Transavia Cabin Baggage: Dimensions, Weight, and Price in 2026

Transavia considers two distinct pieces of luggage, and that's where it all comes into play. The small one, 40 x 30 x 20 cm, goes under the seat and costs nothing. The large one, 55 x 40 x 25 cm, goes in the overhead locker: it is included in a Smart or Max ticket, and is charged extra on a Basic or Plus ticket.

The catch is not where you might think. The 10 kg allowance does not apply to one suitcase; it applies to everything you bring on board, the small bag and the large suitcase combined.

Transavia's free hand luggage: 40 x 30 x 20 cm

No one pays for this bag. It is included in all four fares, and its only constraint is that it must fit within 40 x 30 x 20 cm, including wheels and handles. Its placement is mandatory: the space under the seat in front of you, never the overhead locker. On a Basic or Plus ticket, it is also the only bag you can bring on board without paying anything extra.

What fits into the 40 x 30 x 20 format

This size corresponds to a small backpack, a shoulder bag, or a generous handbag. Concretely, you can easily fit:

• A laptop up to 15 inches in its sleeve
• A toiletry bag with your travel-sized liquids
• Your personal effects: phone, keys, wallet, and documents
• Items for the flight: a book, tablet, compact camera

The maximum size includes handles and wheels. A slightly bulging soft travel bag will pass, but a rigid 45 cm suitcase will not, even if empty.

Items that do not count as luggage

Transavia allows certain items to be carried in addition to your hand luggage, without counting them. A coat or jacket carried over the arm, a folding umbrella, your medication accompanied by a prescription, as well as essential equipment if you are traveling with a baby: a feeding bottle, food for the journey, and a folding stroller, the latter being placed at the foot of the aircraft.

Transavia cabin baggage: 55 x 40 x 25 cm

Transavia cabin baggage measures a maximum of 55 x 40 x 25 cm, including wheels and handles. It travels in the overhead compartment above the seats. It is automatically included in Smart and Max fares, and can be purchased as an option on Basic and Plus fares, where the cost increases if you book late.

The 10 kg is an overall limit, not a limit per bag

This is the most misunderstood rule of Transavia's policy, and the one that costs the most. The company states it in black and white: the total weight of hand luggage and cabin baggage must not exceed 10 kilograms. The 10 kg is therefore not the limit of your cabin suitcase; it is the 10 kg for everything you bring on board. Not all airlines with strict weight rules operate this way: the 8 kg imposed by Nouvelair only applies to the cabin item, with its accessory having a separate allowance.

Concretely, if your handbag weighs 3 kg, you only have 7 kg left for the cabin suitcase, including its shell. With a rigid suitcase weighing 2.2 kg, that leaves 4.8 kg of actual belongings. This is a calculation almost no one does before arriving at the gate, because most companies calculate per bag, not globally.

Dimensions: what the company checks

The 55 cm height includes wheels and the retracted telescopic handle. Many suitcases sold as standard cabin size measure 55 cm for the shell alone and exceed this once the wheels are added: this is the classic trap of the metal gauge at the boarding gate. Transavia applies the same baggage allowance across its entire network, whether departing from Paris-Orly, Nantes, or Lyon.

Cabin baggage and handbag: can you have both?

Yes, and they accumulate rather than replacing each other. With a Smart or Max fare, or with a Basic or Plus fare and the option purchased, you can bring the 55 x 40 x 25 cm cabin baggage in the overhead bin and your 40 x 30 x 20 cm hand baggage under the seat. Only the weight is combined, up to the 10 kg limit.

The Smart nuance: cabin space subject to availability

A difference separates Smart from Max, and it's not visible in the dimensions. With a Smart fare, Transavia specifies that your cabin baggage may be transported in the cabin subject to available space. With a Max fare, this reservation disappears from the conditions. On a full flight, therefore, the Smart passenger will be the first to have their suitcase checked into the hold.

Transavia cabin baggage price according to your fare

Transavia sells four fares, and the baggage allowance changes at each level. Smart and Max include cabin baggage, Basic and Plus do not. Counterintuitively, Plus is more generous for checked baggage than Smart, but less so for cabin baggage.

