Hi there,
I am traveling to Dublin from England and I am curious about the baggage allowance on Aer Lingus. The website states that a person can carry a bag that is 21.5'' x 15.5" x 9.5". My bag for this trip is 20" x 14" x 10". Will that half-inch of depth have me gate-checked? I have no experience with Aer Lingus and am concerned that I will have to pay the extra baggage fee at the gate. Anyone have experience with this? Thanks!
Following this thread for sure! We are also flying Aer Lingus in September. I have not bought any bags yet
Here's another thread on a similar question (this one was about weight, not measurements): https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/ireland/does-aer-lingus-actually-weigh-the-carry-on-luggage
On that thread, I said "I can only tell you my recent experience. I flew Aer Lingus Newark-Dublin-Glasgow on September 8, 2016, and Liverpool-Dublin-JFK on September 19, 2016. I used carry-on only, with a suitcase and a personal item that met Aer Lingus's rules. My bags were not weighed or measured on any of the flights. Of course, that's no guarantee for you."
To Judy: Here's the bag I used; it's extremely light. I used a tape measure on it in the store before buying, and can confirm that it meets Aer Lingus's requirements even when handles and wheels are included. I'm very pleased with it:
Is your bag hard-sided or will it squish a bit? No one gave my soft RS 20" rolling carry-on a second glance. My wife has a hard-sided 21" Samsonite. As we were on the way to board, a gate attendant put it it a sizer. It fit just fine and we were on our way, but it's right about 9 to 9.5". I didn't see a lot of people having their bags checked, and since yours probably looks pretty small overall, my money would be on it not meriting a look.
But as people here always caution, ya' never know. And if it's gate-checked, the worst case is you have to go baggage claim after landing. I had the paranoid fear that they'd inspect bags at the gate and send us back to the check-in counter. I don't know if they actually do that.
Overall, though, our experience with Aer Lingus in 2015 was just fine, and we're flying them again next month.
If you're walking the line in terms of weight or size, it's important to pack especially carefully. If that bag might be gate-checked, you don't want your tablet, cellphone or money belt inside it!
@ Harold... Thank you! I bought 2. They were on a good sale which ends tomorrow. I will measure as well but I am hoping they will work for us. They probably aren't the fanciest or most impressive bags in the world, but for the one trip we'll take, they will do just fine.
So, thanks again!
That Delsey bag looks like a pretty good deal, and it's a full two pounds lighter than my RS carry-on.
The Delsey bag is so light that when I was in the store and picked it up, it flew up - I was expecting something about double the weight!
It's not flimsy; of course, it's not as sturdy as some heavier bags, but I wouldn't be afraid to check it. It also comes as a spinner, but I prefer two wheels to four. Also, the spinner is a bit smaller inside, because the wheels are fully outside and yet the total bag dimensions are the same.
Yes! I noticed the weight was very good. Just over 4 lbs. For the price, it should be fine.
Wow, so glad I posted here, you guys are great. To answer some questions, my bag is definitely squishy, soft-sided. it actually has an expandable depth, which I would just be careful to have zipped closed I suppose. It seems that they are not being super strict about the carry-on allowance so maybe I shouldn't be worried about that extra half-inch...
Aer Lingus is one airline where I've seen them make extensive use of the baggage sizer at the gate. If you can squish your bag to fit into the dimensions of the sizer you'll be OK, but if it won't fit in they'll make you check it.
