The long queues that have backed up Sydney and Melbourne airports all week are threatening to ground people’s hopes of travelling easily this Easter holiday period.

That’s why it pays to be efficient now more than ever.

A Sydney Airport spokesperson told The New Daily that passengers taking short trips should consider taking only carry-on luggage and checking in online.

That way, they can avoid the line at the airline check-in counters and ease the congestion for others at the same time.

However, due to additional delays at the security check, travellers are still advised to arrive at the airport two hours before their flight.

One major caveat is that certain items cannot be taken in carry-on baggage, including household flammables and sharp objects.

Here’s what the different airlines have to say about carry-on rules.

Qantas

Domestic passengers on Qantas flights have several options.

One is to take a 56cm x 36cm x 23cm suitcase weighing no more than 10 kilograms.

Alternatively, passengers can take two slightly smaller bags that weigh up to 14 kilograms combined.

As a rule of thumb, all these items must either fit in an overhead storage locker, or under the seat in front of you.

You can read the full Qantas guidelines here.

Virgin Australia

Virgin Australia has slightly different restrictions for passengers flying economy and business.

Economy passengers are allowed one 56cm x 36cm x 23cm suitcase of up to 7 kilograms, or two smaller pieces totalling seven kilograms combined.

Business passengers can also take one seven-kilogram suitcase with the same size cap, but can also choose to bring two smaller bags totalling 14 kilograms.

You can read the full Virgin Australia guidelines here.

Jetstar

Jetstar passengers are allowed to carry on a 56cm x 36cm x 23cm suitcase weighing up to seven kilograms.

Alternatively, passengers can bring one bag plus a “small item” such as a purse, laptop or umbrella, so long as the two weigh seven kilograms combined.

Passengers can choose to purchase an extra seven kilograms carry-on allowance, for 14 kilograms in total. Individual bags cannot exceed 10 kilograms in this circumstance.

You can read the full Jetstar guidelines here.

Rex

On Rex, economy promo and economy saver passengers are allowed one standard piece of luggage of up to 56cm x 36cm x 23cm and seven kilograms, plus one personal item.

This also applies to regional flights.

For economy flex and biz saver passengers, the weight allowance goes up to 10 kilograms and can be spread across two smaller pieces of luggage.

For biz and biz plus passengers, the weight allowance increases again to 15 kilograms for up to two pieces.

You can read the full Rex guidelines here.