Last updated: 29 October 2026.
Prices are in pounds sterling (GBP), per bag and per one-way flight, for flights starting in London. From other countries British Airways converts the pound amount into the local currency, and local taxes can be added on some routes.
Cabin baggage
- Cabin bag
- 1 bag, up to 56 x 45 x 25 cm (22 x 18 x 10 in) including wheels and handles. You need to lift it into the overhead locker without help. Leave out valuables, electronics and essential medicines, because the bag could be sent to the hold.
- Handbag or backpack
- 1 item, up to 40 x 30 x 15 cm (16 x 12 x 6 in), under the seat in front. It can hold medication, phones, other electronics and passports and is guaranteed in the cabin. On Brazil routes the calculator shows 45 x 36 x 20 cm.
- Infants (under 2)
- 1 cabin bag (56 x 45 x 25 cm). Infants do not get a handbag.
- These limits are the same in every cabin, from Economy Basic (hand baggage only) to First.
- Customers who cannot lift their own bag because of accessibility needs may take a cabin bag light enough for a fit adult to lift. Your own wheelchair, mobility aids and associated equipment go free so long as they respect the size caps.
- Spare batteries and power banks must stay with you in the cabin, never in the hold. Small electric scooters with lithium batteries are banned entirely, from both cabin and hold.
- Carrying three or more hand baggage pieces, or pieces above the size limit, can see the larger bags sent below as checked luggage.
- Put medication for the trip and your first days away in the smaller bag that goes beneath the seat. A tennis, squash or badminton racket case (up to 2 rackets, under 80 x 45 x 10 cm, nothing else inside) can be one of your two cabin pieces.
Free checked baggage
A standard bag is up to 90 x 75 x 43 cm (35 x 30 x 17 in) and 23 kg (50 lb) in Economy and Premium Economy, or 32 kg (70 lb) in Business and First. No bag may weigh over 32 kg, and the 23 kg limit applies to each bag and cannot be split between bags.
Where the price changes
British Airways does not publish a country list for its fee zones. On flights from London the prices fall into these groups:
- Europe: Paris Charles de Gaulle and Athens.
- North America: New York JFK and Los Angeles.
- Middle East, India, Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean: Dubai, Mumbai, Singapore, Johannesburg, Nairobi, Sao Paulo and Bridgetown (Barbados).
Free checked bags by cabin (from the calculator, London departures)
- Economy Basic (cabin bags only)
- None. Every bag you check is charged, see the tables below.
- Economy
- 1 bag, 23 kg (2 bags of 23 kg London to Mumbai)
- Premium Economy
- 2 bags, 23 kg each
- Business (Club Europe on short-haul)
- 2 bags, 32 kg each
- First
- 3 bags, 32 kg each
- Infant under 2 without a seat
- 1 bag, 23 kg, in any cabin except Basic fares. Extra bags cannot be bought for an infant.
- A small set of routes has a lower allowance than the standard one (for example 1 bag rather than 2 in Premium Economy). Open your booking in the manager, or run the calculator, for your flight.
- A child or an infant occupying a seat has the adult allowance.
Free bags for Club, oneworld and AerClub members
Gold or Silver British Airways Club members, oneworld Emerald or Sapphire members and AerClub Platinum or Concierge members, and their companions on the same booking, get:
Economy
- Gold, Emerald or Concierge
- 2 bags
- Silver, Sapphire or Platinum
- 2 bags, up to 32 kg each
- Blue or Bronze
- 1 bag, 23 kg
Premium Economy
- Gold, Emerald or Concierge
- 3 bags on most routes (2 on a few routes)
- Silver, Sapphire or Platinum
- 2 bags, up to 32 kg each
- Blue or Bronze
- 2 bags, 23 kg (1 on a few routes)
Business
- Gold, Emerald or Concierge
- 3 bags
- Silver, Sapphire or Platinum
- 2 bags, up to 32 kg each
- Blue or Bronze
- 2 bags, 32 kg
First
- Gold, Emerald or Concierge
- 4 bags
- Silver, Sapphire or Platinum
- 3 bags, up to 32 kg each
- Blue or Bronze
- 3 bags, 32 kg
The higher weight is not given to group bookings, nor to infants who have no seat.
Children and infants
- A baby aged under 24 months and seatless receives one 23 kg hold bag, whatever the cabin. Neither you nor your infant has a checked allowance on a hand-baggage-only (Basic) fare, and extra bags cannot be bought for the infant.
- Every infant and child may also check up to two of these items free, Basic fare included: a fully collapsible pushchair, a child car seat or booster, a travel cot, or a baby back carrier.
Extra checked bags: what you pay
Does the price depend on when you pay?
