Luggage

If you’re travelling on a TUI Airways flight with a TOM or BY flight number

If you decide you'd like to upgrade your allowance or add checked-in luggage to your booking, you’ll need to do this at least 3 days before you depart. This means you’ll be able to pack those extra holiday outfits and still have room to bring your souvenir shopping back with you. You can do this by visiting Manage My Booking, getting in touch with the store where you've booked or calling us on 01 6937700. Prices vary by destination, and it’ll be cheaper to do this before you get to the airport.

If you wait until airport check-in to add a bag to your booking, you’ll be charged the following each way:

If you’re not travelling with TUI Airways

You’ll need to go directly to the airline’s website to check your luggage allowance and purchase any upgrades. You’ll find the name of the airline you’re travelling with, the airline’s booking reference, and the website address on your Manage My Booking page, just below your flight details. Make sure you use the airline’s booking reference to log into their website, and not your TUI booking reference.

Just so you know, If you plan to take sporting equipment eg, golf clubs or surf boards into Manohar International Airport, Goa, heavy customs duty charges will be made on arrival and may delay your onward journey. You may wish to consider hiring in resort.

A drone or “unmanned aerial vehicle” (UAV) can be safely carried on TUI flights provided the following precautions are followed:

- If lithium-ion or lithium polymer batteries are used, the drone can be carried as checked baggage or carry-on baggage, as long as the drone can be protected from inadvertent activation.
- The size and weight limits of checked or carry-on baggage is not exceeded.
- Spare batteries must be protected from short circuit and damage, and can be carried in carry-on baggage only.
- For drones powered by batteries up to 100Wh, prior approval by TUI is not required.  For drones with batteries exceeding 100Wh but not exceeding 160Wh, prior approval by TUI is required.  In this case, please contact us..
- Drones and batteries exceeding 160Wh are forbidden from carriage.

Note: a number of countries eg. Egypt, have strict guidelines on the use of drones, where some countries do not allow drones to be used at all.  Please check the local regulation of your destination country before you travel.

Airport security regulations state that you're only allowed to carry small amounts of liquids in your hand luggage.

Liquids make up part of your 1-bag hand luggage allowance.  You'll need to pack them in containers of no more than 100ml - 3.5fluid Oz and carry them in a clear, resealable plastic bag up to a maximum size of 20cm x 20cm - 8 inches x 8 inches, or that can hold up to 1 litre.  Any liquids in containers bigger than this need to be packed in your checked-in luggage.

How to pack your liquids:  

Make sure the containers fit comfortably in the bag and that the bag is completely closed.  You'll need to ensure the containers are easily visible, too.
You'll need to provide the plastic bag yourself.  At most airports they're also available to buy before you go through security.  Each person travelling - including infants - can carry 1 plastic bag for liquids.

What 'liquids' means: 

Examples of liquids that you should pack as above include:

- Water and drinks, soups or syrups
- Creams, lotions and oil
- Perfume
- Sprays
- Gels - including hair and shower gels - Shaving foam, other foams, deodorants and anything in pressurised containers
- Pastes, like toothpaste
- Liquid-solid mixtures
- Mascara
- Any other items that have a similar consistency.

Medical and dietary liquids: 

You'll be able to carry medical and dietary liquids over 100ml, but you'll need to bring a doctor's letter to show at security.
Any liquids you buy from duty free must be carried in a sealed security bag - you'll be given this bag when you buy the item at the airport.  You'll need to keep the item and the receipt sealed in the security bag throughout the journey.

Just so you know, security officers might need to open the bag to screen the item.  If you're going to be connecting with another flight at your destination airport, let the security officer know and they'll reseal it in a new security bag.

While UK airports are installing new scanners to prepare for changes in security restrictions, at this time you should still follow current guidelines as not all airports have changed* and destination airports still have these restrictions in place for your flight home. Check government hand luggage restrictions at UK airports and at Irish airports for more details about medical and dietary exceptions.

*We recommend you check your departure airport website for their most up-to-date security advice.

Sorry, if you've already checked-in online, you can't make any changes to your seat numbers or luggage allowance online. You'll need to contact us to do this as we'll need to uncheck you and change your seats. You'll then need to check-in again and print your boarding passes.

