Looking for the best carry on bag for Virgin Atlantic? For the free 40×30×15cm personal item on every fare, it’s the BAGZY underseat backpack, built to that exact limit and the best-rated bag in this guide. The harder question is the 56×36×23cm cabin bag, which is narrower than almost anything sold for other airlines, so a bag built for Ryanair, British Airways or easyJet may not actually fit.
How we chose these bags
We checked Virgin Atlantic’s own baggage page rather than assuming a generic “cabin bag” size, since its 56×36×23cm limit is genuinely different from the market standard. We’ve picked two Amazon bags built to the exact 40×30×15cm personal item allowance, and set out what to check if you’re buying a case for the bigger cabin bag instead.
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| Bag | Max size | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Cabin bag | 56×36×23cm | 10kg combined Free, every fare |
| Personal item | 40×30×15cm | 10kg combined Free, every fare |
| Upper Class | 2 bags | 16kg combined Free |
BAGZY 40×30×15cm Underseat Backpack
Best overall, 4.5★ · 446 reviews
The BAGZY is built specifically to Virgin Atlantic’s 40×30×15cm personal item limit and carries the highest rating of any bag in this guide. It holds 20 litres and weighs about half a kilo empty, so it barely dents the shared 10kg allowance. Inside there’s a padded 14-inch laptop sleeve, two front zip pockets, two side pockets for a bottle or umbrella, and a concealed anti-theft pocket on the back. The 800D nylon holds up well in the rain, and it works as a standalone bag or alongside a separate cabin case.
SUCIKORIO 40×30×15cm Underseat Backpack
Most reviewed, 4.3★ · 541 reviews
The SUCIKORIO has more reviews than any other personal item bag in this guide, with over 500 buyers rating it 4.3 stars. It measures exactly 40×30×15cm and holds the same 20 litres as the BAGZY. It has seven pockets including a 14-inch laptop compartment, a rear anti-theft pocket and two side pockets, all in waterproof, tear-resistant nylon. The breathable mesh straps and foam padding make it comfortable through big airports like Heathrow or Manchester.
What to look for in a Virgin Atlantic cabin bag
Virgin Atlantic’s 56×36×23cm cabin bag is narrower than almost every case built for another airline. Ryanair’s Priority bag and the standard cabin bag allowances from British Airways, easyJet, Jet2, TUI, Vueling and Norwegian all sit around 55×40×20cm to 56×45×25cm, with British Airways’ own 56×45×25cm the widest of the group, up to 9cm wider than Virgin Atlantic permits. A case marketed as fitting “most airlines” can still be too wide for Virgin Atlantic specifically.
Virgin Atlantic’s stated dimensions include handles and wheels. Check a case’s full external size, not its internal capacity, before you buy. A soft-sided holdall or backpack in the 30 to 36cm width range gives more flexibility at the gate than a rigid shell, since it can compress a little if it’s a centimetre over.
There’s no separate weight limit for the cabin bag on any fare below Upper Class. It shares Virgin Atlantic’s 10kg combined allowance with your personal item, leaving more of that 10kg for what you actually pack if the bag itself is light. Full size and weight rules by cabin are in our Virgin Atlantic hand luggage guide.
Packing tips for Virgin Atlantic
- Roll, don’t fold. Rolling compresses clothes better than folding and cuts down on creasing.
- Use packing cubes. Two or three cubes stop a soft 40×30×15cm bag bulging past the limit.
- Keep your personal item slim. It slides under the seat in front, not the overhead locker.
- Weigh both bags together. Every fare below Upper Class shares one 10kg limit across both.
- Book Upper Class if you need two full-sized bags. Only Upper Class gets a second 56×36×23cm piece, up to 16kg combined and no single item over 12kg.
The best carry on bag for Virgin Atlantic: our verdict
Which personal item to buy
For most passengers, the BAGZY is the safest choice: it’s built to Virgin Atlantic’s exact 40×30×15cm limit and has the best rating in this guide. If you’d rather buy the bag more people have already tested, the SUCIKORIO does the same job with the bigger review count.
