Weighing Carry-On Baggage and Bringing Medical Supplies

You might want to reconsider SAS since they may not flying--pilot strike and bankruptcy. I once got stranded in England on Braniff when they went out of business and had to hitchhike back to the U.S. It was not fun.

We never check a bag--due to past lost checked luggage. We just returned from 2 weeks in Europe with only a 21" rolling bag each. Our medical items were in a separate under seat bag that's not counted against our allowance per airline policy. We also carry a folding portable scooter for my wife who is mobility challenged.

We've found that the big legacy carriers are not as strict on their luggage policy as the discount carriers like EasyJet and RyanAir.

Discount airlines (and even more larger airlines now) make A LOT on baggage charges. Sometimes close to what they charge for the flight. They are the most strict on size/weight, regardless of what is IN those bags.

Also, he is on a feeding tube and will be bringing some of his feeding products with him. We will be getting a letter from his doctor. If he carries his medical stuff in a separate bag, will that also count as one of his carry ons?

You will need to go through the baggage rules for each airline you plan to use. If the website does not clearly answer the question about what you want to bring, you will need to contact each airline to determine their policy relative to what you are packing. Get them to send a written confirmation of whatever they tell you. ( I did a quick look at easyjet and did not find anything that seemed to address your situation. I did not check the other airlines you mentioned)

As already noted, SAS is in bankruptcy reorganization and dealing with a pilot's strike. I would not be buying tickets until both those issues are resolved

By the way, if you decide to check baggage, buy an Apple air pod. It will track where the bag is located anywhere in the World.

and will be bringing some of his feeding products

This is another wrinkle, in that these (Making an assumption as to what you are talking about) could be considered liquids, running up against container size/total amount of liquids allowed in carry-on.

Yes, many airlines make exceptions for medical needs, and Governments sometimes get involved and pass regulations, but a couple important points not mentioned.
- Security (TSA), will have it's own rules depending on country, this mainly affects you regarding the feeding products, so you may need to look into the four countries to determine security allowances for those. US/TSA rules may be different from Norway (an EEA and Schengen but not EU), Switzerland (Schengen, but not EU) and Italy (Schengen and EU)
- While most airlines have exceptions for medical devices, they do usually focus on assistive devices (wheelchairs, breathing, etc.) needed for safe passage, secondary devices may be considered normal baggage in some cases, so you need to dig a bit beyond just seeing something about medical or assistive devices. Unfortunately, probably you need to contact each airline, find some assistance specifically for disabled passengers (for lack of a better term) and get your questions answered. Unfortunately, much will still come down to the individual security or gate personnel. For an airline like Easyjet, (or any airline) that is just a straight hop, consider checking the items. Lost or delayed luggage is a rarity on these flights.

@Paul:

TSA does not change the rules based on country. They have US based rules, you go through the same TSA whether domestic or international flights.

TSA does exempt medical supplies from the 3-1-1 rule. https://www.tsa.gov/travel/special-procedures

Thank you to everyone for responding. Such a great forum with lots of good information! I will have him do more research.

Yes, the main issue is carrying liquids. We have already started looking at what nutritional drinks may be available in the countries we are visiting, but he at least wanted to take enough for our travel day to get from Denver to Oslo until we can get to a pharmacy. And he would also like to bring some of the specialized feeding product as a supplement. One product he uses is Ensure Powder, and I keep joking about putting that nice white powder into ziplock sandwich bags in the carry-on. That would get unwanted attention!

Since we are planning to use carry-on for our month long trip, I am concerned about weight. Has anyone experienced having their carry-ons weighed recently? I think we may just start laying out what we think we want to take, and see how much we may need to leave home.

And, yes, I have already ordered Apple Air Tags. Thanks!

TSA does not change the rules based on country. They have US based rules, you go through the same TSA whether domestic or international flights.

Please note that the "TSA" is parenthetical after "Security", indicating it is an example and that many in the US simply refer to all airport security, regardless of location, as TSA, hence added for clarity. Immediately following it is noted that one needs to look at requirements for all four countries being transited, each have their own security requirements, and while similar, have their own quirks.

Hope this helps.

I flew Iceland Air out of Seattle last month and had to put my carry on bag in the bag sizer and have it weighed. At first the gate agent said it was too big despite fitting cleanly in the sizer. It weighed under the limit so I was able to carry it on. I don’t know if that is typical or if we just had someone picky. Best of luck!

@Paul - yes, all countries have their own security protocols. they're just not all called TSA. In fact, none are, except for US.

Everyone, thanks once again for your very helpful responses. I've assigned my husband the task of researching since it's his stuff. I'm feeling lots better about our trip, except for the SAS part. Keep on Travelin'!