Virgin Atlantic Baggage Allowance – Your Definitive Guide

All You Need to Know About Virgin Atlantic Baggage

If you’re flying with Virgin Atlantic, it’s important to make sure you’re clear on the Virgin Atlantic baggage allowance. The last thing you want is to run into unexpected Virgin Atlantic baggage fees at the airport. That’s why I’ve put together this complete guide to Virgin baggage allowance. Everything you need to know about Virgin Atlantic baggage is right here!

Virgin baggage allowances differ depending on the type of ticket you have: Economy, Premium, or Upper Class. Below, you’ll find information on the Virgin Atlantic hand luggage allowance and Virgin Atlantic checked baggage allowance for each type of ticket/cabin.

We’ve also compiled information on the different Virgin Atlantic baggage fees, rules and restrictions, add-ons, and more. For our savvy, regular readers, we’ve even included a few extra bonus baggage tips for collecting points and saving money at the bottom of the article, so stay tuned!

Virgin Atlantic Hand Luggage Allowance

All Virgin Atlantic flight passengers are entitled to hand luggage. However, the amount of hand luggage you’re entitled to will vary depending on the cabin you’re in.

Here are the different Virgin Atlantic hand luggage allowances for each cabin:

• Economy hand baggage allowance – One item of hand baggage under 10kg in weight (this applies to all Economy tickets: Light, Classic, and Delight).
• Premium hand baggage allowance – One item of hand baggage under 10kg in weight.
• Upper Class hand baggage allowance – Two items of hand baggage, under 12kg per bag and under 16kg in combined total weight.
• Children aged 2+ – The same Virgin Atlantic hand baggage allowances per cabin as adults apply.
• Children aged 0-23 months – One bag weighing up to 6kg.

To clarify, the Virgin hand luggage requirements for Upper Class passengers mean that you could take one 12kg bag and one 4kg bag. Neither bag here is over the 12kg max weight and their combined total weight doesn’t exceed 16kg.

The maximum Virgin Atlantic carry-on size is 23 x 36 x 56cm and you must be able to fit your baggage into the overhead bins. This is the same for all cabins.

Additional Allowed Hand Luggage Items

In addition to the regular hand luggage allowance listed above, you’re also able to bring a few more additional items with you onboard, including:A collapsible pushchair and car seat if you’re travelling with children

A small handbag, backpack, or another personal bag that you would normally use

Reading material

An overcoat

Umbrellas or walking sticks

A small camera

Food for infants

Headphones

Laptops (as long as they can fit into your hand baggage)

A limited amount of duty-free goods

For certain flights, passengers are also allowed to take mobility aids such as collapsible wheelchairs on board, providing there is sufficient space available on the aircraft. You can find out more information about this here.

Virgin Atlantic Hold Baggage Allowance

Again, Virgin Atlantic checked baggage allowances differ from cabin to cabin, so the number and weight of bags you’re entitled to depend on your ticket.

Unfortunately, Economy Light passengers aren’t entitled to any Virgin Atlantic check-in baggage and have to make do with the 10kg of hand luggage. If this just isn’t enough, you can always purchase extra baggage allowance as an add-on, which we’ll talk more about later.

Related: Virgin Atlantic Economy Review

Here is the Virgin Atlantic weight allowance for cabin baggage for each ticket type:

• Virgin Economy Light baggage allowance – No checked baggage.
• Virgin Economy Classic and Delight baggage allowance – One checked-in baggage item weighing up to 23kg.
• Virgin Premium Economy baggage allowance – Two checked-in baggage items weighing up to 23kg each.
• Virgin Upper Class baggage allowance – Three checked-in baggage items weighing up to 32kg each.
• Seated children – For seated infants that have their own ticket, the same baggage allowances as above apply.
• Lap infants – Children who don’t have their own seat are only entitled to one baggage item up to 23kg in weight in any cabin other than Economy Light. In Economy Light, no hold baggage is included.

Other Important Information

There are a few exceptions to the standard cabin baggage allowances listed above on certain routes between the US/UK and Delhi, Lagos, and Johannesburg. Please check the Virgin Atlantic site or your booking information for more details if you’re flying on these routes.

You can’t combine your cabin luggage allowance with another passenger; each person’s case has to fit within their own allowance.

For connecting flights, luggage allowances may differ. Make sure you check the Virgin Atlantic website or your booking information to find out before you pack.

You may be able to check sports equipment into the hold free of charge, as long as it falls within your baggage allowance.

Virgin Atlantic Baggage Fees

Ok, so now you know exactly what your baggage allowances are, but what happens if you go over your limit?

Well, as you’d expect, there are set Virgin Atlantic baggage charges and fees in place to deal with this situation. Here they are:

• Oversized bags larger than 90 x 75 x 43cm – £65 ($100) flat fee per bag for bookings made after 17th March 2018.
• Oversized bags larger than 190 x 75 x 65cm – Bags over this size can’t be checked in as hold luggage. You’ll need to contact a freight forwarder to fly them as cargo instead.
• Overweight bags heavier than 23kg (Economy/Premium cabins) – £65 ($100) flat fee per bag for bookings made after 17th March 2018.
• Overweight bags heavier than 32kg – You can’t check in any hold baggage that exceeds this weight. You’ll need to either fly them as cargo instead or split the weight over two bags and pay for extra baggage.