Which cabin bag to buy
There isn’t a single Amazon bestseller we can point to here, because Virgin Atlantic’s 56×36×23cm limit is narrower than what most cabin bags are built for. Measure any case against that figure before you buy it, and favour a soft-sided bag over a hard shell if you’re not sure it will clear the sizer. Our guide to flying with Virgin Atlantic covers everything else.
“Most of the bags people already own were bought for Ryanair or British Airways, and both let you go wider than Virgin Atlantic does. Compared to the other airlines in this guide, Virgin Atlantic’s the strictest on width, and a bag that’s fine everywhere else can still get turned away at the gate here.”
Kate Acaster, Chief Editor
| Product | Dimensions | Weight | Capacity | Approx price | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BAGZY | 40×30×15cm | 0.5kg | 20L | £20 | Best overall Personal item |
| SUCIKORIO | 40×30×15cm | 0.6kg | 20L | £20 | Most reviewed Personal item |
Virgin Atlantic’s cabin bag allowance explained
Every Virgin Atlantic fare includes a free personal item up to 40×30×15cm, plus a cabin bag up to 56×36×23cm, both measured including handles and wheels. On Economy Light, Classic, Delight and Premium, both bags share a combined 10kg weight limit.
Upper Class gets two bags
Upper Class passengers can bring two pieces of hand baggage, up to 16kg combined, with no single item over 12kg. Both pieces follow the same 56×36×23cm size limit as every other cabin, so the extra allowance is about weight and bag count, not a bigger single bag.
What happens if your bag doesn’t fit
From 23 March 2026, Virgin Atlantic can charge £65 for a bag over the allowance and place it in the hold instead. There’s no published exception for a bag that’s only slightly over, so it’s worth checking the exact size at home rather than at the gate. See our Virgin Atlantic baggage allowance guide for the checked-bag rules that sit alongside this, and the official Virgin Atlantic hand baggage policy for the current published limits.
Flying a different airline on the same trip?
- Our British Airways carry-on guide, Jet2 carry-on guide and Ryanair carry-on guide cover each airline’s own allowance.
- Our UK airline hand luggage comparison lines them all up side by side.
- Once you’ve booked, it’s worth knowing when Virgin Atlantic releases flights and when Virgin Atlantic has sales.
Frequently asked questions
What size is Virgin Atlantic’s cabin bag?
Virgin Atlantic allows one cabin bag up to 56×36×23cm and one personal item up to 40×30×15cm, both free on every fare. Every fare below Upper Class shares a combined 10kg weight limit across both.
Does Virgin Atlantic weigh cabin bags?
Yes. Passengers on every fare below Upper Class share a 10kg combined limit across the cabin bag and personal item together. Upper Class passengers get 16kg combined, with no single item over 12kg.
Can I take two bags on Virgin Atlantic?
Yes. Every fare includes a cabin bag and a personal item. Only Upper Class gets a second full-sized cabin bag, for two pieces in total.
Will a Ryanair or easyJet cabin bag fit Virgin Atlantic?
Not always. Those airlines allow bags around 55×40×20cm, up to 4cm wider than Virgin Atlantic’s 56×36×23cm limit, and some go wider still. Check the exact external dimensions before assuming an existing bag will fit.
Do I need to pay extra for a cabin bag on Virgin Atlantic?
No. Both the cabin bag and the personal item are included free on every fare, including Economy Light. Bags that don’t fit can be charged and moved to the hold instead.
What’s the best bag for Virgin Atlantic’s personal item allowance?
The BAGZY 40×30×15cm underseat backpack is the best match, built to the exact size with the highest rating in this guide. The SUCIKORIO is a well-reviewed alternative at the same size.
Kate Acaster is Chief Editor at Flight Tribe. She writes about practical travel planning, budget airlines, baggage rules, city breaks, beach holidays and good hotels that do not cost daft money.
Kate has travelled through Europe, South America and beyond, usually with a notebook, a half-formed plan and a strong opinion on airport snacks. At Flight Tribe, her work focuses on helping UK travellers understand what is included, what costs extra, and whether a trip is worth booking at the price shown.
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