Air France carryon luggage

I can share, but with the caveat my flight on AF a couple weeks ago was SEA to Paris. I really struggled to keep under their weight allowance (for both the carry on AND personal item combined, so consider that, too).
Some of the bags advertised as "international" still exceed the height dimension because of the wheels but they usually show both with wheels and without?
I have an international Briggs and Riley (heavy and $$). I went straight to the gate after self check-in. At the boarding area there were several sizers as well as scales. But the agents didn't seem to be checking anybody. OTOH our flight was delayed by hours and both passengers and gate agents were exhausted! So it could have been an anomaly.
Most here, and I agree, will advise to stick to the dimensions and weight allowance regardless of fare class.
TravelPro I believe has a true international size?
Have a wonderful trip!

Hi. Ive flown AF several times. I carry a Travelpro international which is within limits. But I have flown with others who were carrying a 22” domestic size carry on and they were never size checked. Especially because you are business and there is plenty of room in the overhead bin, I would not worry about carrying a 22” domestic size carry on if that’s what you have. What concerns me more with AF is the weight, however, for business you get extra weight in the carry on as well. Have a great trip!

This question gets asked quite frequently on here: How strict is ABC airlines on carryon size? And as answered by many of us who have experienced having to gate check, check your specific airline and adhere to their rules. You may get lucky but then you may not and end up at the baggage carousel and in some cases, charged for the gate check.

I had my carry on (which was within both size and weight restrictions for Air France) taken away from me and gate checked. They didn’t measure or weigh but just added it to the pile of other people’s carry on they took to put in luggage. This was especially annoying both because it was within the size specified (I had checked so carefully before hand) and because the overhead bin above us was totally empty. This was in September 2024 and flight was CDG to Lisbon. We had starting the day in Vancouver and both flights were Air France.

Yes, not being able to divine how this will go on any given flight is challenging and maddening. No easy answers here. I have flown AF business class a few times since 2013 (most recently May/June 2023), and never had a problem with carry-on bags (I also check my larger bag). I use a soft Briggs & Riley carry-on (small duffle bag, no wheels), which easily fits in the overhead, with room to spare for another carry-on. I don't know the size of that bag, but it is certainly smaller than 21".

In general, you can expect a more generous allowance for carry-on in business class as the overhead bins will be larger than those in economy (with fewer passengers using those bins). I suspect that your PHX-CDG flight may not be a problem if your carry-on is 21 or 22 inches (unless they indicate that's not allowed now). However, your CDG-ATH plane will be smaller, so you may have smaller overhead bins. BTW, I have had fairly good experiences when calling Air France. You could inquire about this matter, and ask specifically whether there will be different space parameters for each of these flights.

I'm surprised by Lony's experience (being asked to check bags despite empty overhead space), although Lony did not indicate if this was a business class seat. That is quite annoying all around, no matter what kind of seat you paid for!

Apologies for stating the obvious, but no matter what size carry-on you decide to bring, it's a good idea to board the plane as soon as you're able (they will board biz class first). In theory, with early boarding you should find empty overhead bins ready for your stuff. That's one of the business class perks. If you board later, it's possible that other passengers who struggle with the very limited overhead space in economy will need to store their stuff in the business class overhead bins. I've seen it happen. You know how it goes: at some point the flight attendants just want everyone in their seats and bags stored so the flight can depart on time.

And speaking of perks, you can expect some very nice meals, particularly on your AF transatlantic flights. Excellent wine selection too. And then there's the cheese course...

I've flown TATL on numerous airlines, all in business class since 2010. On no flight (including the connecting "Eurobusiness" intra-Europe puddle jumpers) did any of the airlines care about the size or weight of my carry-on luggage. (I'm not trying to put 26-inch pullmans in the compartment, just the usual US Eagle Creek, Tumi and Brooks & Riley rollaboards.) That's not a guarantee, but the smart money says they won't care about yours, either.

I generally tell people you need to be prepared for the airline to enforce their rules. However as a personal note I have flown Air France business class internationally several times and no one‘s ever looked at my bag and I know it’s over the size limit they have. Now I think the big risk for you is that second flight to Athens, they might check it there but once again, if you’re in business class who knows. I’d be more likely to roll the dice on business class than on Air France coach

As for the weight limit, the weight limit for carry-on in business class is 40 pounds. If you can lift 40 pounds into the overhead bin, bring it on. if you can’t, don’t worry about the weight limit and get rid of some stuff :).

Oct 2021 - CDG back to JFK - I checked a bag, and all of us were funneled into a line to size check our carryons (including my little 15" Delsey). Flight was half full, I had my own row!

April 2023 - CDG to YUL - I checked a bag and no one gave a 2nd glance at my carryon. Flight was PACKED.

As to bags that meet the AF dimensions, I bought an Osprey Ozone in August 2022 for a flight on Delta, changing to Air France in Paris for the onward leg to Milan.

I did carry on only and my suitcase and personal item were within the size and weight limit. My bags were not checked but I will tell you I have NEVER seen overhead bins packed so tightly. The FAs must have all worked for moving van companies, lol! I would not be comfortable knowing I could get stopped at the gate. And so very sorry for Lony's experience with having the bag gatechecked without even weighing/measuring it. (Makes you remember to pack nothing in your suitcase that you can't do without!)

If you shop for new luggage I recommend you look at the metric dimensions instead of the inch dimensions. The manufacturers seem to round off from the metric for the inches and I found on my search that some rounded up, some down and you never knew which, lol.

I'd also go for the lightest bag you can manage, budget and style wise. The Osprey Ozone is 4.5 pounds but is a little weird so might not work for everyone (has a monopole handle so you can't put your personal item on the top going thru airports). It is probably more expensive than the Eagle Creek.

As a light packer, I also recommend weighing EVERYthing that goes into your luggage with a digital scale to meet your weight limit. I keep a spreadsheet with weights of all my packing cubes/pouches and of my usual shirts/pants. Yes, I am nuts, lolol!!

Use caution in reading some of these reports. On 10 flights direct Seattle to Europe we have never had our carry on checked for size or weight. How ever on a flight from Porto to London last year an agent placed a white tag on our carry on after reviewing our boarding pass. When i quizzed her she explained there were only so many spaces for carryons (obviously a smaller plane). She said the tag was so the boarding staff would allow us to take our bags. She explained she only has so many tags and when she runs out the remaining boarders would be gate checked. It is my experience the smaller commuter flights are the ones I worry about. Take a person bag with critical items. Enjoy your trips.

ps I never worry much about gate checking as I know the bag should be on board.

Daughter travelled round trip JFK to CDG last year on Air France in economy, bringing her Travel Pro Maxlight 5 rollaboard. If you measure EXACTLY WITH WHEELS it is slightly over the Air France carryon size restrictions. She had no issues either way.

I'll say it again: reports from economy class passengers are irrelevant to business class. Don't worry about dimensions of your bags if you're flying business class, assuming you're using regular carry-on luggage. Economy class flyers should measure carefully, though the poster above makes a good point; the airline might be exacting about bag dimensions, or it might not.

Thanks for all the replies, folks.

I decided to buy a Travelpro Maxlite 5 international spinner, mentioned in one of the comments. I’ve always had good luck with that brand, and though the width is slightly over AF’s limit, I’m not too concerned except for the possible gate check at CDG. But as of now, that connecting flight is on an A320, so the overhead space isn’t as big an issue as it would be on a regional jet.

Now I’m just dealing with measuring my backpacks for personal item compliance ;). Anal retentive much, huh?

Thanks again. I love this forum.