Hold luggage restrictions: What you can (and can’t) check into the hold of a plane
Avoid a scene at the airport check-in by making sure your checked luggage is all above board before you get on board
With rules on liquids and laptops in hand luggage seeming to change by the day, you may be tempted to check potentially dodgy items into the hold of the plane to avoid hassle. Not so fast. Hold luggage also comes with a raft of restrictions, and breaking them could get you prosecuted.
Hold luggage restrictions aren’t just about banned items. As with hand luggage, hold luggage is subject to size and weight limits that vary widely between airlines and destinations. If you want to avoid excess baggage charges or confiscations at the gate, it’s essential to plan ahead.
Many travellers don’t heed that advice. Excess baggage fees helped airlines rake in $118 billion worldwide in “ancillary revenue” in 2023, with passengers charged up to £200 to check in a suitcase that’s too big.
In this article, we’ll help you avoid being out of pocket before your holiday even begins. We’ll run through major airlines’ hold luggage restrictions, offer tips on unusual luggage and reveal what you absolutely can’t take on a plane.
How much hold luggage can I check in?
Size and weight limits vary dramatically according to airline and ticket type. Most budget airlines and economy tickets make you pay extra to check in luggage and then impose limits of about 23kg. Premium long-haul tickets raise this limit to one, two or even three suitcases weighing up to 32kg each.
Qantas First Class ticket holders get a whopping 50kg total hold luggage allowance, but Ryanair’s cheapest hold luggage limit is just 10kg. Aer Lingus Saver fare holders can check in a 20kg case for £45, a 25kg case for £50 and a 30kg case for £55.
In terms of dimensions, most airlines and tickets let you check in a suitcase measuring up to about 90cm in height. British Airways and Virgin Atlantic, for example, impose a size limit per suitcase of 90 x 75 x 43cm.
Some airlines express this as a sum total of the width, height and depth, with Air Canada, Delta and Qantas all specifying a 158cm total, which adds up to a relatively small 70 x 68 x 20cm per bag.
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What if my suitcase is too big?
If you turn up at the airport with a bag bigger or heavier than the stated limit, you’ll have to pay an excess baggage fee to check it in.
Budget carriers usually charge excess baggage fees by weight. EasyJet’s excess is £12 per kilo, while Ryanair charges £9-£11 per kilo and Aer Lingus charges £10 per kilo plus the standard hold fee.
British Airways charges £65 per overweight or oversized bag for a one-way journey. With Virgin Atlantic, it’s £65 for an overweight bag and a hefty £200 for an oversized bag.
If your bag exceeds the airline’s maximum size limit, you won’t be allowed to take it on the plane. Most airlines impose a 32kg limit on any single piece of luggage.
What items are banned from hold luggage?
You can’t pack any of the following items in your hold luggage, or indeed your carry-on bags, when flying from the UK:
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Some items on banned lists cause confusion. For example, Heathrow’s banned list includes “instruments containing magnets”, but that applies to many children’s toys, not to mention electric guitars. The magnet ban is really intended to prevent people from flying with powerful magnets that may affect aviation safety.
Always contact the airline ahead of time if you’re unsure. You do not want to be that person who gets kicked off the plane for trying to check in a compressed airgun for your paintballing stag weekend.
Can I pack food in my suitcase?
That depends on where you’re flying to or from. If you’re flying into the UK from the EU (plus Norway, Switzerland and Iceland), you can pack most types of food in your hold luggage, provided it is for personal consumption. This includes meat (up to 2kg), fish, cheese, chocolate, bread and fruit.
Rules get tighter when you’re flying out from the UK to the EU. You’re not allowed to take any meat or dairy products, and fruit, vegetables, egg products, honey and fish products are only allowed in limited quantities.
Restrictions are much tighter if you’re flying from further afield. You can’t bring meat, meat products or dairy products into the UK from anywhere in the world except Greenland or Iceland, when you get a combined personal allowance of up to 10kg.
When flying from outside Europe, you’re also barred from bringing in milk (except powdered infant milk), fruit, vegetables, nuts and seeds. However, you can fly long-haul with sweets and certain dried food products, such as packet soup.
How much alcohol can I pack in the hold?
You can check in entire suitcases full of beer as long as you’re prepared to pay the excess baggage fees.
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) lets you bring in unlimited amounts of booze if it contains less than 24% alcohol, which would include beer or wine. Just be aware that customs regulations impose a limit of 42 litres of beer plus 18 litres of wine, which is probably more than you can carry anyway.
Drinks that contain between 24% and 70% alcohol by volume must be in their retail packaging according to CAA rules, and you’re limited to five litres per person.
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Can I pack my road bike and skis in the hold?
Sports people regularly travel with weirdly shaped luggage, and airlines are happy to work around this, provided you let them know in advance.
Ski equipment is often welcomed as checked baggage even though it may exceed the standard 90cm suitcase limit. Lufthansa even allows ski equipment to be carried free of charge on most flights, but you must register it at least 24 hours before you fly.
Small items such as footballs, hiking poles and tennis racquets can be carried on as hand luggage, up to your airline’s allowance. Larger items such as bikes, skis and golfing equipment can be checked into the hold up to a standard weight limit of 23kg (this may vary) unless you pay an excess.
Bikes must be packed in a particularly secure way for flying in the hold. You’ll need to remove the pedals, turn the handlebars in line with the frame, deflate the tyres and wrap the whole lot securely in cardboard or other protective material.
Certain types of sports equipment are restricted or banned on many airlines. Check with your carrier, but the following items are not normally allowed on a plane:
- Archery equipment
- Ammunition
- Divers’ knives longer than 6cm
- Hoverboards
- Shooting equipment, including sporting rifles and antique weapons
Can I put musical instruments in the hold?
Airlines are happy to accommodate your cello, flugelhorn, amp and so forth if you ask in advance. Just make sure your kit is packed carefully and insured comprehensively.
British Airways has a clear guide to travelling with instruments. These guidelines are similar across long-haul airlines:
- Smaller instruments such as clarinets and violins in cases up to 80 x 45 x 25cm can be carried on board as part of your hand luggage allowance;
- Medium instruments in cases measuring the same as a checked suitcase (up to 90 x 75 x 43cm) should be checked into the hold;
- Medium instruments in cases can be carried on board but must have their own seat and be no larger than no larger than 140 x 50 x 40cm;
- Large instruments exceeding these dimensions have to be checked into the hold. If they weigh over 23kg, you will need to pay a heavy baggage charge, up to a maximum of 45kg.
British Airways doesn’t specify a maximum weight for an instrument with its own seat, but it may be more generous than hold weight. Jet2, for instance, lets you carry an instrument weighing 65kg in an extra seat.
Always check with your airline well ahead of time, and state that the extra seat is for a musical instrument. If you can’t take your instrument on the plane, you will need to ship it as cargo instead.
The only way to be absolutely sure you won’t have to surrender your belongings at check-in is to double-check before you fly – or, ideally, before you leave the house for the airport.
