To number_6 and globaliser, thankyou for your responses, both of which are what led me to ask the question in the first place. Although I have done quite a few long haul flights over the years I'm not much of a savvy flyer, and have usually travelled with just the one bag without giving it a second thought. But this time I have an accumulation of stuff to pack for the permanent move back home. Googling for the answer produced the same slightly confusing results as both your responses, which is what led me to ask the question on this forum for some clarification from more experienced flyers. The US does have its own seperate rules which just added to my confusion. I do feel like a bit of a dill asking these basic questions but I'm sure I'm not the only one confused by it. Or maybe I am, lol.