Cabin Bag Only: How to Fly Carry-On with Ryanair, Wizz Air and easyJet
A checked bag can cost more than the flight. Here's how to travel carry-on only with Europe's budget airlines — what fits, what's free, and how to dodge the gate fee.
· Captain Cheap
On Europe's low-cost airlines, the fare is only the start. Add a checked bag, pick a seat, and a €20 ticket can triple before you reach the gate. The way around it is simple: travel with cabin baggage only. Done right, it keeps the price you booked, gets you off the plane first, and removes any chance of a lost bag. Here is how to do it on Ryanair, Wizz Air and easyJet.
Why cabin-bag-only is worth it
Beyond the money, going carry-on changes the trip. You skip the check-in desk and the baggage carousel, you are never separated from your things, and a delayed or cancelled flight is far easier to rebook when you are not waiting on a bag in the hold. For a city break of a few days, a single well-packed bag is genuinely all you need.
Know the two sizes
Every budget airline now splits cabin baggage into two tiers, and confusing them is the most common — and most expensive — mistake.
Here are the exact limits for each airline, current for 2026. Dimensions must include wheels and handles, and staff measure to the centimetre at the gate.
Ryanair
- Free small bag, under the seat: 40 × 30 × 20 cm
- Priority cabin bag, overhead locker: 55 × 40 × 20 cm, up to 10 kg (included with Priority)
Wizz Air
- Free personal item, under the seat: 40 × 30 × 20 cm, up to 10 kg
- WIZZ Priority trolley bag, overhead locker: 55 × 40 × 23 cm, up to 10 kg
easyJet
- Free small cabin bag, under the seat: 45 × 36 × 20 cm, up to 15 kg
- Large cabin bag, overhead locker (paid, includes Speedy Boarding): 56 × 45 × 25 cm, up to 15 kg
easyJet's free bag is the most generous of the three. Ryanair increased its free under-seat bag to 40 × 30 × 20 cm in September 2025, in line with a new EU minimum, so a bag bought to the older "Ryanair size" still fits comfortably.
One less thing to pack: a travel eSIM activates before you land so you skip the roaming desk — and you can still book a place to stay from your phone.
What actually fits
For three or four days, the free under-seat bag is enough with a bit of discipline: a few rolled outfits, a washbag under the liquid limit, a charger, and whatever you will not wear on the plane. Wear your bulkiest layer and heaviest shoes through the airport rather than packing them. If you need a week, pay once for the larger cabin bag rather than checking luggage — it is usually cheaper and always faster.
Avoiding the gate fee
Gate-check fees are where budget airlines make their money, and they are brutal — often more than a return ticket. Two rules keep you clear of them: never bring a bag bigger than the tier you paid for, and if the flight is full and staff ask for volunteers to check bags, a bag within the free under-seat size can simply stay with you. If in doubt, put it under the seat, not in the locker.
Packing tips that work
Roll clothes instead of folding — it saves space and creases less. Decant toiletries into travel bottles within the 100ml limit and keep them in a clear bag near the top for security. Use a small packing cube so a soft bag holds its shape to the sizer. And leave a little room: you will almost always come home with more than you left with.
Travelling light is a habit, not a sacrifice — and once you have done a trip with just a cabin bag, the carousel starts to look like a waste of twenty minutes.
Spotted a mistake? Let us know.