British Airways Baggage Allowance

British Airways

Are you flying with British Airways? You should be aware of the new baggage restrictions, fees, and what your ticket allows you to bring with you.

British Airways Baggage Allowance

Send Your Luggage

Send your luggage ahead of time with a luggage delivery service. Offering a quick, convenient, and dependable service that picks up your suitcases, sporting bags, or musical instruments from your door and delivers them directly to your destination, or vice versa.

British Airways Cabin Allowance for Infants

If you are travelling with a child under the age of two, you may bring one additional baby bag as a carry-on. If you purchase an additional seat for your infant and they are not sitting on your lap for the duration of the flight, they are entitled to the same hand luggage allowances as adult ticketed passengers. 

You can bring your baby carrier, such as a foldable bassinet, for free with your carry-on or checked bags.

British Airways Prohibited items

Prohibited items include lighter fluid, liquid bleach, explosives, fireworks, or sparklers. You also cannot include access, crowbars, swords, ammunition, Firearms, or saws.

If you have medical devices that are externally fitted to your body as part of your medical treatment they have to go in your carry-on bags and cannot go in your checked bags. If you need personal oxygen cylinders, they have to go in your checked bag. Electronic cigarettes or vaping devices must go in your carry-on.

Additional items must go in your checked bag and not your carry-on such as golf clubs, hand sanitiser liquid detergent, or insect repellent. 

British Airways Checked/Hold Baggage Allowance

If you have an economy flight you are typically allowed up to one piece of checked baggage waiting no more than 23 kg. It cannot be bigger than 90 x 75 x 43 cm.

If you are travelling on an economy flight from London to Doha, your checked item can weigh up to 32 kilograms.

International flights provide up to two checked bags weighing no more than 23 kg each and these include flights to and from Canada, the United States, Bermuda, India, Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ghana, and Kenya.

If you have a business class ticket you can bring up to 2 checked bags weighing no more than 32 kg for free. 

If you have an elite ticket you are allowed up to three checked bags weighing no more than 32 kg. 

Luggage Delivery Company your British Airways Baggage Alternative 

A luggage delivery company is a great alternative to the hassle of extra bags, weight requirements, and size restrictions. This is especially true if you plan to vacation while bringing gifts to someone, gifts whose weight will be subtracted from your suitcases on your return visit, or those who plan to go on vacation and come back with souvenirs. Luggage delivery companies will give you the same flat fee and have your items when and where you want them. 

British Airways Fees for Extra and Overweight Bags

Any extra bags you have beyond what your ticket allows, and any items you ship that are beyond the dimension or weight requirements will incur additional fees. The standard fee is £65 for overweight bags. 

For additional checked bags beyond what your ticket allows, the price is based on whether you purchase the additional baggage space online or at the airport. For example, short-haul trips within Britain will charge an average of £20 per bag if you buy online or £60 per bag at the airport. Long-haul trips internationally will charge £40 for the first extra bag, £60 for the second, and £120 for any additional bags if you purchase online ahead of time. If you purchase at the airport that increases to £45, £65, and £140 respectively.

British Airways Excess Baggage Allowance for Sports Equipment

If you are flying with sporting equipment, larger items can be counted toward your checked baggage so long as they fall within the weight limits and the dimension limits of 190 x 75x 65 cm or 75 x 29.5 x 25.5 in. The only exception to this is a bicycle which can be in a bike box that is slightly larger than the dimensions for other equipment.

All sporting equipment counts toward your baggage allowance so if you have already met your baggage allowance for checked bags, you will have to pay an additional fee. Similarly, all sporting equipment is subject to a weight limit of 23 kg and if your sporting goods are over this limit you will have to pay a heavy bag fee. 

Note: If your equipment like surfboard bags or snowboarding bags are longer or larger than the weight allowance and the dimension allowance you will have to ship them as cargo which will incur an additional cargo fee. 

British Airways Carry-On Baggage Allowance and Musical Instruments

If you are traveling with musical instruments, small musical instruments in a hard protective case can be brought on board so long as it fits in the overhead cabin or under the seat in front of you. Small musical instruments that are no bigger than 80 cm like small wind instruments or violins can be brought as part of your hand baggage allowance. 

British Airways does not allow guitars as hand luggage. Guitars cannot be checked in soft bags, only rigid, hard cases.

Musical instruments up to 140 cm in length like guitars or cellos can be brought in the cabin if you pay for an extra seat and you contact British Airways within 24 hours prior to your flight. If there are no available seats, then your instrument will be put in the hold as part of your checked bags. If the instrument exceeds the number of checked bags you are allowed based on your ticket, you will be charged an extra fee.

If you are traveling with larger instruments that are beyond 140 cm in length like a double bass, or your instrument weighs more than 23 kg, it will have to be placed in the hold and you will be subject to an overweight baggage fee. British Airways asks that you contact them at least 24 hours prior to your flight to inform them that you have a large instrument. No instruments can be placed in the hold that weighs more than 45 kg or 100 lbs.

Note: Any traveller bringing an oversized piece of sporting equipment or a large musical instrument should allocate an additional 15 minutes before their flight to check the item into the hold.

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