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 :).