Carry on size -- International travel

1 cm should not make a difference on Lufthansa but to make sure, post this question on Flyertalk's Lufthansa board which is geared toward Lufthansa frequent flyers many of whom are business travelers who typically don't want to waste time checking bags.

that's super helpful. I didn't know there was such a thing. Thank you!

Don't know about Boston, but I have yet to see any bags examined by Lufthansa either here in Philadelphia or on any connection we have had in Europe with them. I cannot believe by eyeball they will see the extra 1 centimeter, that is under 4 tenths of an inch.

But, can/do they really enforce that extra centimeter?

Well, yes they 'can' enforce it. On any random date will they have everyone put their baggage in the sizer? No way to predict that.

Best suggestion I have is to not stuff your bag to the bulging point and draw attention to it. Do not give them a reason to want to size YOUR bag. Mingle with folks who's bags are bigger than yours

Eyeballing 4/10ths of an inch is quite a skill

My $0.02

On Lufthansa you have to not only worry about size, but weight. Here is the link to their luggage site: https://www.lufthansa.com/us/en/Carry-on-baggage. Here are the details: The number of carry-on baggage items allowed depends on the travel class booked. The summary shows you whether you may bring one or two items of carry-on baggage, each weighing up to 8 kg, on board with you. In addition, another small item of baggage may be carried, as well as certain essential accessories for children or people with disabilities.

Most of the time Lufthansa doesn't check, but I have been on two flights in the past year in which I flew business class and they made me put my suitcase (which fit) into the bin that they measure. Then they had a portable weighing device and weighed my bags--too heavy and I had to check. I went out an got a lighter suitcase to replace my Tumi and I am super careful now about shoes.

One trick that I learned on the weight (other than getting a lighter suitcase) is to wear my heaviest clothes, only pack one pair of shoes (lightest) and know how I am going to redistribute quickly the weight in my suitcase to my laptop bag or backpack to get under the weight limit.

Good luck,
Sandy

in the past year in which I flew business class and they made me put my suitcase (which fit) into the bin that they measure. Then they had a portable weighing device and weighed my bags--too heavy and I had to check

They do that to biz class passengers? Wow!

I had no problem with Lufthansa two years ago. I believe you are also allowed a small personal item [small backpack], so you could put heavier items- such as shoes- in the personal item, if you are worried about weight. I don't travel with a purse in Europe, [I use a Scottevest instead,] so can carry a small packable backpack.
I know 8kg is really hard to achieve; this year the lightest I could get was 18.5 lbs, about a pound over, in my carry-on for two weeks travel. I haven't found a suitcase that weighs less than 5 lbs.
From what I've read, the problems arise with the budget carriers.
Safe travels!

Pat, I had a 23" or 23.5" IT-brand suitcase that was about 4.5 lb. I'm sure they make at least one smaller size that weighs even less. Mine was too large to carry on, of course. I found the bag at either Marshalls or TJMaxx a couple of years ago. What I didn't like about the bag was that it was a spinner, and the wheels didn't hold up to my mode of travel: summer-long trips with virtually no use of taxis. The first wheel died on Day 90 or 91; the second one, around Day 120. Otherwise, I really, really liked the bag.

OK. We're going to stick with the Briggs & Riley bags we have. I went to the Tumi store today to compare my bag to one that meets the requirements. The 1 cm difference is imperceptible, by eye anyway.

Based on other posts here, it seems we're going to have to be careful about weight.

Thanks for all the suggestions and wisdom!