Air passengers face confusion over hand luggage restrictions from today when airports and airlines across the UK adopt conflicting rules.

A relaxation in hand luggage restrictions by the Department for Transport will see the one bag limit on hand luggage lifted at 21 airports from Monday January 7. The airports, listed on the DfT website include Heathrow, Stansted, Edinburgh and Manchester, but not other major gateways such as Gatwick, Luton, Exeter, East Midlands or Liverpool.

To coincide with these changes, some airlines will also change hand baggage rules, but for some the one-bag rule will stay. This means travellers must check with both their airline and airport before travelling and adhere to the most restrictive of the two.

For example, travellers flying with British Airways from Glasgow will be able to take two bags onboard, while those flying with easyJet from the same airport will be restricted to one bag.

Further to this, passengers flying within the UK should be aware that their arrival airport may have different restrictions to their departure airport, which would mean different hand baggage allowances on the outward and return journeys.

Deputy Chair of the Airport Operators Association, Neil Pakey admits it will cause confusion: "... different rules for different airlines and airports means that it is essential passengers check the situation before they fly.

“Other restrictions, such as on the carrying of liquids, remain in force. I would urge passengers to check ahead and plan ahead, to avoid any unnecessary last-minute hassle. If in doubt, passengers should make sure that they only take on board items of baggage needed in the aircraft cabin.”

Commenting on the change in rules, easyJet chief executive Andy Harrison said: “There is massive scope for customer confusion in an environment where UK airports are adopting different policies.”

The rules governing the carriage of liquids in hand luggage remain unchanged. This means passengers may carry liquid in a container with a capacity no greater than 100ml (or equivalent), and that all containers of liquid must be placed in a re-sealable plastic bag, which is no larger than 1 litre or 20cm x 20cm.

Here’s a summary of what the major UK airlines will allow as cabin baggage from January 7:

Bmi

Two pieces of cabin baggage in business and premium economy cabins and one piece of cabin baggage in economy, plus a personal item, such as a small handbag, purse, small briefcase, laptop or baby-change bag. What constitutes a personal item is up to Bmi though – for example a small laptops case is allowed, but not a bulky computer bag. The single, larger piece of cabin baggage must be no bigger than 55 x 40 x 23cm and the passenger should be able to lift their bags unaided into the overhead lockers.

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