Pack your bags

Hand baggage

Virgin Atlantic’s hand baggage allowance is pleasingly straight forward.

Great news. From 31st March 2013, we’re increasing our hand baggage allowance in Economy, Premium Economy and Little Red flights from 6kg to 10kg, when flying to any Virgin Atlantic destination. Our Upper Class hand baggage allowance remains the same.

Please see out latest news for more information. 

Little Red (UK domestic)

Number of items One
Maximum size
 23 x 36 x 56 cm (that’s approx. 9 x 14 x 22 inches)
Maximum weight
 10kg (22 lb)
Little Red (UK domestic)

Please note that a garment bag cannot be used as your hand baggage unless it fits the dimensions of the hand baggage allowance. If you’d like to bring one but it exceeds 23 x 36 x 56 cm, it will need to be as additional checked in baggage.

If you want to take your laptop onboard, you'll need to place it in your original hand baggage or check your hand baggage in.

Please note passengers must be able to place their hand baggage in the overhead bins unaided.

Passengers connecting onto Virgin Atlantic and travelling in Upper Class are entitled to the Upper Class baggage allowance.

Economy

Number of items One
Maximum size
 23 x 36 x 56 cm (that’s approx. 9 x 14 x 22 inches)
Maximum weight
 10kg (22 lb)
Economy

Please note that a garment bag cannot be used as your hand baggage unless it fits the dimensions of the hand baggage allowance. If you’d like to bring one but it exceeds 23 x 36 x 56 cm, it will need to be as additional checked in baggage.

If you want to take your laptop onboard, you'll need to place it in your original hand baggage or check your hand baggage in.

Please note passengers must be able to place their hand baggage in the overhead bins unaided.

Premium Economy

Number of items One
Maximum size
 23 x 36 x 56 cm (that’s approx. 9 x 14 x 22 inches)
Maximum weight
 10kg (22 lb)
Premium Economy

Please note that a garment bag cannot be used as your hand baggage unless it fits the dimensions of the hand baggage allowance. If you’d like to bring one but it exceeds 23 x 36 x 56 cm, it will need to be as additional checked in baggage.

If you want to take your laptop onboard, you'll need to place it in your original hand baggage or check your hand baggage in.

Please note passengers must be able to place their hand baggage in the overhead bins unaided.

Upper Class

Number of items Two
Maximum size (each item) 23 x 36 x 56 cm (that’s approx 9 x 14 x 22 inches)
Maximum weight (combined) 16kg (35 lbs)
Maximum weight (individual item)
 12 kg (26 lbs)
Upper Class

In Upper Class, your hand baggage can also include one garment bag, 20cm (8 inches) thick – again, this shouldn’t exceed 12kgs in weight. This will count towards your two bag limit.

Please note passengers must be able to place their hand baggage in the overhead bins unaided.

The Upper class hand baggage allowance also applies to children age 2+.

Children and infants

Number of items One
Maximum size
 23 x 36 x 56 cm (that’s approx. 9 x 14 x 22 inches)
Maximum weight (infant aged 0-2) 6kg (13 lb)
Maximum weight (children aged 2+) 10kg (22lbs)
Children and infants

Passengers travelling with infants or children can bring a fully collapsible pushchair and car seat, in addition to their free check in luggage allowance.

Please note passengers must be able to place their hand baggage in the overhead bins unaided.

Children age 2+ travelling in the Upper Class cabin are entitled to Upper Class baggage allowance.

Additional items you can bring with you

To help with baggage conundrums, we’ve compiled the following list to clarify the bits and bobs you can take onboard in addition to the allowances above:

  • Your handbag, pocketbook or purse, as you would normally use it (in other words, not just being used to contain items that would otherwise be regarded as baggage).
  • Your overcoat or wrap.
  • Your umbrella or walking stick (these cannot be pointed or sharp).
  • A small camera and/or pair of binoculars.
  • A reasonable amount of reading matter for the flight.
  • An infant’s food (for consumption on the flight).
  • A small amount of duty free goods.
  • Headphones for onboard use (they’ll need the standard 3.5mm jack).