If you're travelling with TUI, Air Europa, Albastar, ASL Airlines France, ASL Airlines Ireland, Evelop Airlines, Germania, Norwegian, Travel Service or Volotea, please see below. If you're flying with any other airline, you'll need to contact them directly. 
 
If you haven't travelled yet
Please call us on 01 693 7700 (ROI) or 028 90 389 387 (NI). Just so you know, once you've made the changes, you'll need to print your boarding passes again, so they show the updated details. You'll need to print each boarding pass clearly on an individual piece of A4 paper. 
 
If you're on holiday and want to make changes for your flight home
Please speak to your Holiday Rep, who'll check availability for you. Just so you know, once you've made the changes, you'll need to print your boarding passes again, so they show the updated details. Alternatively, you can collect the new boarding passes at the TUI bag drop desk when you arrive at the airport. 

To reprint your boarding passes, please visit our Flight Extras website. If you can't print them for any reason, you can collect them from the TUI bag drop desk when you get to the airport. 

If you're flying with any other airline, you'll need to contact them directly.

If your flight has a TOM flight number, your flight time is eligible, and you're flying from one of the airports listed below before midday, you can check your bags in on the day before you're due to fly. You can save even more time by checking in online beforehand.

If you're joining one of our Marella Cruise ships, day before bag drop is available for cruises from Palma, Corfu, Dubrovnik, Las Palmas, Tenerife and Turkey. 

If you’re travelling to Melbourne, Florida day before bag drop is available from Birmingham, Glasgow, London Gatwick and Manchester.

We offer day-before bag drop at:
 
-Birmingham Airport
For flight times: before midday
Open between: 2pm and 9pm

-Bristol Airport
For flight times: before midday
Open between: 4pm-9pm 

-East Midlands 
For flight times:  before midday
Open between: 4pm-9pm

-Gatwick Airport – North Terminal flights only
For flight times: before midday
Open between: 2pm and 9pm

-Glasgow Airport
For flight times: before midday
Open between: 4pm and 8pm 

-Manchester Airport – from Terminal 2
For flight times: departing before midday
Open between: 2pm and 9pm

Just so you know, this service isn't available for P&O Cruises flights. 

IMPORTANT - You will need to bring your passport and documents to use the 'Day-before bag drop' service.

Some airports offer either free or discounted parking if you're only staying for a short time. More details can be found in the FAQ 'I'm planning to use the day-before bag drop service. Will I need to pay for parking at the airport?'

For TUI flights, you're allowed to pool your luggage allowance with anyone else travelling on your booking. However, each bag can only weigh up to 25kg.

If you're unsure of your luggage allowance, then you can find this on your booking confirmation or by logging in to your Customer Account. Here you also may be able to increase your luggage allowance, you can also do this by calling 01 693 7700 (ROI) or 028 90 389 387 (NI). If you're departing in the next 48 hours, you can only add extra luggage on the Flight Extras page.

Just so you know, you'll find it much cheaper to book additional luggage allowance, in comparison with airport excess luggage charges.


Travelling with another airline?
Please check your e-ticket/confirmation email for details.

We don't allow the carriage of small vehicles powered by Lithium batteries on our flights. This applies to both hand luggage and hold luggage, as well as cargo. This is due to recent reports highlighting some doubts with regards to the integrity of the electrical wiring within these products.

If you're travelling with a Lithium battery powered wheelchair or mobility aid, please refer to the question "Do I have to do anything to prepare for travel with my wheelchair or mobility aid?"

Yes - if the instrument you're bringing is smaller than 55x40x20cm you can carry this as hand luggage.

For larger instruments, you'll need to pay a bit extra to check them in as hold luggage.  This can be booked on our Flight Extras website 90 days before your return flight.  We recommend you do this at least two months before you travel as there's limited space.  That said, you can add baggage allowance up to six hours before your outbound flight and 25 hours before your return flight, if there's room.  If you need help with this, please call us on 01 693 7700 (ROI) or 028 90 389 387 (NI).

We recommend you mark the instrument as fragile and ask check-in staff to handle with care.

