Just how rigid are they about international carry-ons?

We got burned in Iceland. My best guess is we stuffed too much into the bag and they busted us.

THE best way to the path of least resistance is to assume that all airlines enforce all of their posted regulations to the nth degree.

You have to ask yourself one question: Do I feel lucky?

FWIW, the Rick Steves Rolling Carry-On Bag should pass muster for SAS (and most other European Airlines). No luck required then.

Thanks for those replies. Now I noticed that the max weight for SAS is 17.6 lbs. Hmmm... :(

I think I will go with the check-ins as we have done and concentrate on keeping weight down for easy lifting on those overhead racks on trains.

A couple of weeks ago, I flew Air France (CDG-IAD) and they weighed my bag while in line for security. 16 kg limit. I was 4 kg over. They directed me to other area to check the bag, pretty quick with kiosks and helpful attendants, and then had to return to the security line. FWIW, they only seemed to be diverting Air France passengers. First time I've ever been weighed - point is, you can try, but don't get upset if they make you follow the rules (and make sure you pack with the expectation that you will be forced to follow the rules).

In the recent past we have brought a small duffel bag for critical item like medications that cannot be lost via checked in bags. Then the duffel goes in the suitcase for ground travel.

they weighed my bag while in line for security. 16 kg limit. I was 4 kg over

You had a 44 pound carry on? (gold ingots?)

How do you lift a 44 pound bag to get it into the overhead bin?

The legacy air carriers don't really give much of a hoot about carry on's as they're just about all 22 inches long or less. It's those budget European airlines that are picky being revenue maximizers. They all use AirBus or Boeing jets, and 22 inchers fit in overhead compartments. They may get you at 22 lbs. or more for overweight, so we always weigh our bags at home.

We originally used TravelPro 22 inch bags. But we were questioned by Norwegian Air Express and required to check one bag. A couple of times, I had to argue with a gate agent with our new TravelPro 21" rolling carry on bags. It's the wheels that get you.

Nobody will put a tape measure to your bag. Airlines have a wire rack, and your bag either fits or it doesn't. Stand your ground and the airline personnel will often back down--especially with a long que behind you.

The actual requirement on the SAS website is stated in metric units as 55 cm,, which is equivalent to 21.65 inches. The 21.75-inch bag is only 1/10 of an inch (2.5 millimeters) longer, which is insignificant. However, the depth of that bag is almost a full inch over, so. . . . . But the limit that needs attention is the weight: 8 kilos is only 17.6 pounds, and that is really simple for them to measure. So you must pack carefully.

My carry on bag has been weighed numerous times, and yes they do enforce their weight restrictions.

It really does not matter what ANY of us say.... a defense of "Posters on Rick Steves told me it would be OK' has never worked. If your agent is enforcing the rules than if your luggage is over the sizes it gets checked.

OK Carol, I will tell them "Carol said it was OK ! ". :) :)

Since the 8kg limit is ridiculous for me, as mentioned above I'll focus on just making my 26 inch height bag as light as possible. Since we are flying non-stops I'm hoping we won't be short a bag on arriving. We only had one delayed bag in all the years we've been flying and I'm an old guy .... unfortunately ... but still in good shape.

If it's any comfort, I've flown with SAS many times and I have never suffered a lost or delayed bag with them.

We are flying from Boston to Sicily on Lufthansa in April. They also have an 8kg carry-on limit. We always do only carry-on on the way to Europe, and we're usually around 22-24 lbs. each.

We're planning to pack our carry-on suitcases our standard way and then remove the stuff we care about least and/or is most easily replaceable so we get down to 8kg each. We'll pack the excess in a duffel which we will check. When we arrive at our destination we will repack our carry-ons and stow the duffel.

How strict are they? Very-on both size and weight. Measurement should include the wheels. We had size issues with Air France at gate and weight issues with Austrian Air at check-in. Both bags would be on the small size for the US legacy carriers-one was given to my husband by Delta for being a million-miler and mine was a Tom Bihn TriStar. My European Sized Travel Pro did meet the Air France requirements.