Yes. Add extra bags to the booking online, in the booking manager, before check-in and you pay the lower online price, by card, with Avios or with both, for up to 10 extra checked bags. Once you have checked in, extra bags are possible only at the airport, at the higher price, with no Avios. A booking made via a travel agency shows the option only after the agent completes it. Prepaid extra bags are refundable when cancelled online or with British Airways, though not after take-off and not for changes made after take-off. Refunds go to the card you paid with.
Price per extra bag, one way, from London (GBP)
Each bag is up to 23 kg (Economy and Premium Economy) or 32 kg (Business and First). Where a bag is free in your fare it is marked included.
Europe (Paris, Athens), Basic fare
- Bag
- 1st bag
- Online price
- £40 Paris, £65 Athens
- Airport price
- £75
Europe (Paris, Athens), Basic fare
- Bag
- 2nd bag
- Online price
- £65
- Airport price
- £75
Europe (Paris, Athens)
- Bag
- 3rd and 4th bag
- Online price
- £80
- Airport price
- £95
Europe (Paris, Athens), Economy with a free bag
- Bag
- 2nd bag
- Online price
- £65
- Airport price
- £75
North America (New York, Los Angeles), Basic fare
- Bag
- 1st bag
- Online price
- £55
- Airport price
- £75
North America, Basic fare or Economy
- Bag
- 2nd bag
- Online price
- £65
- Airport price
- £90
North America
- Bag
- 3rd and 4th bag
- Online price
- £130
- Airport price
- £175
Middle East, India, Asia, Africa, Latin America, Caribbean, Basic fare
- Bag
- 1st and 2nd bag
- Online price
- £80
- Airport price
- £95
Middle East, India, Asia, Africa, Latin America, Caribbean, Economy
- Bag
- 2nd bag
- Online price
- £80
- Airport price
- £95
Middle East, India, Asia, Africa, Latin America, Caribbean
- Bag
- 3rd and 4th bag
- Online price
- £140
- Airport price
- £165
In Premium Economy, Business and First the free bags are shown in the table above; the 3rd bag (or the 4th bag in First) costs the 3rd-bag price in the matching row: £130 online and £175 at the airport to or from North America, £140 and £165 on the Middle East, India, Asia and Africa routes, and £80 and £95 within Europe.
Extra bags travel only if the flight has room. Some destinations add local taxes to bags above your ticketed allowance. Bags checked after you have used your allowance are charged on the same scale, and another airline on your journey may have different limits and prices.
Heavy and oversize bags
- Overweight bag, over 23 kg and up to 32 kg (when over your allowance)
- £65 / EUR 75 / USD 100 / CAD 100 per bag, per one-way journey
- Over 32 kg
- Refused in the hold; send as cargo (IAG Cargo)
- Oversize (out-of-gauge) bag, up to 190 x 75 x 65 cm
- Normally counts within your checked allowance, with a few restrictions
- If you fly from a country with another currency, the pound amount is converted to local currency, and local taxes can apply.
- Heavy-bag charges at many airports (London Heathrow, London Gatwick and North America among them) can be settled only by credit or debit card. Cash and Avios are refused.
- Pack oversize bags with protection and a stable base so they do not roll in the baggage system. Let British Airways know at booking, or two days ahead of departure at the latest. Take them to the out-of-gauge bag drop 90 minutes or more before departure.
- Televisions, computer monitors and gaming screens are refused in the hold, whatever their size and weight; send them as cargo.
Special baggage
Sports equipment
Inform British Airways by online chat on its Help page straight after booking, and more than 72 hours (three days) before departure. If your free allowance is used, or you are on the Basic fare, the item is charged as an extra checked bag. Whatever exceeds the checked limits goes as cargo, a pedal bike box excepted.
Bicycles
A non-motorised, non-electric pedal bike in a hard-shell box or padded bag up to 190 x 95 x 65 cm counts as one checked bag. Check it in at the out-of-gauge drop at least 3 hours before departure on long-haul and 2 hours on short-haul. Do not pack clothes or other items in the box.
Golf
One golf bag (clubs, umbrella, a dozen balls, tees and shoes) inside a padded bag or rigid case counts as one checked bag and is handled as out-of-gauge. Drop-off deadlines are 3 hours before long-haul and 2 hours before short-haul flights. A golf umbrella carried separately is an extra checked item.
Diving
Scuba regulator, tank harness, pressure gauge, mask, fins, buoyancy device, snorkel, weight belt, empty cylinder tanks, spear guns, harpoons and diving lamps, stowed in a proper kit bag inside the checked size and weight limits. Show empty cylinders at check-in and pack spear guns and harpoons on their own. For a diving lamp, speak to British Airways a day ahead and take out the bulb or fuse.
Skis and snowboards
Checked within your allowance when the bag measures up to 190 x 75 x 65 cm and sits in a padded cover, with boots or clothes permitted inside. Boots packed separately can be your larger hand baggage if within size. Ski boots cannot be worn on board. Treat as out-of-gauge: drop off 3 hours before long-haul and 2 hours before short-haul flights.
