If you are comparing Ryanair and easyJet, the biggest question is usually not the base fare. It is whether your bag still fits the “cheap flight” once the extras start stacking up.

That is why I would simplify the choice like this: easyJet is better if you want the more generous free under-seat allowance. Ryanair is fine if you are disciplined, measured, and happy to play exactly by the rules. If you are loose with bag size, Ryanair is the one more likely to punish you.

If you are building a broader Europe trip, pair this with my Europe trains booking guide, the Euro summer itinerary, and the best travel card for Europe guide.

Ryanair baggage rules in 2026

Ryanair’s current help-centre guidance says every passenger gets one small personal bag that must fit under the seat. On the English-language help pages I checked, that bag is listed at 40 x 30 x 20 cm.

The part I would not overstate is price. Ryanair bag pricing moves around too much by route and timing to trust a static blog table for long. The useful rule is simpler: if you think you will need extra baggage, add it early. Ryanair is rarely the airline where waiting until the airport helps you.

Who Ryanair works best for

• Travellers with a properly measured small backpack or personal item.
• People taking very short breaks where one under-seat bag is realistic.
• Travellers who are genuinely price-sensitive and willing to optimise around the rules.

When Ryanair becomes a bad deal

• You are carrying a soft bag that “should be fine” but has not been measured.
• You want a normal roller bag and forgot to add cabin or checked baggage during booking.
• You are comparing only fare headlines and not the all-in price once bag extras are added.

easyJet baggage rules in 2026

easyJet is the friendlier airline on free cabin space. Its baggage page says every passenger can bring one small cabin bag up to 45 x 36 x 20 cm, and the airline says the bag can weigh up to 15kg as long as you can lift and carry it yourself.

easyJet is not “cheap because bags are free”. It is better because its free allowance is more usable for normal travellers, and its bag structure is easier to understand without constantly feeling like you are one mistake away from a punishment fee.

Which airline is better for baggage?

Choose easyJet if you want the safer choice for a small-trip cabin bag. The free allowance is more forgiving, and the upgrade path is clearer if you need a larger cabin bag.

Choose Ryanair if the total price is still materially lower after adding the bag you actually need and you are happy to be strict with size.

How to avoid surprise baggage fees

1. Measure the bag you are actually taking. Do not trust the product title on Amazon or the label on an old backpack.
2. Price the real fare, not the headline fare. Compare flight plus bag, not flight alone.
3. Book baggage before the airport. Both airlines push you toward buying extras earlier, and the airport is where budget fares get ugly.
4. Use trains when the route makes sense. Baggage stress disappears fast on many Europe city-pair routes once rail is competitive.
5. Carry a card with no foreign transaction fee. It will not fix bag fees, but it stops your bank adding another penalty on top. My Europe guide is here: best travel card for Europe.

When trains beat budget airlines

This is the part many travellers miss. If you are flying a short intra-Europe route with a bag, the baggage upsell plus airport transfers can erase the “cheap flight” advantage.

• Trains usually remove the bag-stress calculation entirely.
• You go city-centre to city-centre instead of paying for extra airport transfers.
• The total trip often feels better even when the fare is not dramatically lower.

For routes where rail is realistic, start with my Europe trains booking guide. If you want to compare tickets quickly, Omio is still one of the easiest tools for checking whether the train option closes the gap.

Final verdict

If you want the cleanest answer for most travellers, it is this: easyJet is the better baggage airline, Ryanair is the stricter one, and both stop being “cheap” once you ignore the bag rules you actually need.

Use Ryanair when the total price still wins after you add the right bag. Use easyJet when you want more breathing room. Use trains when the route is short enough that airport friction and baggage fees start making the flight look silly.

Sources checked on April 3, 2026: Ryanair Help Centre baggage pages and easyJet baggage and fees pages. Because both airlines localise prices and change fee bands by route and timing, always confirm the final baggage charge during booking.