Hi Carol F. , that is a nice idea you brought up. So for us we could take one 26 inch check-in and put the heavier stuff in it.

That still brings up the original sizing issue for SAS. The Eagle Creek Expansion Carry-on (22 x 13.75 x 9) is only 0.35 inch (0.9 cm) over the length limit. Would they be that picky?

To check on this I called SAS and got an agent on the phone who said that they really focused on the weight. And the slight over the limit height should pass nicely. My wife will like that fact that she manuever with just the carry-on for the 1 month trip. She'll still use much of the larger suitcase for her stuff though, ugh. That could be an interesting give-and-take. :)

Another related thing to consider. Since there will be two of you, pack one half of one person's stuff in one carry on bag, and the other half in another carry on bag. Do the same with the other persons's stuff. If one of the bags is gate checked and goes on it's own vacation, at least both will have enough to get by. And always pack you meds (and extras) in your personal bag that is small enough to go under the seat.

My 2 cents…anyone with a hard sided wheeled bag gets close scrutiny. I had an Osprey Fairview backpack that I zipped up to enclose the straps inside and had no issues even tho the dimensions are

22 x 14 x 9 inches. I guess the potential to be squished made it less of a concern.

The the best answer is ---- It depends. Our experience is that weight is more critical than an extra half inch. Obviously a 26" is going to be rejected. I have stood in more than one check in line where everything was weighed and many failed. The only bags I have seen rejected were obviously over sized -- mostly too long. I don't think .35 of inch will fail. And sometimes the gate personnel can be picky. So if pushing the limit, you need a mind set that if caught it is OK. BUT --- don't argue. You will not win.

A few years ago we were returning from Prague and notice a large family -- maybe 6 - with fair amount of carry on luggage. All carryon luggage was carefully weighted and eyeball by the check in desk - Delta. I did noticed that they had left a duffel style bag off to the side and late had that bag with them in the gate area. When we started boarding they were ahead of us. Beside the boarding pass scammer, there were two other gate personnel on either side of the entrance eyeball everything. The person with the duffel bag was stopped and a brief discussion follow by the whole family being pulled to the side. When we passed the father is now involved and said something about the bag was approved at check in and the gate personnel was simply shaking her head -- NO! When we exited the plane in Chicago for passport control the family was not visible.

We had no problems with overzealous enforcement of weight/size specs when flying SAS a few months ago. When buying an international ticket, the SAS website says the carry-on can be 22” tall and can weigh 18 lbs, even though a strict reading of the metric measurements would mean 21.65” max for carryon height and 17.6 lbs for weight. So, SAS is actually rounding the numbers up in favor of their customers. SAS has a “Go Smart” ticket fare that is just $50 more than the least expensive fare. The “ Go Smart” ticket includes a checked bag on International Flights of $50 for a bag weighing up to 50 lbs. (On domestic and Schengen flights the “ Go Smart” fare is only $20). That is generous enough for two travelers to share one checked bag and pack any excess weight from the carry-ons along with liquids & powders that might be a security concern when inside a carry-on.

$50 for a 50 lb checked bag is a relative bargain these days, particularly on an international flight.

The beauty of my hard side bag is that no matter how much I cram in it, the size is legal. The soft ones, especially with the zippered outlet pockets can't say the same.

But my only complaint is the cheaters steal the space I need.

Im stiĺ in favor of giving the gate agents a bonus for every rejected bag. Maybe a tip jar on the counter to pay the bonus?

How do you lift a 44 pound bag to get it into the overhead bin?

Honestly, it didn't seem that heavy to me. shrug And, up until now, I've never weighed my bags.

However, I did just discover that my carry on size bag (21x14x9) weighs 9 lbs. So that's part of the problem. ugh

A small part of your problem. It's hard to find a bag that weighs much less than 5.5 lbs.