Air France carry on luggage restrictions

You have to count wheels and handles in the measurements.

I may be mistaken, but from the US you are unlikely to get any static on your "oversized" carry on, but your return from France could matter. But for the return, remove your valuables and carry in a tote and check the roller if necessary...

And yes, the wheels and handles count in the measurements.

Finally, your "no frills" fare could very well subject you to more scrutiny at check in and at the gate (you will be boarding in a much higher numbered group, and as the plane fills up, they seem to get more active in pulling people aside to check bags). We fly business class, we pay attention to the bag restrictions that are more lax on checked luggage (# and weight limit) Carryon restrictions seem to usually be the same regardless class flown, but I see people in business class bringing into the cabin bags that surely exceed the restrictions, suggesting to me they turn a blind eye to the higher paying customers? Not sure, but it feels that way to me.

We always check our large bags, and what we do carryon is within the most restrictive rules RE weight and dimensions, or at least I think they do, but we tend to fly American carriers exclusively so we have never tested Air France or the other European airlines. Never been questioned, I will put it that way...

How much is the checked baggage fee? Here's how I look at it. Your bag does not meet their rules. Can you get away with it? Maybe. And no doubt other people will try and may be successful. None of which predicts your success. Not really a good idea to cut the wheels off. So you either get a new smaller bag (negating the cost savings of not checking), borrow someone's compliant bag, or check the bag. I know what I would do, so it's up to your level of acceptable risk.

I'm about to fly with Air France, too. Their website has a useful ( and very clear) diagram of the permitted measurement for not just the carry on piece (and yes, that includes the wheels and handle, in their graphic) but your "personal item" also.
And then- what I've been working on for a couple weeks- your combined weight for both can't exceed about 26 pounds (please check, this is from my memory, for the weight).
So even if both your bags meet the size requirements exactly you should weigh them once packed so you don't have an expensive surprise at check in.
Will they enforce it on either end? Who knows! (The sizer I dread is the one that includes a scale!)

I suggest you use the metric measurements. When I was trying to figure out luggage for an Air France leg a few years ago I found out that suitcase manufacturers sometimes rounded up, sometimes down to get the inch measurement.

For AF, the metric measurements are "55 x 35 x 25 cm/21.7 x 13.8 x 9.9 in. (including pockets, wheels, and handles)."

https://wwws.airfrance.us/information/bagages/bagage-cabine-soute

And yes, as you can see from the quote from the AF website, wheels/handles/all are included in the measurements.

You also have to be aware that there is a weight limit to: "In the Economy or Premium cabins, your hand baggage and personal items can weigh up to 12 kg (26.4 lb) in total"

For completeness, I settled on an Osprey Ozone. It meets the dimension limits and is 4.5# empty.

bpeters922,
In my experience with Air France, they are pretty strict about carry-ons. We are of the age now (80s) to check our bags because the lift to overhead bins is not easy anymore. Our kids do carry-on, and a couple of years ago we got them all some RS bags as a Christmas gift (prior to a family trip to France) which fit the Air France parameters. AF does have smaller requirements than many other airlines, and now they don't have to worry about their bags anymore. (I bought the bags when RS had a big sale, so they were very reasonably priced. Everyone's old bags were pretty beat-up anyway.)
To sum up, I wouldn't try to get by with bags that don't fit the rules. Try to borrow or buy right-sized bags to allay any worries on your trip. And, yes, please pay attention to weight as Bon Voyage! points out.

Have a great trip!

Not Air France, but I have seen Lufthansa staff at SFO walk down the line of passengers when everyone was lining up to board and do visual checks of the carry-ons. The staff would take the carry-on and inform the passenger that if it did not fit within their guidelines they would be checking in their bags. Many people were PO'd when their bags got checked in.

Yes, In Europe, checking in for your return home, airlines will often cite the weight over the size of a carryon bag to make you check it.
I’ve never understood what the difference is when leaving N. America on the same airline and they don’t care about the weight of the same bag, only the size.
Best to have the weight AND size of your bag well within the airline’s limit.

Lots of threads about easy carryon packing on the Forum, if you need some help with that!

I'm guessing you are flying Basic Economy/Economy Light. Those are the types of tickets I buy, since I just love cheap flights :) I also got a sweet deal to visit Paris next month.

For me, I'm careful to make sure my carry-on is within the guidelines. I've not had my bag measured, but the weight is checked. If a flight is close to full, the airline tends to require those with the cheap tickets to check their carry-on bags, free of cost. Since I've had to check my bag for most flights, I make sure I have my important stuff in my personal bag, so it's easy to just hand over my bag. I've seen others needing to dig into their bags, pulling things out to move to their other bag, being stressed out. So, I would assume your bag is getting checked and all will be good.

Not asked, but make sure you check-in online 24 hours ahead of time to grab your seat. If nothing good is available, keep on checking since something might open up as people move around.

