Hand luggage is luggage that each passenger can take with them on board the aircraft and fold it either under the seat in front of them or in a special luggage compartment above their heads.
Hand luggage can be a backpack, a small bag or a small suitcase. Also, some airlines allow you to take on board an additional one personal item (handbag, laptop or camera, crutches, baby cradle, etc.). A tip for you – measure your suitcase in advance and weigh your hand luggage at home. If an excess is found, then the extra things will have to be checked in (often with a surcharge), or pay for non-standard hand luggage.
What can you take on a plane?
Each airline has its own rules and regulations for carrying luggage on an airplane. These regulations govern the size and weight of carry-on baggage, the items that are allowed to be carried, and the requirements for their packaging. During check-in of a passenger for a flight or at the boarding gate, hand luggage is weighed, checked and marked with an airline tag. If hand luggage does not meet the airline’s size or safety requirements, it must be checked in and paid for as checked baggage.
In order to protect yourself from such annoying situations, we recommend that all passengers carefully study the requirements and restrictions of the airline on which you plan to fly.
Please note that this is not a complete list of items that can be carried in hand luggage. In addition, some airlines (most often low-cost, but sometimes regular) have stricter rules, and also do not allow several items of hand luggage – that is, a laptop, a camera, clothes, and food must be packed in one bag.
You can take in hand luggage:
- Documents, money and credit cards
- Mobile phone
- Notebook
- Camera
- Liquids in containers, the volume of which is not more than 100 ml – more about liquids in hand luggage below in the article.
- Goods from Duty Free – and when traveling in Europe, you can also carry alcohol, provided that it is sealed by the store in a special package and has not been opened by the traveler during all his flights. If your flight originated outside of Europe but connects in Europe, you will also be able to take liquid goods from duty-free shops, provided they have not been opened. But there are exceptions, such as the Netherlands. Be careful! And follow the rules of the airports.
- Cradle
- crutches
- Outerwear
- Solid food (sandwich or sandwich, crackers, hard cheese, chocolate, apples)
- personal jewels
- Medicines (if they do not contain prohibited substances) – if the medicines contain narcotic or psychotropic substances, you must have a prescription or a certificate from a doctor, as well as a purchase receipt.
- Most eye/nose/ear drops
- Disposable razor
- Electric razor
- Curling iron or iron
- tablet or mp3
- Deodorant (solid)
- hair dryer
- Toothbrush (and electric)
What can’t be carried in hand luggage?
It is strictly forbidden to take the following items on the plane, not only in hand luggage, but also in luggage:
- Explosive substances;
- Electroshock devices;
- Flammable substances (including lighters, solvents, adhesives, sealants, etc.);
- Signal rocket launchers;
- Mounting guns
- compressed gases
- Liquefied gases
- Pyrotechnics
- magnets
- Solid flammable substances
- Toxic substances
- Acids and corrosive substances
- radioactive substances
- All devices, items and substances that require special storage or transportation conditions, as well as in the opinion of the airport control service, may be dangerous on board the aircraft.
It is forbidden to take in hand luggage
- Any type of weapon, as well as its imitation, models, toys (including edged weapons, pneumatic, brass knuckles, nunchucks, lighters in the form of a pistol, darts and slingshots, cartridges, souvenirs, fake weapons). It is possible to transport in luggage only if you have all the necessary documents and permits.
- Stitching and cutting objects (knives, knitting needles, corkscrews, forks, nail scissors, nail files, medical needles, screwdrivers).
- Sports equipment and blunt objects (bats, clubs, skis, hammers, cues, ski poles, construction keys, inflated balls).
- Adhesive tape, ropes and other items that can be tied
- Liquids, pastes, creams, sprays, mascaras, foams, oils, perfumes, the volume of which is more than 100 ml
Carrying liquids on an airplane
Even frequent flyers sometimes run into problems carrying liquids in their hand luggage due to the many conditions and restrictions. Consider the main ones that operate at most airports.
The following liquids are restricted on board the aircraft:
- All drinks: including water
- Liquid or semi-liquid products: including soups, jams, honey, syrups
- Cosmetics and toiletries: including creams, lotions, oils, perfumes, mascara and lip gloss
- Sprays: including shaving foam, hairspray and deodorants
- Pastes: including toothpaste
- Gels: including hair and shower gel
- Liquid for contact lenses
Rules for carrying liquids in hand luggage
- You cannot carry liquids larger than 100 ml in hand luggage;
- All liquids must be placed in containers (tubes, bottles, boxes) up to 100 ml. If the volume of the container is more than 100 ml, and the liquid is 100 ml, the security service will force it to be thrown away;
- All 100 ml liquid containers must be placed in a transparent plastic bag no larger than 20 cm * 20 cm;
- A maximum of 1 liquid bag is allowed per traveler;
- The package must be hermetically sealed – overfilled packages are most often not accepted;
- The maximum volume of transported liquid in such a package is 1 liter for one passenger;
- All packages must be shown to airport security.
Liquids from Duty-Free
In cases where you buy alcohol, perfume, or any other liquids in duty free stores, they are allowed to be carried in hand luggage even in volumes of more than 100 ml, with certain conditions.
The goods must be placed by the seller in a special, transparent, sealed bag with a red stripe.
The purchase receipt must be in the package with the goods and fully viewable.
The package is forbidden to open throughout the entire journey.
At transit airports, a bag of liquids from duty free can be opened and scanned separately.
If you have a connecting flight at another airport, notify the security officer in advance to reseal the liquid in a new bag after checking.