Rejection of Carry On Size Bags

it depends on where you're going and which airline you're using. If you're using a budget airline like ryanair they will check and they will be anal about it because they charge extra for checked baggage. I imagine the big carriers may be a little more lenient but not sure of how much.

I can't think of a major air carrier that doesn't have their carry on rules on their website. Even some of the cheap airlines do. They usually describe their restrictions by weight and size (LxWxH). As an example, CLICK HERE to see Lufthansa's web page. Lufthansa owns Swiss Air so they are similar.

Our RS carryons have only caused trouble once - flying British Air from London to Vienna. They wouldn't fit perpendicular to the aisle, and the flight attendant was rather snooty about it. However as the plane was half empty we had no problem in turning them 90 degrees and fitting in that way. In addition, I have had to gate-check mine on regional flights in the US [e.g. Washington to Syracuse NY]/
Good luck!

I know what the airlines say....what I'm trying to find out is how strict are they or will they look the other way over a few centimeters here and there?

Thanks, kathleen. What other airlines have you flown?

I've flown all over the U.S. with the bag and it has never gotten a second look as a carry-on.

Who else has carried Rick's Rolling bag onboard and on which European airlines (His bag is longer than mine when you include wheels and handles.)

my wife and i had trouble with just such a bag on lufthansa in november. we were made to check it once we got on the plane. the attendant at the doorway to the plane pulled us out of line and made us check this bag.

We have not had any trouble with our Rick Steves bags or other similarly-sized bags.

Yes, Lufthansa seems to be the most strict, both on size and weight. I suggest you carry it in its suitcase mode as you board--if it looks like a backpack, it draws more attention to it.

Greetings

Another issue is that many airlines within Europe sometime use smaller planes. And the overhead/underseat spaces in those planes are often (much) smaller than the max carry-on luggage dimension and sometimes there's almost no-underseat space. So you may have to gate check items that would fit on a larger plane.

I try to minimize carry-on luggage, but get annoyed by the "if you can lift into the overhead..." spiel because that's just fine for a big, strong guy but a bit of an issue when you're short and not very big. And with plugs and other structural items often blocking part of the under seat area, that's not always an option for larger items. I could barely even reach the bins on a recent Qantas flight, let alone get my bag in or out of it. So I think weight limits are fairer, and please lend a hand if you see the 'wee ones' among us having difficulty getting something well over our head!

P.S. There's no EU version of TSA though the EU makes a few general rules.

I work for a European airline, not one of the low-cost, no frills type but a full service type like Lufthansa.

We're tough about the size of hand luggage that goes into the aircraft cabin and we're probably going to get tougher. If there is any doubt about the dimensions of the cabin baggage we have a frame that we request the passenger put the luggage into, if it doesn't fit it doesn't go in the cabin. Weight is less of an issue, but you have to be able to lift the bag into the overhead bins.

We don't give a hoot regarding how full the flight is. We don't turn a blind eye. If you book on line with us you have to click on a box that says you have read the terms and conditions. If you book over the phone we email these terms and conditions to you.

Like I say we're tough and things are getting tougher. By the end of 08 I expect most European full service airlines to become very firm about this. Of course, as we all know, the low-cost, no frills airlines are very harsh.

We were flying American Airlines (keeping our Rick Steves carry-ons with us across America) until the last leg of our flight from Amsterdam to Rome on ES Brussels Air. All 4 of our party's carry-ons were taken away. We tried pleading, but the only bags we saw being allowed on were about the size of brief cases or computer bags. They had really tiny, narrow overhead bins. There was a strict 11 pound limit, as well. Sadly, they lost my daughter's bag and she didn't see it again for 8 LONG days! We learned the hard way that they strictly enforce size limitations.

Frank,
My husband and I took our Rick Steves bags on a Air France flight to Paris and we were told that we had to check one of our bags each. We both had our roll on bag and a backpack/purse. I was mad because I had done souch a good job at packing light. They said that you could only have one carry on. I have flown with them since and I checked my bag. I did notice that many others did have a carry on suitcase and a laptop bag/or a purse/packpack. I don't know if this helps you. Good luck.

Darla

I'm seeing lots on inconsistency with the airlines as well as constant rule changes with TSA and its European counterparts. What you can do this week you many not be able to do next week.

I am concerned with them losing my only bag and since I fly alone can't split my items with someone else.

I also realize that sometimes flying the cheaper airlines doesn't always save money when you include the ground cost if that airline should fly to an outerlying airport.