Yes - you can carry your wedding dress as hand luggage, however this will count as your 1 item of hand luggage. This means it needs to meet the hand luggage size and weight limits. You'll need to put it in the overhead locker during the flight. 

To find out the hand luggage size guidelines take a look at "What is my luggage allowance?"

If you're looking for a safe way to carry your wedding dress, we recommend a wedding dress box from the Life Memories Box Company. Please go to https://www.lifememoriesbox.co.uk/tui-and-first-choice-brides-26-w.asp to get 10% off your order.

If you've checked in online, your flight has a TOM flight number and you're flying from an eligible airport, you can head straight to the self-service bag drop kiosks when you arrive at the airport.

We offer self-service bag drop at:
-Aberdeen
-Birmingham Airport
-Bristol Airport
-Cardiff Airport
-Gatwick Airport - from the North Terminal
-Glasgow Airport
-Leeds Bradford Airport
-Luton Airport
-Manchester Airport - from Terminal 2
-Newcastle Airport

Your luggage is now electronically tagged when you check-in, so there's no need for luggage tags.

If you've booked a wedding with us and you're travelling with TUI, we'll give the bride and groom an extra 5kg hold luggage each. You'll find a letter about this in your confirmation pack, which you need to take with you when you check in.

TUI flights;

If hold baggage is included with your booking, you can take up to five bags per passenger, as long as the combined weight of all the bags is within your maximum luggage allowance. It's also worth mentioning that no single bag can weigh more than 25kg.

Flights with other airlines;

This varies depending on who you're travelling with. Please check your e-ticket/confirmation email for details.

There are limits to the number of duty-free items you can bring into Mexico.
Passengers over the age of 18 may purchase a maximum of 200 cigarettes, 25 cigars or 200g of tobacco, and up to three litres of alcohol. You can spread your purchases between the adult passengers in your group prior to your arrival in Mexico. Make sure that each adult in your group is not carrying more than the allowance for an individual. If you are found to exceed the limit, you will be fined and there is no option to dispose of the goods. 

The amount of duty-free you can bring back varies depending on where you're going on holiday. Take a look at the Irish Tax Customs website for the latest details.

For destinations in Europe please refer to Europe Duty Free Allowance and for all other destinations please check your allowance by individual country. 
Just so you're aware, some destination airports do carry out customs checks on arrival. 

We’re sorry if your bag has been damaged during your journey. Please report any damage in the baggage reclaim area and if possible, take photos of any damage on your phone before you leave the airport.

Our baggage handling agents will give you a Property Irregularity Report (PIR). With this, you can easily register a claim with our baggage replacement specialist team at www.damagedluggage.com.

Once you’ve registered, you can upload images and provide full details of the damaged item. The team will then be able to process your claim, which means they’ll look for a suitable replacement or, if possible, a repair. It’s important that you do this within seven days of your return flight.

Once you’ve completed the registration form, you’ll be sent a unique reference number by email. The team will also send you updates about the progress of your claim, so you know what’s happening every step of the way.

If you need to get in touch with us during the process, you can send messages to our team through the website above. And if you ever need to chat, you can use the multi-language Live Chat function.

The live chat is available Monday to Friday, from 0900 to 1700 as is the quickest way to contact our team, alternatively you can contact them by phone on call on 01279 813000 and select option 2

Just so you know, minor scuffs and denting are considered to be part of normal wear and tear, and claims of this nature are not accepted.

TUI Airways, along with all other airlines, is governed by the Montreal Convention – that means we cannot accept liability for fragile or valuable items within your baggage.

We don't want you to experience any further disappointment, so please remember you must report you damaged luggage within 7 days from your return flight. If you travelled on a non-TUI airline, please check their website directly for your airline’s luggage procedure. 

We’re really sorry, we know how worrying it can be if your bag hasn’t arrived on time or has been lost – there’s a couple of things you need to do to help get it back to you as quickly as possible or to make a claim.

Before you leave the airport, please report lost or delayed baggage at the arrival airport by filling out a Property Irregularity Report (PIR) This will start the tracing process to locate your missing or delayed items. Our agents in the baggage collection area will be able to help you with this – they usually have a clearly-signposted baggage information desk.