The Plus fare is the one that surprises. It includes 20 kg of checked luggage, seat selection, and free flight changes, but the cabin baggage remains a paid option. If your need is to bring a suitcase on board and not to check 20 kg, Smart is a better fit than Plus, even though it is sold as the lower fare.

Adding baggage after booking

The price of cabin baggage is not fixed: Transavia applies dynamic pricing that depends on the route, season, and time of purchase. The rule is constant, however: the later you add the baggage, the more expensive it is. Buying it at the time of booking is always cheaper than paying at the airport, and infinitely cheaper than the supplement of 70 euros or more applied at the gate. The detailed conditions are available on the official Transavia website.

If your trip requires more volume, the question shifts to checked baggage. We have detailed the allowances, prices per kilo, and dimensions in our guide on checked baggage with Transavia.

Liquids and prohibited items in Transavia cabins

Transavia applies European regulations, identical across all airports in the Union. Your liquids must be in containers of maximum 100 ml, grouped in a transparent, re-sealable plastic bag of one liter capacity (approximately 20 x 20 cm), with one bag allowed per passenger. The same restrictions and list of prohibited items apply regardless of the airline departing from a European airport.

The 100 ml rule in practice

This applies to all cosmetic and similar products: gels, creams, toothpaste, perfume, as well as drinks and pasty food items. A half-empty 200 ml bottle is still prohibited, as it is the capacity printed on the container that matters, not the remaining volume. The bag must be removed from your luggage at the security check and passed separately.

Medication, food, babies, and electronic cigarettes

Liquid medications exceeding 100 ml are accepted upon presentation of a prescription. Infant formula and baby food are allowed in quantities necessary for the flight if you are traveling with a child. Electronic cigarettes and external batteries must be carried in the cabin, never in checked luggage, and must not be used on board. Items purchased duty-free after security remain allowed in their sealed bag.

Oversized baggage: what happens at the boarding gate

If your cabin baggage does not comply with your booking, in terms of size or weight, Transavia will handle it, transport it in the hold, and charge a fee of 70 euros or more depending on your booking. Checking it in is non-negotiable, and payment is made on the spot, in front of the queue, when the agent scans your boarding pass. This excess is charged per bag and per journey, so a round trip will be charged twice.

Check at the boarding gate

Staff primarily check full cabins, i.e., flights where the overhead locker is likely to be saturated. On a busy flight, verification is systematic, and the metal sizer is decisive: if the suitcase does not fit freely, it goes into the hold. On an empty flight, many borderline bags pass unchecked. Betting on this remains a gamble, not a strategy.

Measure your suitcase before leaving

The only way to eliminate the risk is to measure your luggage at home, including wheels and handle, and to weigh it with a luggage scale or bathroom scale. If you are hesitating between several formats, our cabin luggage guide by airline summarizes the accepted dimensions for each carrier.

Choosing a cabin suitcase suitable for Transavia

A suitcase designed for Transavia respects the 55 x 40 x 25 cm dimensions including wheels, and not just the shell. This is the primary criterion, the one that avoids additional fees.

The second is the empty weight, and it weighs more heavily with Transavia than elsewhere due to the overall 10 kg limit. First, consider your hand luggage: a 3 kg bag leaves only 7 kg for the suitcase. Of these 7 kg, a 2.2 kg shell leaves you with 4.8 kg of actual belongings, while a 3.5 kg shell leaves only 3.5 kg. With the same hand luggage, the choice of suitcase therefore varies by more than a third what you can actually carry.

A soft suitcase allows for slight overpacking due to its compressibility, whereas a rigid suitcase better protects fragile items but doesn't yield an inch in the sizer. If you switch between several airlines, note that Transavia's format is more generous than most European low-cost carriers: our guides on the rules for Vueling and Wizz Air show that a suitcase calibrated to the strictest formats will pass everywhere, including Transavia.

Frequently Asked Questions about Transavia Cabin Baggage