Ryanair, easyJet and Wizz Air Personal Item: How Strict?

On a cheap fare with Ryanair, easyJet or Wizz Air, you get one free bag. It has to fit under the seat, and that's it. Anything bigger is a paid extra, and if you get caught with it at the gate, it's a very paid extra.

So people ask the same thing over and over: how strict are they, really? Will my backpack pass if it's a couple of centimetres over? Do they weigh it? Can I bring my handbag too?

Here's the honest answer, with sizes from each airline's own page, not from other blogs (they disagree more than you'd think).

Short version: Ryanair and Wizz Air allow 40 x 30 x 20 cm. easyJet is roomier at 45 x 36 x 20 cm. A soft backpack of around 20 litres fits all three. Checks are random, but when they happen the bag has to go into the sizer, and one bag means one bag. If you need more space, buy it online. It's always cheaper than at the gate.

The exact sizes

These are the free under-seat bag limits for the European airlines we track, checked against each airline's website:

For the three big low-cost airlines, that works out to:

• Ryanair: 40 x 30 x 20 cm, included on every fare.
• Wizz Air: 40 x 30 x 20 cm and up to 10 kg. Wizz says the size doesn't include handles and wheels, but wheels can't add more than 5 cm.
• easyJet: 45 x 36 x 20 cm including handles and wheels, and up to 15 kg as long as you can lift it into place yourself.

So if one bag has to work on all three, aim for 40 x 30 x 20 cm. easyJet's limit is the most generous of the three, so anything that passes Ryanair passes easyJet.

Wait, isn't Ryanair 40 x 20 x 25?

It used to be. Ryanair's free bag was 40 x 20 x 25 cm for years, and plenty of guides (and the odd old page on Ryanair's own help site) still say that. In September 2025 Ryanair announced a bigger free bag of 40 x 30 x 20 cm and said it had resized the sizers at its airports to match.

That's why you'll find both numbers online. Go with 40 x 30 x 20. Our Ryanair page shows the current limits with a link to Ryanair's own bag policy, so you can check it yourself.

How the sizer check actually works

Most gates have a metal frame, usually with a big slot for the overhead cabin bag and a small one for the under-seat bag. Staff don't measure bags with a tape. They point at the sizer and you put your bag in.

What travelers describe, again and again:

It's random. Some people fly Ryanair dozens of times and never get asked. Others get pulled out of the queue on their first trip. Some days staff check almost every bag, other days only the ones that look obviously big.

Some airports and flights feel stricter. You'll see people name specific airports where they always see checks, and others where nobody looks. Some swear the first flight of the morning gets checked hardest, or that full flights get checked more. That's all anecdote. Nobody outside the airline knows the pattern, and it probably changes. Don't plan around it.

Soft bags get more slack than hard ones. A soft backpack that's a bit over on paper can often be squashed in. A hard-shell case that's 2 cm too long simply won't go in, and that's the end of the conversation.

But you can only squash so far. If your bag is 50 cm tall and the sizer is 40 cm, the top 10 cm needs to be empty and folded down. Width and depth squish; length mostly doesn't.

Depth is where bags fail. People with bags that match the listed size on the label still get caught when the front pocket is crammed and the bag bulges past 20 cm. Packed full, a lot of bags grow.

"It fit last time" doesn't count. A bag that slipped through five flights can still get checked on the sixth. A few travelers have even posted about being charged for bags they say did fit, which is a good reason to take a quick photo if yours goes in cleanly.

What it costs if your bag doesn't fit

This is where the cheap fare stops being cheap. The fees below come from each airline's own pages, and they change by route and date, so treat them as a guide:

• Ryanair: when it announced the new sizes, Ryanair said anyone whose bag is over has to pay the checked bag fee at the boarding gate. Its fees page lists gate bag fees in a range that tops out at €75/£75, and the bag goes in the hold.
• easyJet: a large cabin bag you didn't book costs £60 at the gate. Online, it's always cheaper.
• Vueling: an under-seat bag that's too big gets checked at the gate for €60 to €75 per bag, per flight.
• Wizz Air: a free bag over 40 x 30 x 20 cm gets an oversize fee at the gate. The amount isn't shown in the same place on every Wizz page, so check yours before you fly. It's still more than booking WIZZ Priority in advance.

Compare that with what you'd pay at booking. Ryanair's Priority & 2 Cabin Bags, Wizz Priority and easyJet's large cabin bag are often a fraction of the gate price, especially on short routes. Prices move around a lot, so look at the real numbers for your flight.

The advice on pretty much every Reddit thread about this is the same, and it's right: never pay at the gate if you can pay online. If you're not sure your bag will fit, add the bigger bag the day before. It's an insurance policy.

To see whether a cheap fare plus a bag still beats a "normal" airline, run both through the bag fee calculator. Sometimes the budget fare wins easily. Sometimes it doesn't.

What bag actually fits

40 x 30 x 20 cm is 24 litres of box. Travelers who fly these airlines a lot tend to land on the same answer: a soft backpack of about 20 litres. It fits with room to spare, so it still goes in the sizer when it's packed a bit full.

