. Simply head to the Bag Drop area during the hours of 6pm to 9pm (for Bristol) if your flight departs before 8:30am, with your passport and boarding passes, and your bags will be ready to collect when you arrive at your destination.
Sports equipment
You can take most sports equipment as well as your hold luggage when you fly with easyJet and you can buy one piece of sports equipment per customer.
EasyJet says there's no limit to the number of small sports equipment allowed on a booking, as long as it doesn't exceed one person. Guidance says: "To make sure we have enough room for everyone's bags, we limit the hold allowance for large sports equipment.
"You can only buy a maximum of six items of large sports equipment for any booking online, even if there are more than six customers on the booking. If you’d like to add more than this, please contact our Customer Services Team who can check available space.
"You can pool the total weight allowances for your sports equipment and hold luggage, as long as no single item weighs more than 32kg. For example, if you have a total weight allowance of 52kg you could bring hold luggage weighing 31kg and sports equipment weighing 21kg."
EasyJet has two size allowances for sports equipment - small (20kg max) includes things like golf clubs, skis and boots, snowboards, diving equipment, paraglider, pole vaults up to 450cm and sporting firearms, while large (32kg max) includes things like bicycles, canoes and kayaks, windsurfers and surfboards and hang gliders.
Musical instruments and medical equipment
The size of musical instrument you can bring on board depends on your cabin bag allowance. Click here to find out more.
If you pack medicines in your hold luggage, a letter from your healthcare practitioner is not required, however it is advised you pack your medication in your hand luggage where possible. Find out more about medical equipment on flights here.
Flying with children and infants
If you're travelling with children, easyJet will board you early if they are under five years old. You'll also be able to put two additional items for your child in the hold for free, including a travel cot, pushchair, car seat, collapsible or non-collapsible pram, booster seat and/or baby back carrier.
Jet2
On every Jet2 flight each passenger has a 10kg hand luggage allowance which is included as standard, excluding infants. The dimensions for this should be no larger than 56 x 45 x 25cm, including wheels and handles.
You can also bring a small personal item on board, such as a handbag or laptop bag, as long as it fits under the seat in front of you. If you're travelling with little ones, you can bring a collapsible pushchair, car seat and/or travel cot free of charge, up to a weight of 10kg.
If you need some extra luggage allowance, you can add up to three 22kg bags to your flight by logging into the 'Manage My Booking' section. You can also use this tool to guarantee your hand luggage isn't moved into the hold on busy flights - simply add the 'Guaranteed Cabin Luggage' to your booking.
Sports equipment
When booking online, you can add bikes or golf bags to your booking for an extra charge. The maximum weight for bikes is 32kg and 22kg for golf bags.
For any other sports equipment or to add to an existing booking, you can call the Pre-Travel Services team on 0333 300 0737. Adding sports equipment to your booking may increase the cost of your transfer.
Musical instruments
Guidance says that musical instruments may be considered part of your cabin (no more than 56х45х25cm and 10kg) or hold baggage (up to 180x90cm and 22kg — £30, over 22 kg — standard excess weight rates will apply, max weight 32kg). When carried in the passenger seat, the weight of the instrument can be max 65kg and it must not protrude more than 30cm beyond the top of the seat.
Medical equipment
According to official Jet2 guidance, "all the essential medications you need for the duration of your journey should be carried in your hand luggage. Essential liquid medication in quantities over 100ml must be certified as authentic by a doctor's letter and must be presented in their original containers.
"Bottles and packaging may need to be opened by airport security during screening." You can find out about the rules regarding other medical equipment here.
Ryanair
All Ryanair passenger fare types include a small personal bag, which must fit under the seat in front of you. This must not exceed 40 x 20 x 25cm in size.
You can also purchase an additional 10kg/20kg bag for an additional fee, as part of the following options:
- Priority & 2 cabin bags - Customers have the benefit of boarding the plane via the Priority Queue and carrying their small personal bag and 10kg wheelie bag (55 x 40 x 20cm) with them on board.
