Are you a victim of cabin baggage rip off?

Travellers are being charged up to £155 at the airport, for falling foul of confusing hand luggage regulations. A new study has shown that the rules vary wildly depending on the airline you fly with, and if you accidentally fall foul of the regulations, you could be stung with a fee of up to £155.

With budget airlines increasingly charging for checked luggage, and regular travellers keen to avoid delays at baggage claim, people are increasingly cramming everything into their hand luggage and leaving their suitcase at home. As a result, the airlines have clamped down on the size and weight of the bags they allow onto the plane.

The research, by Kayak.co.uk, found that one of the biggest fees was charged by British Airways - which will make you pay £60 at the gate if your bag exceeds the 23kg limit or the generous size limit. easyJet, meanwhile has a smaller fee of £45, but it also allows less on, so travellers are more likely to be caught out.

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Limits

The study found that WOW air allows the least cabin baggage onto the plane - at just 5kg. This is followed by Qatar Airlines at 7kg. A number of airlines impose a limit of 8kg, including Alitalia, Swiss, Lufthansa, and Turkish Airlines.

Ryanair allows 10kg onto the plane - as do Iberia, Aer Lingus and Aeroflot. KLW and Air France, meanwhile, allow 12kgs on. British Airways' limit of 23kg is by far the most generous - although easyJet has no weight limit at all.

When it comes to size, the four most generous airlines are British Airways, easyJet, Iberia and Wow Air. At the other end of the spectrum are Qatar Airways. Air France, Alitalia, Hop! and KLM. Ryanair is mid-table. The full details of measurements allowed on each flight are available on the Kayak blog.

If you fall foul of the rules, Lufthansa has the biggest fee for long haul travellers, at £155. This is followed by Austrian and Polish Airlines at £120, Icelandair at £90, Iberia and Alitalia at £80, and Air France at £75.

On short haul, the highest fee is charged by Lufthansa at £80. This is followed by Brussels Airlines, British Airways, and Austrian at £60 and Air France, Hop! and Polish Airlines at £55.

Hacks

Of course, those who are committed to traveling light will be able to manage however small the allowance gets. Popular hacks include wearing several layers of clothes - including any coats - and making sure they wear their heaviest shoes on the plane. Seasoned budget airline travellers will also carry shoes in their coat pockets, along with heavier items like books and electronic equipment.

It seems like an awful lot of trouble to go to, but fans of stealth packing will tell you that a few minutes of being uncomfortable in two jackets and a pair of ski boots is worth it if it means they save £100 or more on baggage fees.

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