Last updated: August 2026
Economy Basic doesn’t include a hold bag, so the desk won’t take your suitcase until you’ve paid for one. Your British Airways baggage allowance runs from that to three 32kg bags in First, with a standard Economy bag capped at 23kg. Go over 23kg and the desk charges £65 before your bag flies. Nothing over 32kg flies at any price.
British Airways baggage allowance by cabin and fare
Everyone gets the same two bags in the cabin. What changes between fares is what goes in the hold, and how heavy each bag is allowed to be.
Advertisement
| Bags in the hold | Weight per bag | In the cabin | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Economy Basic | None included | Not applicable | 1 cabin bag and 1 hand bag |
| Economy | 1 bag | 23kg | 1 cabin bag and 1 hand bag |
| Premium Economy | 2 bags on most routes | 23kg | 1 cabin bag and 1 hand bag |
| Business | 2 bags | 32kg | 1 cabin bag and 1 hand bag |
| First | 3 bags | 32kg | 1 cabin bag and 1 hand bag |
The same figures cover British Airways, BA CityFlyer and BA Euroflyer flights. They don’t cover partner airlines, which is where connections go wrong.
What you get in the cabin, whatever you paid
An Economy Basic passenger carries exactly what a First passenger carries into the cabin.
- One hand bag up to 40 x 30 x 15cm, which must fit under the seat in front. BA guarantees this one stays with you in the cabin.
- One cabin bag up to 56 x 45 x 25cm including wheels and handles. You have to lift it into the overhead locker yourself, and on a full flight it can still be sent to the hold.
- Because the larger bag can be taken off you at the gate, keep medication, documents, laptops and anything valuable in the small under-seat bag.
- We’ve reviewed the cases that clear both limits in the best carry on bag for British Airways.
Our guide to British Airways hand luggage size covers the measurements, the gate checks and which cases actually fit.
Hold bag size and weight limits
Every checked bag has to fit inside 90 x 75 x 43cm, and that limit is the same in every cabin. Weight is where the cabins differ: 23kg per bag in Economy and Premium Economy, 32kg in Business and First. No bag may weigh more than 32kg. That’s a handling limit rather than a commercial one, so paying more won’t move it.
- Anything bigger than the standard size counts as an oversize or out-of-gauge bag. BA allows those up to 190 x 75 x 65cm.
- Declare it when you book, or at least 48 hours before departure, and use the out-of-gauge bag drop at least 90 minutes ahead.
- BA won’t carry large fragile screens in the hold at any size, televisions and computer monitors included. It directs those to its cargo service instead.
What extra and overweight bags cost
BA doesn’t publish one price for an extra bag. The charge moves with your route and with how many bags you’re adding, so the only reliable figure is the one your own booking quotes. The overweight charge, by contrast, is fixed and public.
- An overweight bag costs £65 per bag, per one-way journey. That’s the published UK figure, and it applies to any bag over 23kg and up to 32kg that sits over your allowance.
- It’s cheapest to add extra bags online through Manage My Booking before you travel. Buying at the desk costs more.
- You can add up to 10 extra bags to a booking. On an Economy Basic fare, every hold bag is an extra bag, because the fare includes none.
- At Heathrow, Gatwick and across North America you can only pay by card. BA won’t take cash, and you can’t use Avios for baggage charges.
- Booked through a travel agent or an online travel site? The option to buy extra bags may only appear once you’re inside the airline’s own booking management.
How your British Airways Club tier changes the allowance
Status lifts the weight limit as well as the bag count. These are BA’s published figures for Club members and the equivalent oneworld tiers.
| Blue or Bronze | Silver or Sapphire | Gold or Emerald | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Economy | 1 bag, 23kg | 2 bags, 32kg | 2 bags, 32kg |
| Premium Economy | 2 bags, 23kg | 2 bags, 32kg | 3 bags, 32kg |
| Business | 2 bags, 32kg | 2 bags, 32kg | 3 bags, 32kg |
| First | 3 bags, 32kg | 3 bags, 32kg | 4 bags, 32kg |
The jump worth noticing is Economy. Silver takes you from one 23kg bag to two at 32kg, on the cheapest fare BA sells with a bag included.
“Silver status does more for an Economy passenger’s luggage than paying to sit in Premium Economy does: 41 extra kilos in the hold against 23. It shows up at bag drop, where 23kg means repacking on the floor when the case reads 25, and the Silver allowance means walking straight through. If you’re flying BA regularly, do the tier maths before you price up a bigger seat.”