- 10kg Check-in Bag - The 10kg Check-in Bag gives customers a cheaper checked bag option and customers can pack more liquids into a 10kg checked wheelie bag and walk to the boarding gate 'hands free'.
- 20kg Check-in Bag - For extra room in your suitcase. Each passenger can purchase up to three checked bags of 20kgs.
Sports equipment
Some sports equipment can be carried in the hold, in addition to your personal checked baggage allowance of up to 20kgs per item. You can find out more here.
Musical instruments
You can check in certain musical items in addition to your personal checked baggage allowance of up to a limit of 20kg per item. Smaller musical items such as a guitar, violin or viola, which exceed cabin baggage dimensions, may be carried in the cabin if a seat for it has been reserved and the appropriate fare paid.
There is no checked or cabin baggage allowance associated with the purchase of an extra seat. Find out more here.
Medical items
Passengers with medical equipment can still bring these items on board, free of charge, in addition to their small personal bag, as long as it has been pre-cleared by the Special Assistance team. Find out more here.
Children and infants
You can carry two items of baby equipment free of charge per child. There is no cabin bag allowance for an infant (aged 8 days to 23 months), however a baby bag of up to 5kg is allowed for babies travelling on an adult's lap (45x35x20cm). Find out more here.
TUI
When flying with TUI, you have a 15kg checked luggage allowance for package holidays, or can book checked luggage at an additional charge for flight only bookings. Either way, you can take one piece of hand luggage weighing up to 10kg and with maximum dimensions of 55x40x20cm, for free.
Handbags, laptops and items bought at the airport must fit within your hand luggage and you must be able to lift your hand luggage into the overhead storage compartments yourself. Trunki cases are allowed as hand luggage, as long as they weigh no more than 10kg each.
You can upgrade to the Premium Club where you'll get a luggage allowance of 23kg as well as 10kg of hand luggage. This can be done while you're booking or by logging into your customer account after you've booked.
Infants
TUI's guidance says: "If you're flying with TUI Airways, you can take a pushchair for infants under 2 years old, for free. And if your flight is part of a package holiday, under-2s will also have a check-in luggage allowance of 10kg.
"If you’re not flying with TUI Airways, you’ll need to check with your airline. Most other airlines will also carry pushchairs free of charge and you can usually take them to the boarding gate.
"Some airlines also offer extra hold luggage for under 2s - you'll find details on your e-ticket or confirmation email."
Sports equipment
If you hope to bring sports equipment on your flight, you will need to call TUI at least two months before you travel, on 0203 451 2695, to pre-book it onto your flight. If you don't pre-book, TUI may refuse to carry your equipment when you get to the airport.
Musical instruments
If your instrument is larger than the maximum hand luggage dimensions, you’ll need to check it in for an extra charge. TUI recommends you mark the instrument as fragile and advise check-in staff to handle with care. See the Conditions of Carriage for full details.
Ski Holidays with TUI
- Each passenger gets 20kg of checked luggage (infants get 10kg luggage allowance).
- Crystal Finest customers get 23kg of checked luggage.
- If you are travelling with infants or young children, you can take two pieces of equipment (such as a travel cot, pushchair or car seat) free of charge. These must be checked into the hold, though pushchairs can be taken to the boarding gate and then given to staff to place in the hold.
- Each passenger also gets 10kg of hand luggage.
- Crystal Finest customers get 10kg of hand luggage.
- The dimensions of hand luggage must not exceed 55 x 40 x 20cm.
- If your ski boots fit within these restrictions then they may be carried as your one piece of hand luggage.
Excess luggage
If your luggage is heavier than your luggage allowance when you check in for a TUI Airways flight, you’ll need to pay an excess luggage charge.
Excess luggage charges
- Short haul flights: £13 or €17 per kilogram.
- Mid haul flights: £15 or €19 per kilogram.
- Long haul flights: £18 or $27 per kilogram.
Charges may vary depending on the season you're travelling in. If you’re not flying with TUI Airways, you’ll need to check with your airline on excess luggage charges.
Read more:
