British Airways Baggage Allowance: Bags, Sizes and Weight Limits

• Confirm whether the selected fare includes checked baggage.
• Check the permitted number of pieces for each passenger.
• Weigh and measure every bag before leaving for the airport.
• Check the operating airline on every codeshare segment.
• Keep each checked bag within its individual ticketed limit and never above 32kg.

For broader fare, seating and connection planning, see our British Airways flights guide. To inspect an existing reservation, use our British Airways Manage Booking guide alongside the airline's official booking tools.

Smaller handbag or backpack

• Maximum dimensions: 40 × 30 × 15cm.
• It must fit under the seat in front.
• Keep passports, valuables, essential medication, power banks and spare batteries in this item.

Larger cabin bag

• Maximum dimensions: 56 × 45 × 25cm, including handles and wheels.
• The passenger must normally be able to lift it into the overhead locker without assistance, subject to disability-assistance provisions.
• It may be placed in the hold on a busy flight, so it should not contain essential medication, documents, valuables, power banks or spare batteries.

Economy Basic

Economy Basic is a hand-baggage-only fare and does not include a checked bag. We often see passengers assume that the cheapest economy fare includes the same checked baggage as a fare they used previously.

Economy

An Economy fare with checked baggage generally includes one checked bag up to 23kg. Verify the ticketed allowance because the fare selected for this journey is what controls the inclusion.

Premium Economy

Premium Economy generally includes two checked bags up to 23kg each. British Airways notes that a limited number of routes may have a one-bag limit, so use Manage My Booking or the current baggage calculator for the ticket-specific result.

Business

Business generally includes two checked bags up to 32kg each. The allowance applies per bag; it is not one combined weight total.

First

First generally includes three checked bags up to 32kg each. Each piece must remain within the individual size and weight limits.

We do not treat every status combination as permanent policy. Membership level, cabin, route, group-booking rules and whether an infant has a seat can affect the result. Check the current baggage calculator and the allowance displayed in Manage My Booking before relying on a status benefit.

British Airways says that on a connecting journey under a single booking reference, the baggage allowance is generally determined by the airline operating the longest flight. The itinerary should still be checked carefully because partner airlines may use different piece limits, weight limits and fare inclusions.

• Identify the operating airline for every segment, not only the marketing flight number.
• Check whether all flights are under one booking reference and ticket arrangement.
• Confirm both the number of bags and the individual weight limit.
• Do not assume that a British Airways allowance applies identically to a partner-operated flight.

In one itinerary we reviewed, a passenger had previously travelled on a fare that included a checked bag. On a later journey, he selected the cheapest Economy Basic fare without realizing that checked baggage was excluded. He discovered the difference at the airport and paid approximately $120 to check a 50lb bag.

$120 was the amount charged for that specific journey, not a universal baggage fee. Charges depend on the route, payment timing and ticket. We encounter this misunderstanding among infrequent travellers, which is why we check the fare inclusion rather than assuming that a previous allowance still applies.

Adding another checked bag

Start with the airline's Manage My Booking tool. British Airways says that adding an eligible extra bag online normally costs less than paying at the airport. For an agency booking, the reservation may need to be finalized before the option becomes available, and the passenger can contact the airline directly if appropriate.

When we are asked to assist, we first confirm whether the booking can be serviced. We disclose the airline baggage charge separately from any applicable agency service fee and obtain the passenger's authorization before payment. An agency fee is never presented as an airline charge.

Current heavy-bag charge

British Airways currently publishes a heavy-bag charge of £65, €75, US$100 or C$100 per overweight bag for each one-way journey. A local-currency conversion and destination taxes may apply, and the policy can change. Verify the live amount before payment.

When a ticketed bag limit is 23kg, a bag weighing more than 23kg and no more than 32kg may attract the heavy-bag charge. No checked bag may exceed 32kg. Before recommending an option, we compare the available prepaid extra-bag price with the applicable heavy-bag charge and consider whether the contents can be redistributed safely.

One 23kg checked-bag allowance cannot be divided into two free checked bags. The second piece must have its own included or purchased allowance.

In one itinerary we reviewed, two friends each had a 23kg checked-bag allowance, but only one planned to check a suitcase. They asked whether that suitcase could weigh 30–32kg because their combined allowance was 46kg.

British Airways does not permit passengers to pool, share or combine checked-baggage allowances. The unused allowance does not transfer to an overweight suitcase, and each bag remains subject to its individual limit. Redistributing the contents into two eligible bags can avoid a heavy-bag charge when both travellers' allowances apply.

• Standard checked-bag dimensions are up to 90 × 75 × 43cm.
• The published maximum oversize dimensions are 190 × 75 × 65cm.
• An oversize item may require advance notice and out-of-gauge handling.
• Size, packing, aircraft and item restrictions can still prevent acceptance, so carriage should never be promised.

Lap infant under two

• One cabin bag up to 56 × 45 × 25cm for in-flight essentials.
• Generally one checked bag up to 23kg.
• On Economy Basic, neither the adult nor the lap infant receives a free checked bag.
• An additional checked bag cannot be purchased specifically for a lap infant.

Infants and children with their own seats

An infant or child with a purchased seat receives the adult baggage allowance for the booked cabin, subject to the ticket and operating airline.

Eligible child equipment

• Up to two eligible items may be checked free: a fully collapsible stroller, car or booster seat, travel cot, or baby back carrier.
• A car seat may be used onboard only when the child has a purchased seat and the seat meets the airline's requirements.
• A stroller or car seat is not automatically permitted in the aircraft cabin; handling depends on the item and current rules.

• Passports and identification.
• Money, jewellery and other valuables.
• Essential medication and copies of prescriptions.
• Power banks and spare batteries.
• Essential electronics needed during the journey.

Spare batteries and power banks are prohibited from checked baggage. That does not mean all medication or every electronic device with an installed battery is prohibited from the hold. British Airways advises carrying essential medication in hand baggage, while some switched-off, protected electronics may be checked subject to the current restricted-item rules.

• When we assist, we send written confirmation of the baggage request and payment details.
• Check the updated allowance in Manage My Booking or the airline app.
• Retain the airline or agency payment receipt.
• Resolve missing baggage information before airport arrival where possible.

Do not assume that every boarding pass will display the purchased bag. The reservation and receipt should be checked before travel, and unresolved discrepancies should be taken to the provider that processed the baggage purchase.

• Confirm that checked baggage is included before purchasing the fare.
• Weigh and measure bags before leaving for the airport.
• Never allow one checked bag to exceed 32kg.
• Compare extra-piece and heavy-bag costs before deciding how to pack.
• Verify partner-operated segments and ticket-specific exceptions.

An overweight or unacceptable bag may require repacking, removal of items or alternative transport and can cause serious check-in delays. It should not be described as certain to make a passenger miss the flight, but it is a preventable risk worth resolving before airport arrival.