Surfboards and kayaks
A surfboard up to 240 cm long and 75 cm wide, or a small kayak and paddles under 190 cm, in a padded bag weighing less than 23 kg, on every route except those through London City. Larger boards, kayaks, canoes and paddles go as cargo.
Rackets
Up to two rackets in a slim case count as a cabin piece. Three or more go in the hold. Fishing rods, snooker cues, hockey sticks and skateboard decks are over the cabin length limit and go in the hold. Electric skateboards are banned outright.
Firearms
Carried as checked baggage under strict conditions. Ask for approval three days before you fly.
Musical instruments, small (up to 80 cm in a case of 80 x 45 x 25 cm)
Allowed in the cabin in lieu of your second hand bag. A small handbag or laptop bag is still permitted.
Musical instruments, 80 to 140 cm
Refused as hand baggage. Check them in a rigid case, or purchase a second seat (two days ahead of the flight, by contacting British Airways rather than online). That seat is beside you, by the window in Economy and Premium Economy, away from bulkhead and exit rows, and the instrument, in a rigid case up to 140 x 46 x 46 cm, is held by the seat belt. A guitar cannot count as hand baggage. Soft-cased instruments are refused in the hold.
Musical instruments, heavy
Above 23 kg may attract the heavy bag charge. The ceiling is 45 kg (99 lb), and British Airways asks for 24 hours' notice for anything over 32 kg. A double bass travels within your checked allowance if given a day's notice.
Medical supplies and equipment
Medical supplies such as dialysis fluid or liquid food may go in an extra bag at no charge, backed by a medical professional's letter. There is no weight or number limit on medical equipment such as a CPAP machine, nebuliser, insulin pump or portable oxygen concentrator, though permission may be needed to bring it on board.
Pets
British Airways does not carry pets in the cabin on any route. Pets travel in the hold, arranged by PetAir UK from the UK or by IAG Cargo to the UK. Assistance dogs travel free in the cabin on most flights. Emotional support dogs are not accepted in the cabin and can only travel as pets.
Doorstep bag check-in
Bags are collected from your home, taken to the airport and checked in on flights out of Heathrow, Gatwick, Geneva, Zurich and Vienna (booked via Airportr).
Connecting flights and other airlines
- Allowances are personal: they cannot be pooled or merged with another traveller's. Check in only bags you packed yourself; any bag attached to your name is your responsibility.
- If you booked separate flights under different booking references, each flight is a separate journey, even when all are British Airways. Collect your bags after each flight (possibly through customs) and check them in again.
- On connecting flights under one booking reference, the allowance is generally set by the airline operating the longest flight. Bags can usually be checked to the final stop when each flight shares a single reference and ticket, or when oneworld airlines share a single reference.
- On partner airline flights, even if sold with a BA flight number, weight and bag count can vary. Your itinerary shows which airline operates the flight.
- Extra baggage that arrives late, goes missing or is damaged falls under clauses 15 and 16 of British Airways' carriage conditions.
Questions travellers ask us
How much cabin baggage can I take on British Airways?
One cabin bag up to 56 x 45 x 25 cm and one handbag up to 40 x 30 x 15 cm in every cabin. No weight limit is stated, but lifting the cabin bag into the locker unaided is up to you.
How many checked bags are free?
None on the Basic (hand baggage only) fare. Economy usually has 1 bag of 23 kg, Premium Economy 2 bags of 23 kg, Business 2 bags of 32 kg and First 3 bags of 32 kg.
How much is a second bag from London?
£65 online and £75 at the airport within Europe, £65 and £90 to the USA, and £80 and £95 to the Middle East, India, Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean.
What is the heaviest bag British Airways accepts?
32 kg. Between 23 kg and 32 kg a heavy bag charge of £65 applies when the bag is over your allowance.
Is it cheaper to add a bag online?
Yes. Online prices before check-in are lower than airport prices, for example £130 against £175 for a third bag to the USA.
Baggage Allowance is an independent information site and is not part of British Airways.
18 questions and answers
Max weight of 1 cabin bag shall not exceed 23 kg for each passenger.
It actually allow or not?
Create any problem or not if i carry 23kg in checkin bag?
It is allowed. No issues. If it is given on ticket, it is your free allowance.
Just need to know the price of an extra luggage bag 23 kg would cost how much ?
I want to travel from Berlin to Bangalore with 46kgs
We believe it will be Euro 70 for 1 addiitional check in bag of up to 23 kg weight.
1 hand bag or laptop bag of up to 40 x 30 x 15cm dimensions and up to 23 kg weight + 1 cabin bag of up to 23 kg weight and 56 x 45 x 25cm dimensions.
Can you tell me if we can combine our luggage allowance ie 20 kilos in one bag and 26 in another, or do we have to split it evenly?
