New luggage restrictions on carry on

Don't the requirements depend on the airline?

Unless you are flying on one of the budget carriers, I'm not sure you'd have to worry about having your luggage measured. Maybe I'm wrong, but I've never had my own measured.

Most wheeled bags, but not all, give measurements including handles and wheels. The ones that don't will say so.

45" has been standard for many airlines for many years. So I don't know where you got the notion things are changing. Could you give a link to a source? Ddid you get it from real news or from social media?

To my knowledge and on Delta's and United’s websites nothing has changed. 22x14x9 Exterior Dimensions include wheels and handle. Same as when I bought my RS Rolling Carry-On in 2017.

Of course, each airline has its own carry-on size and weight rules. Look at the airline’s website for the information.

A simple search shows it popping up on Social Media (and local news) in a lot of "End of year" wrap-up stories.

All the socials have it and here's one (Fox News) local station:

https://fox17.com/news/local/new-year-brings-stricter-airline-rules-for-carry-on-bags-plus-new-temporary-id-option

Handles and wheels were not part of the linear total 45” prior to this 2026 change. This change pretty much rules out most smaller carry ons from the 45” compliance.

I agree with Frank and Horsewoofie. Delta has had the 45 linear rule/22x14x9 for years and the 22 measurement included the handle and wheels.

My Osprey Ozone is 21.5 from the top of the stowed handle to the floor including the wheels.

To me this is "news" that some social media influencers are trying to make a big deal out of. There was a post to a YouTube video earlier in the week making a fuss about this when that has been the rule all along with some of the legacy airlines.

What airline are you flying where this is an issue?

No issues yet but I never realized the handles and wheels were included in the overall linear measurements. With those inclusions, my standard carry on misses the 45” by about an inch. I know some carriers are more stringent in the 45”.

For the last 3 summers, Aegean Airlines has been coming around with measuring implements and a scale! Even if my carry on is within the size limits, the weight has exceeded their carry on limit; and I had to gate check my bag for a rather hefty fee. I started checking all my bags to avoid the hassle.

I travel to and back from San Francisco every three weeks on United and/or Alaska. I have never seen a carryon measured or weighed by airline gate staff even though it has become a game on almost every flight lately to see how long it will take some to retrieve their bag after literally forcing it into the overhead bin. Nor have I received any type of info from the airlines indicating that they will be checking carryons in the near future. This is not to say that I haven’t experienced carryon rules enforcement by Swiss, TAP, BA, KLM and Iberia while in Europe.

So why do "influencers" on socail media post this stuff even if it isn't true?

M-O-N-E-Y

They use some attention getting headline to get you to click on their video. They keep telling you to "watch" till the end. They need to keep you watching for a certain amount of time so they can monetize your view.

How? Well, if you are a paid subscriber to the site they get some money. They also usually have ads on their videos or its being "sponsored."

Are they talking about a product and then linking to it in the comments? Or perhaps offering you a 10% discount if you use their link? They are getting a commission.

Are they required to tell you the truth? No. Are they required to tell you they make money from the video? Yes, but they usually don't.

BTW, for many, the voice is AI.

Take anything you see on social media with a grain of salt. Always check with a credible source.

Some of my favorites are like "The top 10 travel items to take on a Tuesday" where three of the top 10 are from the same company who just happens to be sponsoring the video.

Or...they tell you the top 10 bags to take and every "influencer" reviews the same bags. Are they really the best? No. They are the ones paying the highest commissions.

There are some who have integrity but they are not trying to earn their living from social media.

And many are changing their title from "influencer" to "content creator."

vancouverbs; of course you realize that there is not now, nor has there ever been, an industry or government standard for carry-on luggage size?.