Air France's width restriction is especially annoying, since it is 2 inches narrower than many other airlines'.
As I do not want to have multiple suitcases for multiple airlines, I have successfully flown countless times with a suitcase that is about 1 inch wider than their limit. No issues until now, but I am fully aware that my luck can stop anytime!

13.7 vs 14 inches won't matter in your case, however, the wheels could definitely be a problem if this is a 4 wheeler suitcase.

First time I went to Paris, I flew AF. This was Oct 2021, so during the time of Covid. No issues at JFK getting my 15" Delsey roller onboard (I don't even recall seeing sizers - and yes, I also had a checked bag).
But on the return? Yes, at CDG I had to put that same little bag in the sizer to make sure it fit.... and the kicker? THE PLANE WAS HALF FULL - I had my own row!

I took AF a year later from YUL to CDG and no sizers at either end, but I assume it's still a possibility.

European airlines are very strict about the size and weight of carry-on. AF, like most others, is 55 x 35 x 25 cm, including wheels and handles. If your bags are larger than this, you will need to check them, if not to France, definitely departing.

Unless I am overlooking it in this thread, can someone cite a wheeled carryon that is within the AF dimension limits? Can AF point out that such a unicorn exists in the wild?

For example, someone mentioned an Osprey Ozone, but I could not find one online that met all of the dimension restrictions - one side was very close, but still too long...

Please give a link when naming a bag...

I found this: https://eu.travelpro.com/products/maxlite®-air-carry-on-expandable-spinner?variant=39844550443060

I have this one, though I bought it for much less in Marshall’s type store.

https://ca.heys.com/products/world-s-lightest-spinner-xero-elite-21-carry-on

The website has a chart for major airlines’ carryon sizing rules….” Carryon Guidelines: Fit Your Flight”.

Haven’t had a problem taking it to Europe 7 or 8 times, but haven’t flown Air France with it.
I can fit clothes for 3 weeks into it.

@JoJo Rabbit...here is a link to the 2-wheeled Osprey Ozone which is 55cm x 35 cm x 25 cm, including wheels and handle which exactly meets the AF guidelines.

https://www.osprey.com/ozone-2-wheel-carry-on-40l-21-5-ozoneco2wf22-550?size=O%2FS&color=Black

The current model weighs a smidgy less than mine which is 4.5#. The new ones weigh 4.476, lol.

It is an odd bag. it's a monopole handle which some don't like. It does not work to stack another case on top with a trolly sleeve although it has an add-a-bag strap if your carryon will work with that. It also packs a bit weird. Another forum member warned me of that ahead of time. Even when you think you've got it packed pretty tight some weird spaces show up later on after things have shifted. I can work with that now and it does not bother me.

It's severely overpriced as well but it seems sturdy. I've had to check it on a small airline flying to Orkney and Shetland and it was no worse for the wear. It did get soaked in a rain storm in France in October and I will spray the top with some waterproofing before the next trip. I know it will not "waterproof" it but I want just enough to slow down any water seepage thru the fabric.

I have this one, though I bought it for much less in Marshall’s type store.
https://ca.heys.com/products/world-s-lightest-spinner-xero-elite-21-carry-on

Per the link, one of the sides is too long for Air France:

DIMENSIONS
21" x 15" x 9" – 53cm x 38cm x 23cm

Thanks Jojo.
Guess I won’t carry it onto an AF flight if I was taking one.

I just double-checked what I bought for my daughter and grandkids that fit within the Air France carry-on rules. It is the RS Rolling Carry-on, for $179. I bought it when they had a sale a couple of years ago for about $120. It is 21"x13.5"x9", including wheels, just under AF's 21.7"x13.8"x9.9". It definitely was within the parameters. They have been very happy with them.

Guess I won’t carry it onto an AF flight if I was taking one.

I agree, and personally I take it a step further: my current carryon violates AF restrictions on single dimension despite the fact its total dimensions are far lower than the total AF dimensions, and I am not planning to buy any additional bags to meet such restrictions, so I will simply avoid flying on AF, or KLM, or any other international carriers if my carryon is over the limit.

Reality is I haven't flown on an international carrier, at least not long haul / transoceanic, in over a decade. Last time I flew Air France (on a ticket I purchased from Delta) was in 2012, and I did not care for the experience much - flight was fine, food was good - but they only issued boarding passes at the gate, to accommodate families with children being assured of sitting together, and it created a stressful frenzy, and I decided on the spot "never again", even though I realize that it may not be that way now...

FWIW, until my most recent trip to Paris in December, when I flew Delta One, I had not flown Delta anywhere in more than a decade anyway. I prefer the Flagship business seats on AA, my usual carrier to Europe, and the recent Delta experience did not change my preference, although I still shop price, itinerary, and connections, I am not loyal to any airline, I don't care about FF status or any of that. When you fly business class, you effectively have "status for the day" and access to lounges, more generous checked luggage limits, board in group 1, first off the plane, and I am willing to pay for all of that plus the comfort of lie flat seats.