Thank you.
If any check in bag exceeds 23 kg, you will be charged for excess baggage more than 23 kg and less than 32 kg. So, why to pay this unnecessarily?
What is my free checked baggage allowance
It will depend on cabin class booked and your frequent flyer status as well. However, in general, it is 1 bag of 23 kg, 2 bags of 23 kgs each and 2 bags of 32 kgs each respectively for Economy, Premium Economy and Business class passengers.
We would request you to seek clarification from the airline on which you booked tickets. As per AI policy, it shall be allowed but we believe this is only for AI operated flights. So, when BA is next carrier, AI will be able to tell whether extra allowance would be applicable or not.
You can have the extra check in bag and show the valid student visa to the airline officials at airport to avail of the extra baggage allowance.
Please clarify my doubt.
Only 1 pcs of cabin luggage would be allowed up to 7 kg weight and in addition to it, you can take a personal item such as a laptop, or an overcoat. This personal item shall not look like another cabin baggage.
In ticket it's mentioned as I can carry 2 pieces of check in luggage each of 23kg and cabin bag max of 7kg only. But for my query i have got reply that there is a change in luggage policy and there is a mistake for mentioning 7 kg as limit in ticket I can carry max of 23 kg as cabin luggage plus a laptop bag. For that, without mentioning in ticket if i carry 23 kg of cabin luggage plus a laptop bag, there will be any problem for me. Please confirm it and clarify my query.
Thank you.
yes, it is okay to take it. Please refer this link: https://www.britishairways.com/en-in/information/baggage-essentials/hand-baggage-allowances
I am allowed with 2pieces of check in luggage of 23kg each and 7kg of carry on luggage. I have a small doubt can I carry my personal laptop with bag other than 7kg bag which was allowed into cabin. That means both 7kg bag of complete 7kg weight and extrabag with laptop and important files. Please answer my query.
We noticed that BA had a change in baggage policy. As per the new policy, you can take one cabin bag of 23 kg weight and an additional laptop bag of another 23 kg weight. Dimension of laptop bag shall notbe more than 40cm x 30cm x 15cm whereas that of main cabin bag shall be 56, 45, 25 cms .
Our very sincere apologies for wrongly mentioning cabin luggage weight to be 7 kg. It is 23 kg.
I have 4 questions to ask
1. 2pieces of check In luggage 23kg each and 1 Cabin bag of 7kg. Can I carry one personal laptop bag beside cabin bag.
2. When I check in my luggage at Hyderabad, can I collect my luggage directly at Phoenix Arizona or I have to collect it at heathrow and undergo check in process again
3. If I carry personal laptop bag along with the allowed cabin bag, both bags have to be 7 kg combined or else personal baggage is exception.
4. During online check in will I get boarding pass for both of the flights or else I have to check in for both flights and boarding passes for both.
Please answer this questions.
Early reply will be highly appreciated.
1.Laptop can be carried, and this is in addition to your carry on baggage allowance.
2. This is something which airline will tell you . ideally, through check-in for baggage is possible since the airline is same.
3. You can check in online and also get the boarding passes online. Otherwise, you can get the prints of boarding passes at the airport
Also tell me if it is a stopover flight haltting at Heathrow do i neef a transit visa?
Personal bag shall not look like another hand baggage. It shall be a purse or a laptop bag or something of similar type. With respect to the Visa, please contact the airline or the agency which booked tickets.
yes, there is extra baggage allowance for students travelling on World Traveller Economy and Premium cabin classes. They can take a total of 2 bags of 23 kg each in check in.
You are allowed 2 bags of 23 kg each as free check in baggage. Hand baggage allowance is of 7 kg only. You will not be allowed to take 23 kg in cabin. So, it has to be checked in and excess baggage charges have to be paid. Carrying personal laptop can be allowed.
Ideally, you can get it directly at Phoenix since both flights are operated by BA but we would suggest that you also a raise a request in this respect with the airline during check in at airport.
1 bag of 23 kg in check in and 1 bag of 23 kg in cabin is the allowance.
I am going travel from Chennai (India) to Birmingham (UK) on 11-April-2016 for post graduation studies (International student). What is the total baggage allowance will be given for me in Emirates and British Airways? - Economy class
We just found that the 10 kg excess baggage allowance for students will not be supported after 31 March, 2016. Thus, if travel is on 11 April, you will be charged for carrying 10 kg more than permitted allowance of 30 kg check in and 7 kg cabin..
I want to carry my 50 inch LED TV as an additional baggage while i travel from Bangalore India to London,UK.
Kindly help me understand what is the extra charge i have to pay in BA.
Kind regards
Gyanaranjan
We need to know additional information such as which fare class have you booked, weight, size and dimensions of baggage. You can also check it at this link: http://www.britishairways.com/en-gb/information/baggage-essentials/extra-overweight-baggage