What I do is bring a carry-on bag and put my daypack into it. I have the RS Civita bag which is about as light and small as you can get, holds everything I need during the day once I'm in Europe. But for the plane I pack it with the stuff I'll want on the plane. I walk on with my single bag, once at my seat open it and pull out the Civita bag and put the carry-on on the overhead bin.

And since I have the Civita bag at the ready when I'm boarding, if I ever DO encounter a situation where I'm forced to check the carry-on then I'd just pull out the stuff I want to make SURE I have on arrival (camera, toiletry bag, guidebooks, etc) all of which is in a packing cube anyway and add it into the daypack.

You can re-arrange your stuff as soon as you clear the security check. That's what I do, and nobody has objected. Just leave space in your larger bag so that the smaller bag can be crammed in, then remove it after security.

I choose to be conservative w/airline policy. I always check in 1 piece of luggage which happens to be an official carry on size. I am not familiar w/Ryanair's check in policy. Also, I can't see myself lugging a handbag & a carry on thru the hallways in an airport or maneuvering in the tiny plane aisles w/out banging into someone. I have had persons bump into me w/their carry ons when finding their seats or exiting from the plane. I carry what is important to me in the handbag. The check in bag has my clothing: things that are replaceable. Happy to report that I encountered only 1 mishap w/my luggage. BA lost it somewhere in Heathrow a few yrs ago. I managed to survive 48 hrs w/out it. During the time it was lost, I had to attend a business, semi-formal dinner on a cruise ship. Hubby's boss was understanding when I showed up in jeans & a t-shirt that I wore on the plane and clean underwear, makeup and jewelry that was in my handbag.

Kate, for many of the smaller planes with the tiny overheads into which a standard carry-on will never fit, my experience has been that they load carry-on bags into the baggage hold right at the plane.

So I go out to the plane (usually its a bus ride from the terminal to where the plane is parked), give the bag to the person at the stairway to the plane (sometimes they give you a tag, usually they don't), and then on arrival they stack the baggage by the stair. So while not as convenient as having it with you at all times, at least you don't have to worry about it not making it onto the plane or getting lost on arrival.

Wow, reading the responses by others makes me worry. First, it appears that airlines (some) are getting so strict about carry-ons that even carryons designed to most airline standards are being required to be checked. Also, I know from both personal experience and reading news articles that more and more checked luggage is getting delayed or lost. I've always avoided checking luggage for that reason. In the last year my wife's luggage got put on the wrong flight (international flight) but was later found. And on a domestic flight our entire party's luggage (except mine, which I carried on) never even got loaded onto the plane (but was later recovered).

So between more and more airlines insisting that you check your luggage and more and more instances of lost or delayed checked luggage, we travelers are in for a dismal future. Maybe the answer is to carry one change of clothes and buy all new clothes when arriving at our destination.

Mike--in Seattle--from my experience, U.S. based airlines are not as strict as foreign airlines when it comes to carry on luggage. They care more about overall size (45 inchese) than weight and usually eyeball the size anyway. The only time they won't allow a carryon is when the plane is full and the overhead compartments are also full.

Gate checking isn't a problem because you give the bag to someone just before entering the plane and get it back as soon as you step off.

Working in the lost luggage office is one of the worst jobs for airline customer service reps and they hate it. Nothing but aggravation. Now add on to it trying to find a lost bag when the person you're dealing with doesn't speak English. And do you think they really care?

I'll do my best to deal with international airlines who allow me to carry on my bag.

(continued)

And what I really find interesting, or puzzling, is that the airlines are complaining their baggage systems are maxed out because more and more people are checking luggage due to the restrictions on so many items allowed in the cabin especially the amount of liquids you can take.

Yet, they make it harder and harder for those of us who do want to carry on bags by constantly putting more and more restrictions on size and weight.

It makes no sense....

Mike in Seattle, when you're researching your flights you can usually see what the equipment (plane) is going to be. Full size planes from Boing and Airbus can handle regulation carry-on bags. Its the small planes (both turboprop and jet) that have tiny overhead spaces. But my experience has been that you go out to the plane with your bag, they put it right into the plane while you're watching, and unload them when you get off the plane. They don't get lost or miss the flight. It's only a hassle when its raining...

As I have posted often, I have stood in more than one Luthansa line and watched as nearly all rollon bags were rejected because they would not fit completely inside the sizing boxes. It is the wheels and handle but especially the wheels that is the problem. Our backpack style carryon has never been challenged even if we wear them on the plane. Luthansa is tough on this issue but I prefer to fly them because their service level is still good. We never take wheels to Europe -- too many problems.