Budapest Airport does not set your baggage allowance — your airline does
This is the first thing to be clear about, because it decides where to look for your answer. There is no such thing as a "Budapest Airport baggage allowance". The weight limit for hold baggage is determined by the airline, and so are cabin bag dimensions, the number of pieces and every fee attached to them.
What the airport does control is the process on the day: where you drop the bag, what has to be on it, what it costs if it is overweight, what gets wrapped, and what will not pass screening. That part is genuinely Budapest-specific and it is what this page covers — alongside a straight comparison of the carriers that actually fly out of Terminal 2.
The free bag that every ticket includes
Both low-cost airlines that dominate Budapest have now converged on the same free personal item: 40 × 30 × 20 cm, stowed under the seat in front of you. Wizz Air allows it on every fare with no weight limit stated for the small bag; Ryanair moved to the same 40 × 30 × 20 figure in mid-2025, slightly larger than the 40 × 20 × 25 shape people had bought cases for.
If you are travelling hand-baggage-only and your case measures 40 × 30 × 20 or less, you owe nothing extra to either airline. Anything bigger is a paid product.
Wizz Air and Ryanair, side by side
Budapest is one of Wizz Air's largest bases and Ryanair operates a substantial Terminal 2B programme, so between them they account for most departures. The two products look similar and are not.
| Wizz Air | Ryanair | |
|---|---|---|
| Free small bag | 40 × 30 × 20 cm, under the seat | 40 × 30 × 20 cm, under the seat |
| Larger cabin bag | 55 × 40 × 23 cm, up to 10 kg — requires WIZZ Priority | 55 × 40 × 20 cm, up to 10 kg — requires Priority |
| Checked bag options | 10, 20, 26 or 32 kg | 10, 20 or 23 kg |
| Max single piece | 149 × 119 × 171 cm | Airline-set, smaller |
| Priority bought at the airport | Substantially more than online — around €55 | Substantially more than online |
Note the cabin bag depth: 23 cm on Wizz, 20 cm on Ryanair. A case bought to the Wizz template will not necessarily pass Ryanair's gauge, and it is the depth that catches people out. Buy for the tighter of the two if you fly both.
The other rule that costs money: always add the bag online. Both carriers price airport-purchased allowance far above the online price, and Wizz Priority at the gate is roughly €55 against as little as €10 when booked early.
Full-service airlines at Budapest
Lufthansa, SWISS, KLM, Air France, British Airways, LOT Polish Airlines, Turkish Airlines, Qatar Airways and Korean Air all serve Budapest, and their pattern is different: a cabin bag is included rather than sold, typically around 8 kg in the 55 × 40 × 23 cm envelope, and economy tickets on longer routes usually include one checked bag of 23 kg.
The exception to watch is the stripped-down European economy fare — Lufthansa-group "Light" and equivalent products fly without a checked bag at all. Read the fare name, not the airline name.
Excess baggage: how it works at Budapest, and why it stops you boarding
If your bag is over the airline's limit, the excess is charged per kilogram, and the rate depends on how far you are flying — a long-haul kilo costs more than a short-haul one. The detail that matters operationally: your boarding pass will not be issued until the excess fee has been paid. It is not a bill that follows you; it is a gate you have to clear at the desk.
The practical move is to weigh at home. Budapest's check-in halls have scales, but discovering a problem there means repacking on the floor with a queue behind you.
Self-service bag drop: Bagomats and Tagomats
Budapest runs a large self-service baggage system, and if your airline participates it is much faster than the desk. You scan the barcode on your boarding pass — printed or on your phone — at a Tagomat, which prints the bag tag for you to attach, then scan the tag at a Bagomat, which takes the bag.
| Location | Tagomats | Bagomats |
|---|---|---|
| Terminal 2A check-in hall | 10 | 9 |
| Terminal 2B check-in hall | 17 | 15 |
| Dedicated to Ryanair passengers | 10 | 3 |
A pictogram on the flight information monitors marks which flights the service is available for — check the board before joining a desk queue.
Every hold bag needs a name tag
This is a requirement at Budapest, not a suggestion: all hold baggage must carry a name tag. If you do not have one, ask the check-in agent — they hand them out. It costs nothing and it is the single thing that most improves your odds if a bag goes astray, because the airline's own barcode tag is the part that gets torn off in a mishandling.
Wrapping your bag before check-in
Baggage wrapping is available in the departure halls of both Terminal 2A and Terminal 2B, operated by BagWrap.com, for a fee. It is worth considering for soft cases, for zips that no longer lock, and on itineraries with a connection where the bag will be handled more than once.
Do it before you check in, not after — once the bag is on the belt, it is gone. Our page on luggage wrapping and trolleys at Budapest Airport covers what it costs and where the counters sit.
Oversized, sports and special baggage
Skis, bicycles, golf bags, instruments and pushchairs are all handled, but almost always as a declared item booked in advance with the airline rather than something you present on the day. They generally go to an oversized baggage position rather than the standard belt, and the airline sets both the fee and the packing requirement.
Pushchairs are the common case at Budapest: on most carriers you can use it right up to the aircraft door and collect it on arrival, and it does not count against your allowance — but confirm with the airline, because the low-cost carriers vary on whether it is free with an infant only.
What will not pass screening — and where to leave it
Whatever your allowance says, cabin baggage still has to clear security. Budapest continues to enforce the 100 ml limit on liquids in hand baggage, in a one-litre transparent bag — Budapest has not lifted it, even though several other European airports have moved to newer scanners. The full list of what to take out and what not to pack is on our Budapest Airport security and liquid rules page.
If you are stuck with something you cannot take, or simply want to travel into the city unencumbered, there is a paid left-luggage facility in Terminal 2B — prices and hours are on our luggage storage at Budapest Airport page.
Airline figures verified in August 2026. Allowances and fees are set by the airlines and change without notice — reconfirm on your carrier's own site before you fly.