Virgin Australia is giving on one hand and taking away on the other as it takes another step in airlines’ global crackdown on carry-on luggage.

Under rules that take effect on February 2, Virgin economy passengers will be limited to one cabin bag and a small personal item such as a handbag or laptop.

But their hand luggage will be allowed to weigh eight kilograms, up from the existing seven kilogram limit.

There will be no change for Virgin’s business passengers, Economy X and other loyalty program members, who will still be allowed two bags of up to 14 kilograms, and a small additional item.

The change was announced quietly on Virgin’s website this week.

“These changes are based on team member and guest feedback, and will help deliver an enhanced onboard experience, while keeping the boarding process simple and consistent,” chief operations officer Chris Snook said.

“The result will be a smoother start to the journey and a more comfortable experience on board. We want your bag, where you sit.”

The new limits apply across Virgin’s domestic flights as well as its short-haul international routes, including Bali, Fiji and New Zealand.

They move Virgin closer to rival Qantas, which allows one standard carry-on bag of up to 10 kilograms or two weighing a combined 14 kilograms.

Qantas passengers can also bring on board one small personal item such as a purse or laptop, which cannot be stored in overhead bins.

Qantas budget arm Jetstar has a standard carry-on limit of seven kilograms.

The major airlines have increased overhead bin space on new aircraft as they have renewed their fleets. Virgin’s 737 MAX 8 and Embraer E190-E2 and Qantas’s new A321XLR offer more storage than the planes they have replaced, including the 737-800 and E190-E1.

Virgin’s new Boeings have more overhead locker space than older planes. Photo: Virgin Australia

But Virgin’s update this week is just the latest in an international trend of airlines getting tougher as they battle with passengers’ ever-increasing hand luggage and limited overhead locker space.

During the European summer, budget British airlines such as Ryanair, EasyJet, Jet2 and TUI ramped up enforcement of their strict hand luggage policies. Cabin bag sizes and weights were closely monitored, and travellers faced penalties of up to $150 for oversized or overweight bags.

Airlines say the crackdowns aim to streamline boarding, reduce delays – and ensure fair compliance for all passengers – as travellers try to avoid spiralling fees for check-in baggage fees.

“Many people are now carrying more than one piece of hand luggage, which is often too big. Either because they don’t know what the airline’s bag policy is, or they do know but choose to ignore it,” Nikolaus Moehren, a cabin manager at German carrier Lufthansa, told news website Yahoo earlier this year.

“This creates additional problems because on fully booked flights, the overhead compartments are sometimes already overflowing halfway through boarding.

“The easiest thing to do would be to check your booking before your flight and see what you’re actually allowed to take with you.”

In Europe, the situation is fraught enough that earlier this year European Union politicians approved a proposal to force airlines – including budget carriers – to allow passengers to bring a personal item and one piece of hand luggage weighing up to seven kilograms on board.

The EU believes budget airlines’ penalties for hand luggage that they designate to be “oversized” punishes passengers, because the cheapest tickets commonly allow only one “small personal item”.

“On many cheap flights on EasyJet, Ryanair and Wizz Air, taking a ‘large cabin bag’ can roughly double the cost of the trip,” Simon Calder, the travel correspondent for Britain’s Independent newspaper, wrote.

“To make matters worse, the three budget giants have different dimensions for the ‘small personal item’.”