This page tells you what you need to know about the baggage you can and can’t check into the hold, depending on which ticket you have bought. It includes information on children’s baggage allowance, musical instruments, and your allowance if you’re flying with one of our partners.

To find out what you can take with you into the cabin, have a look at our Hand baggage allowance page.

It's important to know what kind of baggage you can check in to put in the hold, and what the limits are. This is included as part of some of our tickets, it all depends on which ticket you have. Economy Light tickets don't have any checked in baggage allowance.

Important:

• If you're travelling with other people, you can't combine your luggage allowance, so you'll need separate cases for each person that fit within the allowance. 
• If your ticket number does not start with VS then you may need to refer to the Partner Airlines and Connecting flights section below.

Economy baggage allowance

Economy Light bookings are hand baggage only and don't include any checked baggage. If you'd like to check in a bag, you can still buy additional baggage.

Economy Classic and Delight tickets include one checked in bag. This can be up to 90 x 75 x 43cm (35.5 x 29.5 x 16ins) in size and up to 23kg (50lb) in weight.

Premium baggage allowance

If you’re booked into our Premium cabin, you can take up to two pieces of baggage. Bags can each be up to 90 x 75 x 43cm (35.5 x 29.5 x 16ins) in size and up to 23kg (50lb) in weight.

Upper Class baggage allowance

All passengers in Upper Class can take up to three pieces of baggage, each weighing up to 32kg (70lb) and with dimensions of up to 90 x 75 x 43cm (35.5 x 29.5 x 16ins).

Children's baggage allowance

For children and seated infants, the baggage allowances above will apply. For lap infants (this is what we call children that don't need their own seat), the baggage allowance is 1 x 23kg (50lb) bag in any cabin apart from Economy Light, where there is no baggage included.

Passengers flying to or from Delhi, Lagos and Johannesburg

On some journeys, your ticket will include more than the standard baggage allowance.

Economy Classic or Delight: You can take up to two checked in bags on the following routes:

• UK or US - India** 
• UK or US - Lagos** 
• US - Johannesburg**

**If there’s a stopover of more than 24 hours, separate baggage rules might apply.

Premium: On flights between Delhi and the UK or US, the allowance is three bags, each weighing up to 23kg (50lb).

If you're travelling in Economy Light, no checked bags are included. If you're travelling in Upper Class, the standard baggage allowance applies.

Musical instruments, sports equipment and extra bags​

Musical instruments

Some instruments might be small enough to fit into your hand baggage. To find out the sizes of bags you can take into the cabin, take a look at our Hand baggage allowance page.

If it's too big to take as hand baggage, you’ll need to check it in. However, rather than checking it in on the spot we’ll still ask you to carry it through to the airport security checkpoint (subject to relevant Airport Security approval). As instruments are especially fragile, this ensures safer carriage. It will be taken at the departure gate for loading into the hold of the aircraft, so please make sure it’s suitably protected in a hard case when you pack it.

You might need to pay an additional baggage fee if it takes you over your check in allowance.

Taking sports equipment

If you have a piece of sports equipment that you'd like to take, such as skis, you'll be able to take it in place of one of your included bags as long as it weighs 23kg (50lb) or less. Take a look at our Sports equipment page for more information on the dimensions allowed for each sports item.

Taking extra bags

You can check in extra baggage beyond the limits outlined here, but you’ll need to arrange this before you fly and pay an extra baggage fee. You’ll find all the details on our Additional baggage page.

Flying in different cabins on different flights

If your booking involves travelling in different cabins, you can take the checked in baggage allowance applicable to that cabin. For example, if you are travelling in Economy Classic for your outbound you get one checked in bag, and if you are travelling in Premium for your return you get two checked in bags.

Flying Club Gold members

Flying Club Gold members can check in an extra piece of baggage on all Virgin Atlantic operated flights for no extra charge (weighing up to 23kg). It doesn’t matter which cabin you’re flying in. Find out more about Flying Club Gold benefits.

Baggage on partner airlines and connecting flights

If your flight is to or from the USA and operated by one of our codeshare partner airlines (like Delta) and the ticketed flight number starts with “VS”, then the Virgin Atlantic baggage allowance will apply. If your ticketed flight number is not “VS” then our partner airlines' baggage allowance may apply.

If your flight is not to or from the USA and you are travelling with one of our codeshare partner airlines, their baggage allowance may apply. Please take a moment to check their baggage allowances:

• Air China for flight numbers starting CA 
• Air New Zealand for flight numbers starting NZ 
• Delta Air Lines for flight numbers starting DL 
• Flybe for flight numbers starting BE 
• Singapore Airlines for flight numbers starting SQ 
• Jet Airways for flight numbers starting 9W. 
• Virgin Australia for flight numbers starting VA.