Kate Acaster, Chief Editor, Flight Tribe
The rules that catch people out
The 23kg limit applies to each bag and can’t be split across two. Nor can you pool your allowance with another traveller, even someone on the same booking. Power banks and spare batteries are banned from checked baggage outright and have to travel in the cabin.
- Keep power banks in the small under-seat bag rather than the larger cabin bag, since the larger one can be taken off you at the gate.
- BA won’t carry lithium-powered scooters or similar small electric leisure vehicles, in the cabin or the hold.
- Laptops, tablets and other small electronics belong in the cabin. Put them in the hold anyway and you carry the risk.
- You may only check in bags you packed yourself, and you’re responsible for anything logged against your name.
Connections, codeshares and separate bookings
A BA flight number doesn’t guarantee BA’s rules. On a journey with connecting flights under one booking reference, the airline operating the longest flight usually sets the allowance. So an itinerary mixing BA with American, Iberia, Finnair or Qatar can follow the partner’s limits instead.
- With one booking reference, BA can usually check your bags through to your final destination, including across oneworld airlines.
- With separate bookings on different references, you collect and recheck your bags at each stop, and BA has no obligation to protect the onward flight if the first one is delayed.
- Some airports make you reclaim bags before a domestic connection regardless, so ask where your bag is going when you check it in.
Children, infants and pushchairs
BA treats children with their own seat exactly as adults, cabin for cabin. An infant under 24 months travelling on a lap gets a 23kg hold bag on any fare that includes hold baggage, and you can’t buy extra allowance on an infant ticket.
- Each child and infant can also check up to two of the following at no charge: a fully collapsible pushchair, a car or booster seat, a travel cot, or a baby back carrier.
- If you’re on a hand-baggage-only fare, neither you nor your infant has any hold allowance, so the pushchair is the only thing going below deck.
- Wheelchairs, mobility aids and related equipment for your own use travel free of charge and sit outside the allowance entirely.
More on flying with British Airways
Bag drop is one of several deadlines on a BA departure. Check the British Airways check in deadline before you plan your morning, since the desk closes well before the gate does.
- Our guide to British Airways seat selection covers what’s free and what isn’t.
- See when BA releases flights for the 355-day window, if you’re booking a long way out.
British Airways baggage allowance: FAQs
What does 2 bags at 23kg mean in British Airways?
It means two separate cases, each weighing up to 23kg. It doesn’t mean 46kg you can distribute as you like, and a bag over 23kg attracts the heavy bag charge even if the other one is nearly empty.
What is the checked baggage size limit on British Airways?
90 x 75 x 43cm for a standard checked bag, in every cabin. Anything larger counts as out-of-gauge and is allowed up to 190 x 75 x 65cm if you tell BA in advance.
How much is an overweight bag on British Airways?
£65 per overweight bag, per one-way journey, on UK-priced tickets. It applies to bags over 23kg and up to 32kg that exceed your allowance, and nothing over 32kg is accepted at any price.
Can I take two bags as hand luggage with British Airways?
Yes, in every cabin and on every fare, including Economy Basic. Only the smaller under-seat bag is guaranteed to stay with you, because the larger one can be sent to the hold on a full flight. Our guide to British Airways hand luggage size has the measurements and the gate checks.
Does Economy Basic include a checked bag?
No. Economy Basic is a hand-baggage-only fare, so every hold bag is bought as an extra. Adding one online before you travel costs less than adding it at the airport.
Can I share my baggage allowance with someone on my booking?
No. BA states that allowances can’t be pooled, shared or combined with another traveller, even within the same party. Each bag counts against the allowance of the passenger it’s checked in under.
Can I put a power bank in my checked luggage on BA?
No. Power banks and spare batteries are banned from checked baggage and have to travel in the cabin. Keep them in the small under-seat bag, because the larger cabin bag can be taken off you at the gate.
← Back to: Flying with British Airways
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.
How Kate works
Kate checks the details that can change the value of a trip, including cabin-bag rules, airline fees, hotel location, seasonality, travel dates and booking conditions. She is especially interested in offers that look useful on the surface but need a proper reader-first check before they are worth recommending.
Editorial standards
Flight Tribe covers deals and travel advice for readers first. Affiliate links do not decide whether an offer is worth writing about.
