Ryanair vs easyJet: hand luggage compared side-by-side (2026)
You are booking a weekend in Barcelona. Ryanair says £34 return. easyJet says £58. Both include a small bag. Ryanair is cheaper — done, right?
Not quite. Once you add the hand luggage and the risk-adjusted cost of gate fines, the maths gets more interesting. Here is Ryanair vs easyJet in 2026, honestly compared.
The rules — side by side
| Ryanair | easyJet | |
|---|---|---|
| Free personal item | 40 × 30 × 20 cm | 45 × 36 × 20 cm |
| Weight limit | None official | 15 kg |
| Cabin bag upgrade | £6–£25 online (55 × 40 × 20, 10 kg) | £8–£33 online (56 × 45 × 25) |
| Gate fine (oversize / extra bag) | £60 | £48 |
| Family seating (under-12s) | Free (since 2026) | Free |
| Cheapest hold bag | £12 online (10 kg) | £13 online (15 kg) |
Practical differences that matter
Volume
easyJet's 45 × 36 × 20 cm gives you 32.4 litres of external volume. Ryanair's 40 × 30 × 20 cm gives you 20 litres. That is a 60% capacity advantage for easyJet — genuinely significant on a 5-day trip.
Gate strictness
Ryanair is the harshest gate enforcer in Europe. Their sizer is a rigid metal frame and staff push soft bags flat. easyJet is more lenient — bags rarely refused if within 2-3 cm of the stated limit.
Cost per free litre
Take the base fare + zero add-ons. On a £34 Ryanair ticket, each free litre of hand luggage costs you £1.70. On a £58 easyJet ticket with 32.4 litres, each free litre costs £1.79. Almost identical.
The winning strategy
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Buy a Ryanair-compliant bag (40 × 30 × 20) even if you fly easyJet more often. It fits both. easyJet accepts anything smaller than 45 × 36 × 20 — you are just leaving 12 litres of unused allowance.
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Skip priority on both. If you can travel with just one 20-litre bag, you save £6-£33 per return trip.
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Wear the bulky items on the plane. Coats, hoodies, biggest shoes. Airlines cannot charge for what is on your body.
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Use the Fit Checker before you leave home. Enter your bag's external dimensions and see which airlines it passes.
FAQ
Q: Is Ryanair or easyJet cheaper overall? A: Ryanair usually wins on base fare. easyJet wins on flexibility and hand luggage generosity. Once you match apples to apples — same size bag, same route — the total cost is often within £10.
Q: Do both airlines still charge for family seating in 2026? A: No. Both dropped mandatory fees for under-12 family seating — random seat allocation next to the child is free at check-in on both airlines.
Q: Which airline is more comfortable overall? A: easyJet has slightly more legroom (74 cm seat pitch vs Ryanair's 71 cm). Neither reclines. Neither has power sockets or free WiFi.
Bottom line
If you travel with a 40 × 30 × 20 cm underseat, both airlines work equally well and the cheapest fare wins. If you travel heavier, easyJet gives you 60% more free space — which usually justifies the £5-£15 fare premium.
Ready to travel lighter? Grab our 40 × 30 × 20 cm underseat backpack that passes both airlines and save the gate-fine anxiety forever.