Hand luggage
Encyclopedia
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
) is the type of luggage
Luggage
Baggage is any number of bags, cases and containers which hold a traveller's articles during transit.Luggage is more or less the same concept as "baggage", but is normally used in relation to the personal luggage of a specific person or persons Baggage is any number of bags, cases and containers...
that passengers are allowed to carry along in the passenger compartment of a vehicle instead of moving to the cargo compartment. Passengers are allowed to carry a limited number of smaller bags with them in the vehicle and contain valuables and items needed during the journey. There is normally storage space provided for hand luggage, either under seating, or in overhead lockers. Trains usually have luggage racks above the seats and may also, especially in the case of trains travelling longer distances, also have luggage space between the backs of seats facing opposite directions or in extra luggage racks for example at the ends of the carriage
Railroad car
A railroad car or railway vehicle , also known as a bogie in Indian English, is a vehicle on a rail transport system that is used for the carrying of cargo or passengers. Cars can be coupled together into a train and hauled by one or more locomotives...
near the doors.
Commercial airlines
International Air Transport Association
The International Air Transport Association is an international industry trade group of airlines headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, where the International Civil Aviation Organization is also headquartered. The executive offices are at the Geneva Airport in SwitzerlandIATA's mission is to...
(IATA) sets guidelines for cabin baggage/hand luggage/carry-on luggage size. They are not mandatory, however, and individual airlines can and do vary their requirements. The IATA guideline states:
Cabin baggage should have a maximum length of 56 cm ( 22 in ) , width of 45 cm ( 18 in ) and depth of 25 cm ( 10 in ) including all handles , side pockets , wheels etc.
Most low-cost airlines have smaller limits for the cabin baggage where one bag is commonly allowed at a size of 55 cm x 40 cm x 20 cm. Still the maximum weight differs widely in the range of 5 kg to 12 kg. A second bag is mostly not allowed for low-cost travel. As an example these restrictions apply to:
Air BerlinAir BerlinAir Berlin PLC & Co. Luftverkehrs KG is Germany's second largest airline, after Lufthansa, and Europe's sixth largest airline in terms of passengers....
(one bag max. 6 kg / for laptops max. 8 kg);
BMIBabyBmibabyBmibaby Limited is a small British low-cost airline and a subsidiary of British Midland International. It flies to destinations in the UK and Europe from its bases at Belfast-City, Birmingham and East Midlands airports....
(one bag max. 10 kg);
GermanwingsGermanwingsGermanwings GmbH is a low-cost airline based in Cologne, Germany, and is wholly owned by Lufthansa. Cologne Bonn Airport, Stuttgart Airport and Berlin-Schönefeld Airport are the important hubs in the airline's network of approximately 70 destinations...
(one bag max. 8 kg);
Malév Hungarian AirlinesMalév Hungarian AirlinesMalév Hungarian Airlines is the flag carrier and principal airline of Hungary. It has its head office in the Lurdy House in Budapest, with its main operations at Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport. From there, the airline flies to 50 cities in 34 countries worldwide using a fleet of 22...
(one bag max. 10 kg);
LufthansaLufthansaDeutsche Lufthansa AG is the flag carrier of Germany and the largest airline in Europe in terms of overall passengers carried. The name of the company is derived from Luft , and Hansa .The airline is the world's fourth-largest airline in terms of overall passengers carried, operating...
(one bag max. 8 kg / Exception: foldable garment bags 57 cm x 54 cm x 15 cm.)
RyanairRyanairRyanair is an Irish low-cost airline. Its head office is at Dublin Airport and its primary operational bases at Dublin Airport and London Stansted Airport....
(one bag max. 10 kg. 55 cm x 40 cm x 20 cm);
Swiss International Air LinesSwiss International Air LinesSwiss International Air Lines AG is the principal airline of Switzerland operating scheduled services in Europe and to North America, South America, Africa and Asia. Its main hub is Zurich Airport...
(max. 8 kg. 55 cm x 40 cm x 20 cm/ plus some hand items as listed);
Wizzair (one bag max. 10 kg)
The actual size and weight limits of cabin baggage can differ widely, in some cases they are dependent on the aircraft model being used, in other cases it depends on the booking class. As an example of the lack of standardisation, the maximum permitted cabin luggage restrictions of some airlines are:
| 43 cm x 30 cm x 18 cm | Aurigny class Regional (one bag max. 10 kg) or class Inter-Island (max. 6 kg) |
| 50 cm x 35 cm x 23 cm | Flybe Flybe Flybe Group PLC is a British low-cost regional airline headquartered at the Jack Walker House at Exeter International Airport in Devon, England... (one bag max. 10 kg) |
| 50 cm x 45 cm x 20 cm | Jet Airways Jet Airways Jet Airways is a major Indian airline based in Mumbai, Maharashtra. It is India's largest airline and the market leader in the domestic sector. It operates over 400 flights daily to 76 destinations worldwide. Its main hub is Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, with secondary hubs at Delhi,... for ATR aircraft (one bag max. 7 kg) |
| 55 cm x 35 cm x 25 cm | Jet Airways Jet Airways Jet Airways is a major Indian airline based in Mumbai, Maharashtra. It is India's largest airline and the market leader in the domestic sector. It operates over 400 flights daily to 76 destinations worldwide. Its main hub is Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, with secondary hubs at Delhi,... for Boeing/Airbus (one bag max. 7 kg); Air France Air France Air France , stylised as AIRFRANCE, is the French flag carrier headquartered in Tremblay-en-France, , and is one of the world's largest airlines. It is a subsidiary of the Air France-KLM Group and a founding member of the SkyTeam global airline alliance... (one bag plus one accessory like handbag, laptop, photocamera - overall max 12 kg) |
