Can You Have a Handbag on Board Ryanair in Addition to Carry-On Luggage?

Traveling with light luggage brings a great sense of freedom and flexibility when planning trips. Thanks to it, you don’t have to worry about the airline losing your belongings or your luggage not arriving on time at the hotel or rented apartment. The creators of the airline Ryanair know this well. Therefore, they offer passengers the option to bring free carry-on luggage on board with dimensions not exceeding 55 × 40 × 22 cm. In such situations, the question often arises: Can I take a handbag on the plane in addition to the carry-on luggage? You will find the answer to this question in our article!

Understanding Ryanair’s free baggage rules – the key to savings

Growing economic responsibility means more and more travelers carefully consider every euro, dollar, or crown they spend during their trips. It’s no surprise – tense geopolitical situations, rising housing costs, more expensive plane tickets, and a complicated job market encourage saving. These conclusions are confirmed by a survey conducted by the research company Ipsos as part of the multi-topic Omnibus survey in 2024. The survey included 1,000 people aged 15 and over. The Omnibus report clearly shows: 68% of respondents believe saving is worthwhile. At the same time, 48% expect not to save any money in the next 12 months, which is a decrease of 10 percentage points compared to December 2023. On the other hand, 28% of respondents plan to save despite various challenges. How to do it?

One way to save is to carefully control expenses. For example, by reducing the amount of luggage to a minimum to avoid any fees. Ryanair allows you to bring one small bag on board for free, such as a suitcase, handbag, backpack, travel bag, or laptop bag, with maximum dimensions of 40 × 20 × 25 cm. This bag must fit under the seat in front of you.

Is a handbag counted as carry-on luggage on Ryanair?

From the above rules, it follows that each passenger can bring a handbag on board with dimensions of approximately 40 × 20 × 25 cm and a weight of up to 8 kg. This means up to 25,200 cm³ of storage space for clothes, electronics, cosmetics in travel bottles, and other essentials. Previously, the allowed size was only 35 × 20 × 20 cm, which was about 14,000 cm³. Besides the main luggage, it is practical to have a small bag, fanny pack, or shopper bag where you can store, for example, a book, headphones, sweater, hand cream, snacks, children’s toys, or a tablet with your favorite series. After arrival, you can also put duty-free purchases such as perfumes or alcohol in it. But is a handbag considered carry-on luggage on Ryanair? Unfortunately, no! According to Ryanair’s rules, only one free carry-on bag is allowed on board.

Additional handbag on a Ryanair flight – do you always have to pay extra?

Not always! If you arrive at the airport with your favorite bag, just put it inside a larger piece of luggage. You can store the handbag on a Ryanair flight, for example, in a WINGS cabin or medium suitcase with an outer pocket. Put your fanny pack, shopper bag, or crossbody bag inside so you have small cosmetics, documents, wallet, phone, or other essentials handy during the flight. A practical alternative is also a sports travel bag from the SKYLARK collection, which includes a hidden, waterproof pocket for valuables. We wrote more about its advantages in a separate blog post SKYLARK Black – a modern sports travel bag for active people. We recommend reading it!

Need more space? See how much additional baggage costs on Ryanair

If you plan a longer trip, travel with children, or need to bring sports equipment, you may need to purchase extra baggage. Just log in to myRyanair and select “Manage this booking,” then “Add bags/equipment” and add extra luggage or special equipment. You can pay via Ryanair Wallet.

Is it possible to buy baggage directly at the airport?

To avoid stress and higher fees, we recommend buying extra baggage at least 24 hours before departure. If you don’t manage to do so, you can also buy it at the check-in desk at the airport. The online price is 9 EUR/GBP per extra kilogram, while at the airport you pay 11 EUR/GBP per kilogram. More information about fees can be found in the article Airport fees – what they are and how much you pay for them?.

What are the benefits of buying additional carry-on luggage on Ryanair?

You get the option to bring one free bag on board plus a suitcase or bag up to 10 kg with maximum dimensions of 55 × 40 × 20 cm. This way, you can better organize your space – in the smaller bag, you can have snacks, drinks, medicines, electronics, or other essentials.

Women’s handbag on a Ryanair flight – summary

Short trips to London, Barcelona, or Paris are becoming increasingly popular. If you travel with Ryanair, it’s worth knowing what luggage you can bring to avoid unnecessary fees. We hope our article helped you understand the rules for an additional handbag and the costs of extra luggage. Remember, saving is worthwhile and gives you more financial freedom and better decisions in life.