What is the Hand Baggage Allowance for Virgin Atlantic?

Travelers are allowed to bring hand baggage on board it is included as part of our ticket, but the hand baggage allowance may vary in size, weight, and number of items depending on the type of ticket. 

Travelers need to carry the maximum size 23x 36 x 56 cm or ( 9 x 14 X 22 inches) of hand baggage along with a small handbag in whichever cabin they are traveling in either Economy or Premium Economy. 

Travelers flying in Premium and Economy cabins are allowed a small hand baggage allowance with virgin atlantic weighing up to 22 lb or 10 kg per person. Whereas, if you are traveling in Upper class you can take up to a maximum of 2 sets of hand baggage weighing up to 26 lb or 12 kg each bag or a combined weight of 16 kg or 35 lb per person of the standard dimension of 23 x 36 x56 cm. 

Virgin Atlantic Baggage Allowance in Economy, Premium, and Upper Class

All virgin atlantic tickets allow a free checked-in bag and handbag allowance, except Economy light tickets which will not include a free checked bag allowance.  

If you are traveling with Economy Light you can purchase an online baggage allowance at £45 / $60 per bag. 

Note: You cannot count your luggage as one allowance if you are traveling with other people, hence you would need a separate case for all people that fit within the allowance. Check if your ticket starts with VS or not, if it doesn’t start with VS then you may need to check the Partner Airlines and connecting flights. Depending on certain routes the free baggage allowance may increase. 

How Much Baggage Allowed in Virgin Atlantic?

The Check-in baggage allowances may vary based on the class you have booked yourself a ticket

Children\’s Hand Baggage Allowance 

Hand baggage allowance for Children aged 0-23 months are allowed to take one bag with weight up to 6 kg or 13lb. 

If the child’s age is 2+ years then they are given a Virgin Atlantic hand baggage allowance of the same weight as an adult in the cabin. 

• Children’s items that are allowed to carry inside include

1. GB POCKET
2. Silver CrossJet
3. BabyZen YoYo
4. Britax Holiday

Children Checked Baggage allowance 

The children’s baggage allowance with Virgin Atlantic for children and seated infants is 1 bag of 23 kg or 50 lb in any of the cabins except the economy light, where you need to buy the baggage allowance. 

If you are planning to travel with an infant you can bring a full collapsible pushchair and car seat with you as a free check-in allowance which they will take from you at the gate and can be received at the baggage carousel. 

Note: If London Heathrow is your travel destination, it is being advised that pushchairs won’t be delivered to you at the aircraft door upon your arrival and you would require to collect them from the baggage reclaim except the special assistance pushchairs.  

Handbag Baggage Allowance for Additional items 

On the flight, you can carry these additional items in baggage allowance with Virgin Atlantic with you in flight:

1. A small backpack, handbag, pocketbook, wallet, or purse to carry your essentials, unlike big items. 
2. Jacket, overcoat, or warp
3. An umbrella or walking sticks
4. Camera or binoculars
5. Your child’s food
6. Duty-free good( not a big bag)
7. Books (Not too many)
8. Headphones of standard 3.5m jack

Apart from these essentials, you can carry some items with you on the flight

Laptops- If it fits into your handbag then you can carry it with you on your flight. At security points, you’ll need to place it on a tray for screening. 

Mobility aids and wheelchairs– If you or someone need a walking aid like a stick and wheelchairs you can take it with you in flight. 

Cigarettes, cigars, and lighters (you can carry them with you but you cannot smoke them)

1. Electric cigarettes
2. Cigarette papers
3. Rolling tobacco
4. Cigarette lighters including butane, absorbed fuel (Zippo style) and battery-powered lighters can be carried except on flights to Antigua, Barbados, Grenada, Tobago, Havana, and Delhi.
5. Cigars 
6. Cigarettes

Exception of Baggage allowance 

If you are a Flying Club gold or silver member or Elite Plus member or Sky Team Elite member you are allowed for Virgin Atlantic baggage allowance to check in one extra baggage at no extra cost weighing up to 23 kg irrespective of the cabin you are traveling.

• Extra baggage weight on Flying Club Gold:  20kg
• Extra Baggage weight on Flying Club Silver: 10kg

Extra Baggage Allowance on Selected Routes

Reference the table below to see the routes where extra baggage allowance is applicable. 

Special Baggage allowance with Virgin Atlantic 

If your musical instrument met the size and weight of the Virgin Atlantic hand baggage allowance then you can take it with you in the cabin, if it is pretty large to fit in the handbag then you would need to pay extra for an additional baggage fee. 

You can check on the official website to know the sports equipment that you can carry with you:- https://help.virginatlantic.com/gb/en/baggage/musical-instruments.html

• Sports equipment

If you are carrying sports equipment, you will be allowed to take it with you in the cabin including one of your bags if it weighs 23 kg not more than that. You can learn about the types of sports equipment you are allied to carry on the official website:- https://help.virginatlantic.com/gb/en/baggage/sports-equipment.html

• Extra bags 

If you are planning to bring more than your free bag in the Virgin Atlantic baggage allowance or if you are traveling in economy light then you can add up to 7 extra bags when you check in online (opens 24 hours before flight departure and closes before 70 minutes). However, you need to pay extra bag fees at the airport or online it will cost the same, but the limit is 10 bags per individual. 

• Overweight bags

In Premium and economy class the maximum weight is 23 kg per bag. If any of your bags are overweight you may need to pay an overweight baggage fee at the airport. 

However, the upper-class maximum weight is 32 kg in a bag. 

Note: Overweight bags will cost you about £65/$100, and bags that may exceed dimensions (90 x 75 x 43 cm) will charge a fee of £200/ $300. 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)