Ryanair vs easyJet vs Jet2: Whose Free Cabin Bag Is Biggest?
By The Aviation Hub
6 min read
Updated October 11, 2026 
Jet2 wins comfortably, with a free 10kg overhead bag plus an under seat bag that together allow 87 litres, against 32.4 litres on easyJet and 24 litres on Ryanair.
Jet2 has the biggest free cabin bag allowance of the three. Jet2’s baggage page gives every passenger except infants a 10kg bag of up to 56 x 45 x 25cm, plus a small under seat bag of up to 40 x 30 x 20cm.
easyJet is second, with its cabin bag policy allowing a single under seat bag of up to 45 x 36 x 20cm. Ryanair is third, with its bag policy allowing a single bag of up to 40 x 30 x 20cm. These details were checked in October 2026.
The Free Cabin Bag Allowance on Each Airline
Every Ryanair fare includes one small personal bag that must fit under the seat in front, and the bag policy sets it at 40 x 30 x 20cm. Ryanair confirmed on 4 September 2025 that its airport bag sizers had been resized for that larger limit. The previous limit was 40 x 25 x 20cm, according to a Sky News report carried by kmfm.
easyJet’s cabin bag policy allows one small under seat bag of up to 45 x 36 x 20cm, including any handles and wheels. Anything for the overhead locker is a paid extra, unless your fare or an easyJet Plus membership includes it.
Jet2 allows two free items. The main bag can measure 56 x 45 x 25cm including wheels and handles, and Jet2’s hand luggage FAQ says the second can be a handbag, laptop bag or airport purchase of up to 40 x 30 x 20cm that fits under the seat in front.
Which Free Cabin Bag Is Biggest by Volume
Multiply the three maximum dimensions in centimetres and divide by 1,000 to get litres. Ryanair’s bag comes to 24 litres, because 40 x 30 x 20 is 24,000 cubic centimetres. easyJet’s comes to 32.4 litres, from 45 x 36 x 20.
Jet2’s main bag is 63 litres, from 56 x 45 x 25, and its under seat bag adds another 24 litres. That gives a free total of 87 litres. The main bag alone is larger than the free allowances of Ryanair and easyJet added together.
Jet2 therefore allows just over three and a half times Ryanair’s free volume, and more than two and a half times easyJet’s. In litres, the gap is 63 over Ryanair and 54.6 over easyJet. easyJet’s bag is in turn 35% larger than Ryanair’s.
These are outer limits that include wheels and handles, so the usable space inside a real bag is smaller. Which? lists the same order by volume in its July 2026 comparison, which places Jet2 not far behind British Airways and names Ryanair among the least generous.
Weight Limits Compared
easyJet has the highest stated weight limit at 15kg, although its policy says you need to be able to lift and carry the bag yourself. The same 15kg limit applies to its paid large cabin bag. Jet2 limits the main bag to 10kg, according to its baggage page.
Ryanair’s bag policy gives no weight limit for the free bag, and MoneySavingExpert says the airline’s weight limit applies only to the larger 10kg paid bag. Size is what matters there.
Jet2 does check. Its table of baggage fees says hand baggage is subject to checks at check in and at the boarding gate, so weigh the main bag before you leave home.
What a Larger Bag Costs on Ryanair and easyJet
Ryanair’s Priority & 2 Cabin Bags adds a 10kg overhead bag of up to 55 x 40 x 20cm, as the bag policy sets out. That is 44 litres, for a total of 68 litres. Which? and MoneySavingExpert both put the price at £12 to £36 when you add it during booking, which MoneySavingExpert specifies is each way, and Which? says the later price starts at £20.
easyJet’s large cabin bag can measure 56 x 45 x 25cm and weigh 15kg, which lifts the total to 95.4 litres. The cabin bag policy gives no online price but says the bag costs £60 at the airport. A Which? analysis of 520 flights, reported by STV News in January 2026, found a lowest price of £23.49 and an average of £30.
easyJet’s own figures are close to that. The benefits calculator on the easyJet Plus site, based on June 2026 data, values a large cabin bag at £197.94 across six single flights, which works out at £32.99 a flight.
What Jet2 Charges for Extras
On Jet2 the second bag is already free. The paid extra is Guaranteed Cabin Luggage, which the hand luggage FAQ says is subject to availability and means you will not be asked to put your bag in the hold, unless it breaks the size and weight limits or operational requirements apply. Jet2’s pages do not state the charge.
Bringing more than the allowance is expensive on Jet2 as well. Its table of baggage fees lists extra hand baggage at £45 or €55 per item at the airport or gate, and it cannot be bought online.
What Happens at the Gate From Ryanair, easyJet & Jet2
Ryanair’s help centre says a bag that does not fit the sizer will be refused at the boarding gate or, where available, placed in the hold for a fee.
Which? reported in February 2026 that a small bag that fails the sizer costs £46 to £60, depending on the route, and MoneySavingExpert, last updated in June 2026, also gives a top figure of £60. For a cabin bag larger than 55 x 40 x 20cm, Which? and FlightTribe both give £70 to £75.
easyJet’s cabin bag FAQs say any bag brought to the gate outside your booked allowance is placed in the hold and charged. The cabin bag policy prices a large cabin bag at £60 once you are at the airport.
Jet2 warns on its baggage page that on busy flights it may ask you to put your 10kg bag in the hold. Its hand luggage FAQ tells passengers to take out valuables first, including travel documents, money, medication, keys and spare lithium batteries.
A legal minimum is also on the way. Regulation (EU) 2026/2202, published in the EU’s Official Journal on 2 October 2026, obliges airlines to let every passenger carry a personal item into the cabin at no extra cost. It defines that item as measuring up to 40 x 30 x 15cm, or fitting under the seat in front.
The rule covers flights departing from EU airports and flights into the EU on EU airlines. The Council of the EU says the updated rules take effect 12 months and 20 days after publication, a date the Greek newspaper To Vima reports as 23 October 2027.
All three airlines already allow at least that, and Which? notes the rule may not cover airlines based outside the EU, such as easyJet, when they fly from the UK.
The Bottom Line for Ryanair, Jet2 & easyJet
Jet2 is the most generous of the three for a hand luggage only traveller. The free allowance on Jet2’s baggage page works out at 87 litres, and it includes a full size overhead bag that Ryanair and easyJet both charge for. The catches are a 10kg cap on that bag and the chance it goes in the hold on a busy flight.
easyJet is a clear second, with 32.4 litres and a 15kg limit under its cabin bag policy. Ryanair’s 24 litres is the smallest, and Which? puts its overhead bag at £12 to £36 at booking, against an average of £30 for easyJet’s in the Which? analysis reported by STV News.
Compare the total price with bags rather than the headline fare, and check the figures in your own booking. Our Jet2 baggage guide covers that airline’s hold bag rules in full.
Continue to follow The Aviation Hub for more analysis and insight.
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