It’s important that this is kept safe with your flight tickets, baggage receipts and any other relevant travel documents. Your PIR reference will allow you to access our self-service online system, where you can view the status of your delayed luggage and add any missing info that could help with finding it sooner.

Please note: if travelling on a BLX/6B flight number, the self-service online system may not be available at this current time

Once your bag has been located, you’ll be informed by our Ground Handling Agents and the bag will be delivered to the address you’ve indicated on the report.

For the first five days of tracing, if you need to speak to someone, please contact our local Ground Handling Agent on the contact details on your PIR or on the letter you’ll be provided with – you’ll need to quote your PIR reference in all correspondence. Your PIR reference consists of a five-letter and five-number reference e.g. MANBY12345.

If you’re on holiday speak to your holiday rep or contact our team using the chat function on the TUI app, by calling +35319635304* - they’ll be able to support you with tracing your luggage as well as arranging an allowance for essentials.

*calls from abroad are charged at international rates.

After six days call the TUI Baggage services department on 0333 577 0300* or email them at tuisecondarytracing@airlineluggageclaims.com. You can also Live Chat*. Please remember to include your PIR number, all the surnames of your travelling party, your flight number and booking reference in any correspondence.

Calls from IE landlines cost the standard rate, but calls from mobiles may be higher. Please check with your network provider. *Phones and live chat available 0900-1700 GMT Monday – Friday.

Making a claim

In the unlikely event that your luggage is not located, you may wish you make a claim.

You can make a claim through your travel insurance provider or through TUI on this website www.tui.airlineluggageclaims.com. 

or in writing to the below address TUI Airways Baggage Claims PO Box 1215, Crawley, West Sussex RH10 0HA

Email: tui@airlineluggageclaims.com

Tel: 0333 577 0300

Just so you know, you can't claim from both your travel insurance provider and the airline. If you're claiming for delayed baggage, you'll need to make your claim in writing within 21 days of the date your baggage was delivered.

If you choose to claim from your own travel insurance, please let them know that any correspondence should be directed to our Baggage Claims Department, as detailed above.

If you travelled on a non-TUI airline, please check their website directly for your airline’s luggage procedure.

If your luggage is heavier than your allowance when you check in, you'll need to pay an excess luggage charge. However, even if you pay the extra charge, each piece of luggage can't weigh more than 25kg.

Excess luggage charges;

Short haul flights - £14 or €16 per kilogram.

Mid haul flights - £14 or €16 per kilogram.

Long haul flights - £18 or €21 or $25 per kilogram.

Just so you know, charges may vary depending on whether you're travelling in the summer or winter season.

Flights with other airlines;

You'll need to pay an excess luggage charge if your luggage is heavier than your allowance when you check-in. Each airline also has a restriction on how heavy each piece of luggage can be, and some airlines will only allow 1 piece of hold luggage per person. Please check directly with the airline for details.

Excess Luggage and Sports Equipment - There may be a charge for excess luggage and sports equipment. Whether or not we can carry it will depend on capacity on the day. You can arrange to take golf clubs, windsurf boards, diving equipment and other sports equipment on your flight. If you don't book, you may still be able to check your own equipment in, but we can't guarantee this and there'll be a charge. Bear in mind, any problems with excess luggage charges need to be sorted out at the airport. We can't guarantee you'll be able to take bulky sports equipment with you on the coach to your holiday accommodation, and there may be an extra charge,

In order to book these, give us a call on 01 693 7700 (ROI) or 028 90 389 387 (NI). We recommend that you book this as soon as possible as space on each flight is very limited. 

Below, you'll find the price per one way flight for different equipment types:
- Diving & scuba equipment from £30 / €35 
- Bikes from £30 / €35 
- Fishing rods from £20 / €23 
- Golf clubs & other equipment from £27 / €32
- Surf boards from £30 / €35 

Just so you know, prices may vary depending on your destination. Some countries impose customs charges for the import of high value items e.g. sports equipment, please ensure you check this with the relevant authorities before you travel. If you plan to take sporting equipment eg, golf clubs or surf boards into Manohar International Airport, Goa, heavy customs duty charges will be made on arrival and may delay your onward journey. You may wish to consider hiring in resort.

