PACKING for holidays can be really difficult – with luggage allowances preventing how much passengers can take with them.
However, holidaymakers flying with TUI will have less to worry about this year, with the holiday company increasing the amount of baggage people can take on their planes.
GettyPassengers will be able to take 5kg more luggage with them[/caption]
From May 1 this year, passengers’ checked-in baggage allowance will be increased by 5kg.
The rule change applies for passengers who booked on or after December 21, 2023 for travel from May 1 this year.
The increase will see luggage allowance go from 15kg to 20kg for most packages including TUI flights.
It also includes Marella Cruises and Marella Cruise and Stay holidays.
Meanwhile, customers booking TUI BLUE, Sensatori by TUI BLUE, Holiday Village, A La Carte or a TUI River Cruises packages with TUI Airways flights will get 25kg of luggage allowance per person.
According to Travel Gossip, TUI made the decision after conducting research that showed one in three customers gets too stressed out when trying to squash everything in their bag.
The research also revealed that 18 per cent worry when waiting to find out if their bag is the right weight.
Commercial Director Phillip Iveson said: “We’ve decided to increase our luggage allowance for TUI Airways to 20kg as standard, and add an extra 5kg for guests staying at TUI BLUE, Holiday Village and A La Carte hotels.
“With all that extra weight to play around with guests will have plenty of room to take along photos of their pets, a hearty number of teabags, and even a loaf or two of sliced bread.”
The news will bring relief to passengers who like to bring plenty of luggage with them when flying.
However, other airlines might be considering making things trickier for passengers, with planes now being designed without overhead lockers.
According to The Atlantic, planes aren’t designed to carry as much luggage as they are now with passengers carrying “more and bigger stuff than the aircraft can accommodate”.
This has even led to some experts calling for the overhead bins and hand luggage to be scrapped – with a view to having carry-on-free flights in the future.
David Young, a designer who has worked on cabin features for Teague for 20 years, told the publication that something needs to change.
Hand luggage rules for UK airlines
We’ve rounded up how much hand luggage you can take on UK airlines when booking their most basic fare.
Ryanair
One personal bag measuring no more than 40cm x 20cm x 25cm
EasyJet
One personal bag measuring no larger than 45cm x 36cm x 20cm
Jet2
One personal item that fits underneath the seat in front and one cabin bag no larger than 56cm x 45cm x 25cm weighing up to 10kg
TUI
One personal item that its underneath the seat in front and one cabin bag no larger than 55cm x 40cm x 20cm weighing up to 10kg
British Airways
One personal bag no larger than 40cm x 30cm x 15cm and one cabin bag no larger than 56cm x 45cm 25cm weighing up to 23kg
Virgin Atlantic
One personal item that fits underneath the seat in front and one cabin bag no larger than 56cm x 36cm x 23cm weighing up to 10kg
The company has been working on designing cabins without any overhead lockers at all, coming up with different ideas about where luggage could be stored.
He said: “I’d say we’re at a breaking point. We’ve hit as big as we can go.
“Maybe we don’t need carry-ons at all. Someone needs to step out and say, ‘We’re not doing this anymore. This isn’t the right experience for air travel.’”
Lucky for passengers, people are always keen to share when they find good hand luggage options.
WANDF duffel bag
Tiktoker Hilary (@g0ldvixen) risked flying with only a small personal bag for her break – and it paid off.
In a video, she showed herself taking her hold-all style luggage to the bag size checker, which it fit inside without any problems, despite clearly being well-packed.
She captioned the footage: “Yes I packed somehow for my holiday in this Amazon carry on!
“If it fits it flies for free.”
The particular piece of luggage that worked so well for her is the WANDF weekend overnight bag.
Cabin Max Anode carry on suitcase
This small hard case is popular among travellers who only use hand luggage on board flights.
It’s described online as “ideal” for carry-on.
One traveller who put the case through its paces was travel Tiktoker Evelyn (@evelynstravelzone) who took it on flights with three different budget airlines, including Ryanair.
She said she was able to take almost a week’s worth of luggage in the case, without any problems.
Meanwhile, these are some of the best hand luggage suitcases available.
And this bag has been described as an “absolute saviour“.
AlamyThe news means passengers will have less to worry about when travelling[/caption]