In the cutthroat European travel market, airline hand luggage policies change regularly. Knowing the size and weight requirements for the airline you're flying with will help you avoid extra fees. If Scandinavia is on your watchlist, here's what you need to know about Norwegian Air's hand luggage policy.
Norwegian hand luggage: sizes, weights and allowances
As is the case with most European carriers, Norwegian's hand baggage allowance depends on which ticket type you buy, including the size and weight of your bags. The illustration and table here give you a clear overview of Norwegian's dimensions and weight allowances.
Flying on Norwegian's cheapest LowFare ticket allows you one small under-seat bag up to 10kg in weight. If you're flying with LowFare+, you can add an overhead cabin bag to that allowance. Note that the combined weight limit of both bags is still 10 kg. If you're on the top-end Flex ticket, your allowance remains the same for hand luggage dimensions, but the weight limit increases to 15 kg.
As is now common practice, if the overhead locker is full, Norwegian may check your cabin bag in at the gate at no additional charge. Find tips to make the most of size and weight limits with the KAYAK guide to how to best pack a suitcase.
Good to know: Norwegian hand luggage tips
- Alongside your hand luggage allowance, you can also bring one airport shopping bag with things you've bought in Duty Free and the like.
- Pack important items like medicine, baby essentials and your valuables in your small under seat bag so they're easily accessible and always in view.
- Don't forget the things that aren't allowed in your hand baggage – Norwegian has a handy restricted items list to help you pack.
- Your hand luggage doesn't have to be a standard bag or wheelie case. You can bring anything not on the restricted items list as long as it doesn't exceed Norwegian's hand luggage size and weight limits.
What doesn't count as hand luggage on Norwegian Air?
Although different ticket types and fare classes have different hand luggage allowances, there are some items that don't conform to the rules.
Flying Norwegian Air with kids
Hand luggage allowances for children flying Norwegian Air depend on the child's age. Infants younger than two don't get a carry-on allowance but you can still bring "a reasonable amount of baby food and milk/formula for the flight". Children aged between two and 11 follow the same rules as adults, based on the fare you've bought for them.
If you need to bring a pushchair and/or car seat for your children, these are included in your ticket price. Each counts as a piece of hand luggage towards your overall allowance.
Flying with musical instruments
You can bring a relatively small musical instrument on board as long as it doesn't exceed your fare type's hand luggage allowance. You can also bring a larger instrument like a violin instead of hand luggage. It can be slightly larger than a typical carry-on bag but mustn't exceed 90 x 35 x 20 cm in size or weigh more than the permitted weight for your fare type.
Some top tips for flying with musical instruments:
- Use a hard case and pack your instrument so that it doesn't move around in the case
- Label your instrument with your name and phone number, including the country code
- Loosen the tension on any string instruments and bows to stop them from snapping
- Make sure you have suitable insurance that covers your instrument for travel
Flying with medication and medical instruments
You can bring necessary medication and medical instruments on board at no extra cost, but you must follow Norwegian's guidance. If in doubt, contact them for confirmation.
Keep all your medication in your hand luggage and where possible, in its original packaging. Note that cabin crew aren't allowed to administer your medication and can't store it for you. You can bring oxygen, respirator, ventilator, POC or CPAP machines on board, but you must contact the airline beforehand to organise it. In such cases you may also have to provide a medical certificate to confirm that you're fit to fly.
Norwegian hand luggage FAQs
Top three hand luggage tips for Norwegian Air
from travel expert Duncan Madden
Tip #1: pick your fare carefully
The difference between the LowFare+ and Flex fare baggage allowances is purely about weight. While Flex gives you 5 kg more weight to play with, it gives you no more space in which to add it. Knowing how much your bags will weigh in advance could mean you only need a LowFare+ ticket, saving you money. All you need to do is a practice pack to find out!
Tip #2: lose the liquids
To get your baggage weight down, consider bringing only the bare essential toiletries. Your choice is limited anyway by carry-on liquid rules, but ditching the shampoo and toothpaste will save precious grams. Anything you can pick up in a chemist or supermarket at your destination doesn't need to be in your bag for the flight.
Tip #3: musician? Get to the gate early
Arrive at the gate early if you're carrying an instrument to have the best chance of getting space in an overhead compartment. If you arrive late and they're all full, Norwegian's policy means you may have to check it into the hold regardless of how fragile and precious it is to you.
Use a lightweight bag for your hand luggage rather than a heavy roller bag. This leaves you more weight to pack stuff and could be the difference between having to pay for a more expensive fare.
⏰ Last update: April 1, 2025 – because staying informed makes travel smoother.