If your bag is both oversized and overweight, you’ll have to pay both fees. You can pay these fees at the airport check-in desks.

Virgin Atlantic Extra Baggage

If, like me, you struggle to pack light and can’t fit all your luggage within your baggage allowance, don’t worry. It’s possible to add extra baggage onto your Virgin Atlantic flight for an additional fee.

You can purchase up to seven extra cabin bags per person, and fees vary depending on the cabin you’re travelling in and the number of bags you’re checking in. You can consult the table below to work out how much it will cost.

It’s not possible to add extra baggage for lap infants, other than when flying Economy Light, in which case you can add one bag only.

The same weight and size allowances for your cabin baggage apply to your add-on baggage too. If your add-on baggage exceeds the allowance for your ticket, you’ll be charged the standard Virgin Atlantic excess baggage fees that we talked about in the previous section.

How to Add Baggage to Your Virgin Atlantic Booking

You can pay for up to seven extra bags either at the airport kiosks or online during Online Check-In, which opens 24 hours before your scheduled flight time. You’ll be able to see an option to add luggage onto your booking during the check-in process.

If seven bags isn’t enough, it’s possible to purchase up to 10 add-on bags in total, but you can only do this at the airport.

Unfortunately, it’s not possible to check in more than 10 bags into the hold in total, but you might be able to send them as cargo with Virgin Atlantic Cargo.

Virgin Atlantic Baggage Restrictions

For safety reasons, there are certain items that are never allowed onboard Virgin Atlantic flights. It’s important to make sure you’re aware of these Virgin Atlantic baggage rules so you don’t accidentally pack these items in your hold or hand luggage.

Common sense should tell you the kind of things you can and can’t pack. As a general rule, anything that could be considered dangerous or a threat to the aircraft or others on the aircraft is probably not allowed.

Items you can’t take in Virgin Atlantic hand luggage include:

• Firearms
• Explosives, flammables, corrosives, or other dangerous articles
• Sharp items
• Replica/toy guns
• Tradesmen’s tools
• Hypodermic syringes

Items not allowed in Virgin Atlantic hold baggage include:

• Ammunition
• Fireworks
• Explosive military stores
• Smoke-generating canisters
• Dynamite
• Gunpowder
• Any other explosives, incendiary substances, or potentially dangerous devices

Note: There are many different restricted items, and the above lists are not exhaustive. The best advice I can give you is to call Virgin Atlantic in advance for clarification if you’re unsure whether or not something is allowed. A more complete list can also be found on this page.

Bonus Baggage Tips for Savvy Flyers

That about covers all the important stuff regarding your Virgin Atlantic baggage allowance. You made it this far so, before we wrap up, here are five bonus baggage tips to help you save money.

1. Join the Flying Club

If you’re a frequent flyer, it makes sense to join the Virgin Atlantic Flyer Club so that you can start earning points on your purchases. Every time you fly, you earn tier points, which allow you to climb up the different Flying Club tiers.

Once you reach the Gold tier, you get a bunch of benefits. One of the perks of being a Virgin Atlantic Flying Club Gold member is that you’re entitled to one free additional hold baggage item of up to 23kg on all flights, whatever cabin you’re in.

2. Consider Shipping Your Luggage

Before you pay for add-on luggage, make sure you’ve checked to see if you could get a better deal elsewhere. There are lots of luggage shipping services out there, and it’s often less expensive to use these services than it is to check your suitcases into the hold.

3. Opt for a Light Suitcase

Those overweight fees can really hurt your wallet. To keep the total weight of your luggage down, choose the right suitcases. Soft-shell cases tend to be more lightweight than hard-shell cases, which leaves more of your weight allowance leftovers to use for packing.

4. Take Advantage of Rewards Credit Cards

Some rewards credit cards come with a lot of travel benefits and perks like free checked baggage. By paying with these credit cards, frequent flyers can earn rewards and save money on their airfare. Check out some of our top Virgin Atlantic credit card recommendations here.

5. Claim for Delayed, Lost, or Damaged Baggage

Sometimes, baggage is delayed, lost, or damaged during transit. If this happens, you may be able to seek financial compensation. Virgin Atlantic have their own claims process, and there are various time restraints you need to be aware of.

Check out their baggage claim guidance here to make sure you know what you need to do in the event of baggage issues before you fly and don’t end up out of pocket.

Virgin Baggage Allowance: Final Thoughts

That concludes this article on Virgin baggage allowance. Did we miss anything? Let us know your thoughts and questions in the comments!

If you’ve yet to book your flight, check out our latest post on Virgin Atlantic sale dates (here) so that you know when to get the best deals.

Happy flying!