| 55 cm x 40 cm x 23 cm | Austrian Airlines Austrian Airlines Austrian Airlines is the flag carrier airline of Austria, headquartered in Office Park 2 on the grounds of Vienna International Airport in Schwechat, Wien-Umgebung and a subsidiary of Deutsche Lufthansa AG. Together with regional subsidiary Tyrolean Airways and charter arm Lauda Air, it operates... (one bag max. 8 kg) |
| 56 cm x 35 cm x 23 cm | United Airlines United Airlines United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees (which includes the entire holding company United Continental... ; (sum < 114 cm)(One bag plus one personal item) |
| 56 cm x 36 cm x 23 cm | Malaysia Airlines Malaysia Airlines Malaysian Airline System Berhad , DBA Malaysia Airlines , is the government-owned flag carrier of Malaysia. Malaysia Airlines operates flights from its home base, Kuala Lumpur International Airport, and its eastern hub in Kota Kinabalu. It has its headquarters on the grounds of Sultan Abdul Aziz... ; (sum < 115 cm) (one bag max. 5 kg); Virgin Atlantic (One bag max. 6 kg); Delta Air Lines Delta Air Lines Delta Air Lines, Inc. is a major airline based in the United States and headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The airline operates an extensive domestic and international network serving all continents except Antarctica. Delta and its subsidiaries operate over 4,000 flights every day... (One bag plus laptop bag); |
| 56 cm x 45 cm x 25 cm | (IATA size) British Airways British Airways British Airways is the flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom, based in Waterside, near its main hub at London Heathrow Airport. British Airways is the largest airline in the UK based on fleet size, international flights and international destinations... (one bag plus laptop bag); EasyJet EasyJet EasyJet Airline Company Limited is a British airline headquartered at London Luton Airport. It carries more passengers than any other United Kingdom-based airline, operating domestic and international scheduled services on 500 routes between 118 European, North African, and West Asian airports... (one bag, no special weight limit); Finnair Finnair Finnair Plc is the flag carrier and largest airline of Finland, with its headquarters on the grounds of Helsinki Airport in Vantaa, Finland, and its main hub at Helsinki Airport. Finnair and its subsidiaries dominate both the domestic and international air travel markets in Finland. The largest... (one bag, max. 8 kg) |
Commercial airline pilots and flight attendants also comply with standards. Those standards are set by individual airlines under "uniform restrictions" which guide and maintain professional dress codes.
Business Class, First class passengers and holders of high level milage club members are often allowed to carry on a second luggage of same size and weight, or a smaller size and weight (except UK).
On smaller sized aircraft the hand baggage can be carried in the cargo area. In this case the baggage is collected when boarding the aircraft and is handed back to passengers right after landing.
Security restrictions
Following the increase in restrictions imposed on flights from UK airports and to the USA after the events of August 2006 transatlantic aircraft plot2006 transatlantic aircraft plot
The 2006 transatlantic aircraft plot was a terrorist plot to detonate liquid explosives carried on board at least 10 airliners travelling from the United Kingdom to the United States and Canada...
, hand baggage on such flights was restricted to one cabin bag no bigger than 45 cm x 35 cm x 16 cm effective since 15 August. On 21 September 2006, the British Airports Authority advised that from the following day, the allowable size of the single item of hand baggage on outgoing flights from the UK would be increased to 56 cm x 45 cm x 25 cm (approx. 22 in x 17.75 in x 9.85 in), the IATA guideline size. Still most airports have a strict limit of one piece of cabin baggage per passenger - especially passengers in the business class are used to have two pieces of cabin baggage allowance within Europe which does not apply for flights to and from the UK.
European Union
Since 6 November 2006 there is a common regulation for cabin baggage restrictions in extended European Union (including Switzerland, Norway and Iceland).- Restrictions on liquids:
- only liquids with max 100 ml per piece
- all pieces assembled in a single zippable plastic bag of max 1000ml (1 liter)
- liquids include gels and lotions (shampoo, tooth paste), lip sticks, moist paper tissue
- Exceptions:
- prescribed medicine of any size (non-prescribed medicine-only items allowed well)
- baby milk and other items for infants
- nutrition for diabetes diet
- Restrictions on abusable objects:
- weaponry, including imitations and sports utilities (e.g. archery)
- sharp objects, even small ones, including dart arrows and razor blades.
- The recommendation allows for light knives and scissors with blades up to 6 cm but some countries do not accept these either (e.g. nail care items).
- blunt objects, clubs and all larger sticks, including sports utilities (e.g. skateboard)
- inflammable objects, including ethanol, alcoholic beverage above 70%, some match sticks
- toxic chemicals, including pepper spray, liquid batteries, blood samples
United States
The United States Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has introduced a series of restrictions effective since 26. September 2006 under the name "3:1:1" for liquids- Restrictions for liquids
- 3 ounce or smaller of containers for liquids and gels (approx. 90 ml)
- 1 quart-size clear plastic zip-top bag holding the liquid contents (approx. 950 ml)
- 1 bag per traveler shown openly in the security bin.
- the TSA guidelines explicitly accept the metricized portions of 100 ml / 1 liter as defined later in the European Union.
- the list of exceptions for liquids (baby milk, diabetes diet) is identical.
Furthermore the TSA has additional restrictions for security searches - for example all baggage should not be locked (there are special padlocks that only TSA staff can open), gifts should not be wrapped, and shoes may be required to be taken off during body search with the metal detector. Food items in the luggage may be mistaken for dangerous material triggering an intensive search. These advises are of special importance for cabin baggage - especially on international flights there are frequent intensive searches on the border control on anything suspicious.