If you bring large electrical items with you (such as laptops), please remember that you’ll need to remove them from your bag for security screening. You’ll be asked to place them in a tray so they can be clearly scanned.

Mobility aids such as walking aids and manual collapsible wheelchairs can also be taken on-board some of our flights. Where space isn’t available onboard your wheelchair will be placed in the hold and brought out first after landing sothat it is ready for you at the gate or baggage reclaim area, depending on the security rules at the airport.  Bear in mind that they’ll need to be x-rayed or searched thoroughly at security, though.

Here's what you can't carry onboard...

In the interests of passenger safety, we can’t allow the following items in hand luggage:

  • Torch-style cigarette lighters.
  • Non-safety matches.
  • Toy or replica guns (plastic or metal).
  • Catapults
  • Sharp items – this includes household items such as household cutlery, knives (of any length), paper knives, razor blades or darts.
  • Hypodermic syringes – unless you have a medical condition that requires you to inject on the flight (see below).
  • Scissors (scissors with blunt/round-ended blades, metal or plastic, less than 6cm in length or scissors with metal blades and pointed tips under 3cms are permitted).
  • Sporting bats
  • Billiard, snooker, pool cues.
  • Tradesmen’s tools (however, US airports will allow screwdrivers, wrenches, pliers and other tools (but not crowbars, drills, hammers or saws), as long as they are seven inches or less in length).
  • Any dangerous articles such as flammables, corrosives, poisons, radioactive materials, ammunition, firearms or explosives.

...and here's what you can.

  • Cigarettes
  • Cigars
  • Rolling tobacco
  • Cigarette papers
  • Cigarette lighters including butane, absorbed fuel (Zippo style) and battery-powered lighters can be carried on the person, except on flights to Antigua, Barbados, Grenada, Tobago, Havana and Delhi.

Note that you can carry these items onboard, but you can’t smoke them!

Hypodermic syringes

We realise it’s essential for some of our passengers to carry hypodermic needles and other medical equipment in order to treat a medical condition. If you have a medical reason that requires you to inject during the course of a flight, naturally you can carry your syringes in your hand baggage.

However, please ensure you’re able to provide adequate medical evidence in the form of a doctor’s letter and prescription. You’ll be asked to show this when you check in and at security screening, and you should keep it with you at all times.  We also ask that you bring your own sharps box so you can dispose of your needles safely and hygienically. For more information, please refer to our page on flying with medication.

Musical instruments

If you’re planning on bringing a musical instrument with you, bear in mind it may not fit within your hand baggage allowance.

If it exceeds the hand baggage allowance measurements, you’ll need to check it in (and pay an additional baggage fee, if it takes you over your check in allowance).

However, rather than checking it in on the spot we’ll still ask you to carry it through to the airport security checkpoint (subject to relevant Airport Security approval). As instruments are especially fragile, this ensures safer carriage. It will be taken at the departure gate for loading into the hold of the aircraft, so please make sure it’s suitably protected when you pack it.

Alternatively, you can carry a maximum of two instruments onboard if you book a seat for each one.  Each instrument cannot exceed 75kg (165 lbs) and its centre of mass should be no more than 30cm (12 inches) above the top of the seat cushion.

For any questions about bringing a large musical instrument, please contact us in advance of your flight.

Little Red (UK domestic) flights

Musical instruments are not permitted as hand baggage on Little Red (UK domestic) flights and must be checked in as check in baggage.

 

Wedding dresses

You can take your dress onboard as long as it fits into your hand luggage and meets the weight and size requirements (please see size and weight restrictions above).

If you are travelling in Premium Economy or Economy and are unable to fit the dress into your hand luggage or normal baggage allowance, you can pack the dress into a separate suitcase and mark the suitcase as 'fragile wedding garments'. Where possible the dress should be packed into a plastic bag for extra protection. Please note that if the separate suitcase is outside of your baggage allowance you will have to purchase excess baggage (this is not a free service).

If you are travelling in Upper Class and want to keep your dress hanging up, then subject to space we will be able to hang it in one of the Upper Class wardrobes. (This sevice is not available on Little Red (UK domestic) flights.

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