Ski/Snowboards - 

You can buy ski and snowboard carriage on the Flight Extras website. It's sold per set of skis or snowboard (not per bag) – one set of skis or one snowboard in one bag costs from £50 / €59 and the maximum weight is 15kg. To take two sets of skis or two snowboards in one bag, you must buy two lots of ski or snowboard carriage from £50 / €59 each and the total maximum weight is 23kg.

You can also pack clothes in the bag, as long as it doesn't go over the weight limit.

Ski/snowboard boots aren’t included in ski or snowboard carriage – these are part of your normal baggage allowance and must be checked into the hold.

Please note, you can’t bring your skis or snowboard instead of your checked baggage – you must book separate ski or snowboard carriage, even if you’re not bringing any checked baggage.

You can use one of the larger wheelie bags by paying from £50 / €59 ski or snowboard carriage charge, with a checked baggage allowance of 23kg total. If you choose this option, you can't take any other checked baggage.

Protecting your Sports Equipment
We recommend that you insure your sports equipment for its replacement value and make sure it's securely packed with zip compartments padlocked. If you're taking a bicycle, we recommend you use a bicycle bag. Handlebars must be turned inwards, pedals removed, tyres deflated and the bicycle must be wrapped in plastic or cardboard.

Diving Equipment and Licenses
If you're travelling with TUI, carrying diving equipment and you show your diving certificate at check-in, we'll give you an extra 5kg luggage allowance free. If you've got more equipment, you can check it in for an extra charge.

Please read through the information on our List of allowed items page. Here you'll find a list of items that can be carried in your hand luggage and hold luggage. 

For a list of restricted items, please read through our luggage guidelines page.

Travelling to the US?
New measures came into effect on 30th June 2018 meaning that you may be subject to security searches at the boarding gate on any flight to and from the USA. Also, you'll only be allowed to carry powder substances in your hand luggage in quantities less than 12oz or 350ml - there are exemptions to this such as medically prescribed powders with a supporting doctor's note, baby formula and cremated ashes. All other powder-like substances need to be in your checked in hold luggage.
These regulations also apply on flights from Jamaica - Montego Bay Airport - and Dominican Republic - Puerta Plata and Punta Cana - as these flights fly over the USA.

UK Airports 

At UK airports, Bag Drop desks open two to three hours before your departure time.  If you're taking a long haul flight, we recommend you drop off your bags three hours before your flight leaves.
 
Only one person from your party is required to drop off the bags, provided all passengers are travelling on the same booking reference.  Just one of you needs to bring all printed boarding passes, passports and luggage to the Bag Drop desk, and then you can all go straight to the departure gates together with your tickets and boarding passes.

Resort Airports

Check-in desks at resort airports usually open two hours before departure.

Bag drop desk closing times 

At both UK airports and resort airports, desks usually close 45 minutes before departure, so make sure you've checked in at least an hour before you're due to fly.

Checking in with other airlines 

Recommended check-in times vary depending on which airline you're travelling with, so make sure you check your tickets/confirmation email for details on when you need to check-in and arrive at the boarding gate. 

Arriving any earlier than this won’t mean you can check in or pass through security early.

If you're flying on TUI Airways it's best to do this before you check in, check in closes 6 hours before your flight departs.

Sorry, if you've already checked-in online, you can't make any changes to your seat numbers or luggage allowance online. You'll need to  contact usto do this as we'll need to uncheck you and change your seats. You'll then need to check-in again and print your boarding passes.

TUI flights
This may be because you've already added the maximum luggage allowance available for each passenger. You can usually add baggage up to a maximum of 30kg per person, although this can vary by destination.
 
How to find out whether you can add more luggage
You can find out whether you can add more luggage on the Extras page, where you'll see the allowance that's currently included for each passenger on your booking. If extra luggage is available, you'll see a dropdown menu showing the extra amounts you can add. If the menu is empty though, you've already reached the maximum amount.

Flying with other airlines:

If flying with the below airlines this may be because you've already added the maximum luggage allowance available for each passenger.

Air Europa, Albastar, ASL Airlines France, ASL Airlines Ireland, Evelop Airlines, Germania, Norwegian, Travel Service and Volotea.