.png&w=3840&q=75)
Suitcase, Luggage or Baggage? The Complete Airport Vocabulary Guide
October 23, 2026
A single case is a suitcase, and in the plural suitcases. When you talk about all your bags together you say luggage or baggage, and these words have no plural form: my luggage, not luggages. And the small case you take on board is a carry-on, because in British English a trolley is the luggage cart at the airport.
Suitcase, luggage or baggage: what's the difference
| Word | Pronunciation | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| suitcase | SOOT-kayss | One case. You can count it: one suitcase, two suitcases |
| luggage | LUG-ij | Your bags as a whole. Not countable, so you say two pieces of luggage |
| baggage | BAG-ij | The same as luggage, and the word airlines like: baggage allowance, baggage claim |
| bag | BAG | A bag. At the airport it's also used for a suitcase: How many bags are you checking? |
In practice, at the counter you'll usually be asked about bags. Whether you say suitcase, luggage or bag, you'll be understood.
Carry-on, hand luggage and checked bags
This is where the big confusion lies. In some languages, "trolley" is the small case that goes on the plane with you. In British English a trolley is the luggage cart (luggage trolley), and in America the cart is called a baggage cart. These are the terms you'll see on airline websites:
- carry-on or cabin bag: the small suitcase that goes in the overhead bin.
- hand luggage: everything that goes on the plane with you. A common term at European airlines.
- personal item or under-seat bag: the small bag that fits under the seat. On low-cost airlines this is sometimes all that's included in the ticket.
- checked bag or hold luggage: the suitcase you hand over at the counter, which travels in the hold.
- baggage allowance: how much baggage your ticket allows.
- excess baggage or overweight: over the weight limit. oversized: over the size limit.
We collected the allowed dimensions and weight at each airline in our full table of cabin suitcase sizes.
Ready-made phrases for the check-in counter
- I'd like to check in one suitcase.
- Can I take this bag on board?
- Is my suitcase overweight?
- How much is the excess baggage fee?
- Could you put a fragile sticker on it, please?
- Is my bag checked through to my final destination? An important question on connecting flights.
At security and the gate: hand luggage words
- security check: the security screening. That's where you'll hear liquids and laptops out (take laptops out of your bag).
- boarding pass: your ticket to board the plane. gate: where you board.
- overhead bin or overhead locker: the compartment above the seats, where the carry-on goes.
- gate check: when the overhead bins fill up, your carry-on is taken at the gate and sent to the hold. In that case ask Where do I collect it?, meaning whether you pick it up by the plane or on the carousel.
- bag drop: the counter where you hand over suitcases if you've already checked in online.
A small tip: before your carry-on is taken at the gate, take out batteries and power banks, medication and documents. Those stay with you in the cabin.
A suitcase that didn't arrive or arrived broken: the words you must know
- baggage claim: the baggage collection area. carousel or belt: the conveyor the bags go around on.
- delayed baggage: a suitcase that didn't arrive on your flight. lost baggage: a suitcase that has been lost.
- damaged baggage: a suitcase that was damaged, for example a broken wheel, a broken handle or a cracked shell.
- Lost & Found or baggage services: the desk where you report it.
- PIR, short for Property Irregularity Report: the airline's damage or loss report.
The important rule: fill in the PIR at the airport desk before you leave the terminal, and photograph the damage, the bag tag and your boarding pass. On international flights, under the Montreal Convention, a written complaint about a damaged suitcase must be filed within 7 days of receiving it at the latest. The sentence you'll need: My suitcase arrived damaged, I'd like to file a report. What to do with the report afterwards, and how it helps you get a new suitcase, is explained in our guide to damage reports for flight luggage. And tips for the moment before, by the carousel, are in our guide to the baggage carousel at Ben Gurion Airport.
Pack, weigh, unpack: words from home
| Meaning | Term |
|---|---|
| Putting things into a suitcase | to pack a suitcase |
| Taking things out | to unpack |
| Checking the weight | to weigh a suitcase |
| The weighing device | luggage scale |
| The label with your details | luggage tag |
| Size | small suitcase / large suitcase |
| Shell type | hard-shell suitcase / soft-shell suitcase |
| The pull-up handle | telescopic handle |
| Wheels that turn all the way round | spinner wheels |
| Code lock | combination lock (or TSA lock) |
| A suitcase that gets bigger | expandable suitcase |
About the luggage tag: write your details in English, so any worker at any airport can read them. More ideas for marking your suitcase are in our guide to marking a suitcase.
How to say suitcase in other languages
| Language | The word | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Spanish | maleta | ma-LEH-ta |
| Portuguese | mala | MAH-la |
| Italian | valigia | va-LEE-ja |
| French | valise | va-LEEZ |
| Greek | βαλίτσα | va-LEE-tsa |
| German | Koffer | KOF-fer |
| Russian | чемодан | che-mo-DAN |
| Arabic | حقيبة سفر | haqibat safar (colloquially also shanta) |
And in Hebrew? A suitcase is a mizvada, and several are mizvadot. And if you're at the stage of choosing one, you can browse all our suitcases by size and type.
Products in this guide
Frequently asked questions
Do you say luggages in the plural?
No. Luggage and baggage are uncountable words, like water. You say all my luggage, or count the units: two pieces of luggage, two bags or two suitcases.
How do you spell suitcase?
Suitcase, one word: s-u-i-t-c-a-s-e. Plural suitcases. The word comes from the days when people carried a suit in it.
What is the difference between a carry-on and a personal item?
A carry-on is the small suitcase that goes in the overhead bin. A personal item is a smaller bag, like a backpack or a crossbody bag, that fits under the seat in front of you. The cheapest tickets on some low-cost airlines include only the personal item.
What is the weight of a suitcase called?
It's luggage weight or baggage weight, and the weight your ticket allows is called the baggage allowance. The device you weigh it with at home is a luggage scale, and the verb is to weigh: I need to weigh my suitcase.
What is a luggage cart called?
In Britain and Europe a luggage trolley, and in the United States a baggage cart. That's also why you shouldn't ask for a trolley when you mean a small suitcase: you'll be brought a cart.
