Alitalia Carry on weight limits

It's going to totally depend on the person at the counter. I've posted my experience from May of last year a couple of times here. We had our two "personal item" bags (a daypack and a messenger bag). But we also had a tennis racket with us and two rolling carry on bags. We got all five pieces on the plane, even though the two carry on bags were substantially over the stated limit of 10 kg (at 12 kg each). (The website says the limit is 8 kg but the woman at the JFK counter told us 10 kg - go figure.) She told us we were over the limit then waved us through. It might have helped that I was speaking Italian with her (been studying it for years).

I've never had a bag weighed by Alitalia, but I did have to check my 21" carryon on a domestic flight from Napoli to Palermo - it would not have fit in the overhead compartment on the plane. 8kg sounds very light - in 2011 KLM weighed my carryon and it was over the 16kg limit, so I had to repack. Both KLM and Alitalia are Delta partners, so apparently there's a great variety in weight limits.

They were weighing every carry on bag at JFK, but they never weigh your "personal item", so one way around this is to move the heaviest stuff out of your carry on and into your personal bag until you get past the check in counter, then switch it back the way you want. The fixation on weight of the bags is one I've always found curious, considering the vast disparity in weights of the passengers. You'd think they would weigh the bags and people together if weight is such a concern.

Don't have a personal item but do have a coat with big pockets so that should work. I too am confused by the fixation on weight.

Michael, the weight of the bag that you put into the overhead compartment does matter (the overheads are designed for a specific weight load), so I would not suggest repacking the heavy items once you are at the gate. Or were you kidding? I need more coffee.

No, I wasn't kidding. Mind you, I'm not talking about putting lead ingots into the carryons, but Alitalia's weight limit of 8 kg/17 pounds is so ridiculously low that you will exceed it unless you leave your bag semi-empty. Rick Steves Travel Store sells a rolling carry on bag that they describe as "light weight" at only 7 pounds. That leaves you ten pounds that you can add. Most people need to bring along at least ten pounds of clothes alone. Throw in a pair of shoes, toiletries and electronics, maybe a guidebook or two and it's impossible. Air France and KLM are 50% higher with a much more realistic 12 kg/26 pounds. Many other carriers don't have any weight limit at all. So, yes, I advocate finding a work around like the one I suggested.