If there is a weight restriction on your bag or you’re worried about the weight of your cabin bag then I’d recommend getting a pair of travel scales to weigh the bag. You could weigh it on your bathroom scales at home but it’s unlikely you’ll have access to bathroom scales for your return journey.

All customers can bring onboard one small cabin bag which must not measure more than 45 x 36 x 20cm including any handles or wheels. Brits looking for travel by plane should be aware that carry-on luggage is subject to size and weight restrictions on most UK and international airlines, and will vary by provider:

Do I need to worry about my 45x36x20 cabin bag being too big…?

All passenger fare types include a small personal bag, which must fit under the seat in front of you and can measure no more than 40 x 20 x 25cm. Over-sized cabin baggage will be refused at the boarding gate, or where available, placed in the hold of the aircraft for an additional fee. If you're taking a TUI Airways flight, you can carry one piece of hand luggage of up to 10kg for free but it can be no bigger than 55x40x20cm and you must be able to lift your hand luggage into the overhead storage compartments yourself. Here’s a question lots of people ask. Does it really matter if your easyJet hand luggage is too big? All British Airways passengers are allowed to carry one piece of hand luggage and one small item on board. Famously quipped “ the Ryanair size”, 40 x 20 x 25 cm (16 x 8 x 10 in) is the maximum dimensions of a cabin bag (such as a laptop bag or handbag) that ultra-cheap airline Ryanair would allow its passengers to carry into its cabin free of charge under its strict baggage allowance policy. The size restrictions have been established since 2018 and have remained in effect ever since.

Technically, you could use vacuum bags to remove all the air from your clothing so you can fit even more in your 45x36x20 cabin bag. Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need to use a vacuum cleaner to remove the air from a vacuum bag, you can simply squeeze the air out and seal the bag meaning you can use it for your return journey when you don’t have access to a vacuum cleaner.Customers who like to travel with a large cabin bag measuring up to 56 x 45 x 25 cm, can book one before they fly and enjoy all the benefits of Speedy Boarding. The majority of airlines in the UK actually don’t have a weight limit on their small, personal, underseat luggage. Airlines will monitor the size of the bag and make sure it’s within the 45x36x20cm size restriction, but they won’t actually weigh it.

This is annoying because it’s way more expensive to pay for your bags at the airport (rather than paying in advance online). But it’s also annoying because your bag might go in the hold of the plane so you’ll now need to queue up to collect it at the baggage carousels when you arrive. You also won’t have access to all of your stuff during the flight. Jet2 allows one piece of hand luggage for free per passenger, as long as it weighs no more than 10kg and is no larger than 56x45x25cm, including any wheels and handles.