Some things that come up a lot:

• Most everyday backpacks are too tall. Plenty of school and commuter packs are 45 to 50 cm tall. Measure yours before you assume.
• Bags sold as 26 to 30 litres are borderline. They can pass at easyJet's bigger size. At Ryanair or Wizz Air, they only fit if they're soft and not packed full.
• A 30+ litre pack is a gamble on Ryanair or Wizz Air, even half empty.
• Small hard cases built to 40 x 30 x 20 are another route some people like: they can't bulge, so if they fit empty they fit full. Just remember they weigh more and don't squash at all.
• Cheap "cabin" backpacks sold at exactly 40 x 30 x 20 cm do the job fine, if you don't mind them being your airline-only bag.

If you already own a bag and want to know which airlines it passes, the fit table and the checker at the bottom of this post do the maths for you. Our bag pages list real bags with their outside measurements.

One bag means one bag

This catches a lot of people. On the basic fare, your free allowance is one item. Not a backpack plus a handbag. Not a backpack plus a bum bag. Not a backpack plus a camera bag.

If you've got a small extra bag, it needs to fit inside your main bag before boarding. People who tried carrying both often say staff made them combine them, and sometimes charged them.

The neck pillow stuffed with clothes trick? Some people get away with it. Others have been charged for it. Staff have seen it before.

What does help: wearing your bulkiest stuff. A jacket with deep pockets can carry your power bank, charger and a couple of small things, and nobody puts your jacket in a sizer. Just keep it reasonable. Heavy items in pockets get annoying fast.

Weight: do they weigh it?

Mostly, no. Gate staff check size, not weight. Travelers rarely see scales at the boarding gate for the small free bag.

But the rules still apply on paper. Wizz Air's free bag has a 10 kg limit, and easyJet's has 15 kg. If you're also checking a bag at the desk, some travelers say their cabin bag got weighed there too. And if your free bag is heavy with a laptop and books, it'll bulge more, which brings you back to the sizer problem.

Not sure what your packed bag weighs? The carry-on weight calculator adds it up.

Vueling and Jet2

Vueling works like the others: every passenger gets a free under-seat bag of 40 x 30 x 20 cm. Whether an overhead bag is included depends on the fare bundle you pick. If your under-seat bag is too big at the gate, that's the €60 to €75 per flight mentioned above.

Jet2 is the odd one out. Its fares include a 10 kg hand luggage bag for the overhead bin, up to 56 x 45 x 25 cm including wheels and handles. So the "will my small bag fit" stress mostly isn't a thing there. Just don't push past the 10 kg or the size, because extra or oversized hand luggage gets charged at the airport.

Mistakes people make

• Trusting an old blog number. Ryanair changed its size in 2025. Use the airline's own page.
• Measuring the bag empty. Measure it packed, the way you'll carry it to the gate, front pocket and all.
• Assuming wheels don't count. On easyJet they do. On Wizz Air they can only add 5 cm.
• Carrying a second small bag. One bag means one bag on the basic fare.
• Thinking "they never check". They don't, until they do. It's random.
• Buying the extra bag at the gate. It's the most expensive way to do it.
• Forgetting to check in online. Ryanair charges for airport check-in, and on short trips that fee can be more than the flight.

Want to see the airline's exact rule on your phone if there's a dispute at the gate? The gate card shows the official limit with a link to the airline's own page.

Check your own bag

Type in your bag's measurements and see which airlines take it as a free under-seat bag:

Will your bag fit?

Carry-onPersonal item

US carry-on 22×14×9 inUnderseat backpack 18×14×8 inEU cabin bag 55×40×20 cmSmall bag 40×30×20 cm

Height

Width

Depth

Unitinchescm

Weight optional

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Find an airline

Measure with wheels, handles and pockets included. The order of the sides doesn't matter.

Flying more than one airline on the same trip? The trip bag checker finds one size that works for all of them. And for the full list, see personal item sizes by airline.

Frequently asked questions

What is Ryanair's free personal item size?

40 x 30 x 20 cm, according to Ryanair's bag policy page. It's included on every fare and must fit under the seat in front of you. Ryanair raised it from 40 x 20 x 25 cm in September 2025, which is why older guides show a different size.

Is easyJet's free bag bigger than Ryanair's?

Yes. easyJet allows 45 x 36 x 20 cm including handles and wheels, and up to 15 kg if you can lift it yourself. Ryanair and Wizz Air allow 40 x 30 x 20 cm.

Does Ryanair or Wizz Air weigh the personal item?

Rarely at the gate. Staff check size with the sizer. Wizz Air does have a 10 kg limit on the free bag, and travelers say cabin bags sometimes get weighed at the check-in desk, so don't count on it never happening.

Will a slightly too big backpack pass?

Sometimes. Checks are random, and a soft backpack that isn't packed full can often be squashed into the sizer. But if it doesn't go in, you pay the gate fee, which is far more than adding a bigger bag online. If it's clearly over, pay in advance.

Can I bring a handbag and a backpack on Ryanair?

Not on the basic fare. You get one free bag. Put the handbag inside the backpack before boarding, or buy Priority & 2 Cabin Bags for a second, larger bag.

What size backpack fits Ryanair, easyJet and Wizz Air?

A soft backpack of around 20 litres, no bigger than 40 x 30 x 20 cm when packed. That fits all three. Bags of 26 to 30 litres can work on easyJet but are borderline on Ryanair and Wizz Air.

How much does Ryanair charge if your bag is too big at the gate?

Ryanair says you'll pay the checked bag fee at the boarding gate and the bag goes in the hold. Its fees page lists gate bag fees up to €75/£75, depending on route and date. Adding a bag online is cheaper.