Easyjet Carryon Luggage

easyJet is very clear about what you can carry into its cabin and is tweaking its policy as of the start of July. Obviously you have read the new policy here http://easyjet.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/5832 A shopping bag from IKEA or anywhere else isn't going to do much of a job if it is tossed into the luggage hold at the last minute, in my opinion. And look sharp at what it says about carrying personal items. Maybe each family member can stuff an electronic toy into a coat pocket but that's about as lax as you can expect. Not to say rules might bend if you are shepherding particularly cute young kids (get an objective assessment on that evaluation) but then again they might not which could leave you scratching your head. While you're at it, easyJet recently tightened up its advance check-in rules too, which now boil down to do it or else. I think easyJet is great value for money, especially on a two-hour flight such as you are taking where you can survive without movies and meals.
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Unfortunately for me, it isn't as clear as I would hope. They don't specifically address if you bring the right size carryon (basically a rolling bag that is standard) and they run out of room, they will place it in the hold. I don't mind that, but I don't want to pay 60 pounds for it. They don't say if they charge for this or if it is comped due to the lack of space, not that the bag is oversize or anything. Certainly, I could call London to find out but resist for obvious reasons. Since I have never flown with them, I am not aware of the ins and outs of it all. HOping more seasoned Easyjet travelers can advise. The Ikea bag is small enough that it is guaranteed to go with us onboard, not in the hold. Just haven't done it before and want to avoid a hassle with staff about loose items in a larger bag. Never know what is okay or not until you do it, but then it is too late to adjust! Thanks for the input. HOping for more details from others as well.

If there is no room for your carryon and it has to be gatechecked, they will not charge for it. In light of the new tweaks, though, you might want to ask them (you could email them if you don't want to call, but calls aren't that expensive). And the previous poster is right, a shopping bag won't work very well if there is no room for it and it has to be gatechecked.

80 dollars a bag
?!?!?, that must be a last minute check in price, I just did a dummy booking for a date in July and one checked bag for that route is 23 us dollars. Its always cheaper to prepurchase a check in for your bag.

Laura, You may have seen these listed on the website, but a few points regarding EasyJet flights..... They normally only allow ONE carry-on item per passenger of the approved size (56 x 45 x 25cm incl wheels). That doesn't mean "one plus a personal item such as a Laptop case or a Purse", it means ONE ONLY! If you check-in online and show up at the boarding gate with more than one carry-on per person, you'll likely be nicked £40 for each extra bag, which will then be placed in the hold. You will also pay for checked luggage according to weight, so it would be a really good idea to know the approximate weight of your checked bag. If it's over the limit (normally 20 kG), it's much cheaper to pay for the extra weight at the time of booking rather than at the gate (that's what I always do). I wasn't sure if you had seen this page, but you can see all the rules at www.easyjet.com/en/planning/baggage (note the change which takes place on July 2). I've found that the experience with EasyJet is generally "easy" and that's why they are my preferred budget airline in Europe. I have another flight booked with them this year. Happy travels!

@Pat yes, that price is the rough conversion of "gotta check it at the airplane gate" for 60 Pounds, approx. $80, or, WAY more than I want to spend! Sounds like I will be able to gate check free if I meet the baggage size requirements for the rolling bag size, which is my main unanswered question from their website. I think I will try to find a zipper bag that will fit all the "little stuff" so we can pool those and avoid paying to check any additional bags. That should work just great. As I think aloud to myself (oh, I need to stop doing this!), maybe I will sew some Velcro tabs to the Ikea bag instead so it presents as one piece. That could work rather well. I like that bag because it folds flat and I never need to see it again until the next flight. Or, I can use it for laundry in my hotel room. Thanks for all the help!

Laura, just flew Easyjet about a month ago and they were very strict about 1 carry on item per person. They actually asked me to put my purse into my tote bag so I would only carry 1 item! Pretty silly, meanwhile other people were bringing in much bigger carry ons but I guess that's the rule. So as long as your Ikea bag fits the size limit for carry on and as long it's your only one, it should be fine.

Laura, "Sounds like I will be able to gate check free if I meet the baggage size requirements for the rolling bag size" Could you clarify your terminology for "gate check"? Are you referring to your carry-on luggage, or luggage that will be placed in the hold?

Ken- effective July 2, they have a new policy. If your carryon is a certain size (see above for dimensions) it is GUARANTEED to go onboard in the cabin. If it is the right size for carry on (roughly the size of the average rolling bag) then it goes into the hold if there is not sufficient room for it in the cabin. My understanding from another poster is that there is no charge for this if you meet the carryon requirements (size and only the ONE!). I hope that helps clarify the policy for you. They don't spell out each and every thing that I needed to understand, which is why I turned to the awesome RS board. Thanks all!

easyJet do not "gate check" an item unless you actually turn up at the gate with baggage which is beyond their maximum size allowed, in which case they will almost certainly charge you at the highest rate, since you should have checked the item at the check-in counter. When you board the plane, the cabin staff will see how full the overhead bins are, and will take some of the items off passengers and place them in the hold. You will not then have to pay. If your carry-on items are within the new lower size limits, then easyJet say you will definitely be able to keep them with you, so valuables like cameras and drugs shoud be placed in a smaller bag. If they are between the lower and upper size limits, then they may be placed in the hold if there is insufficient space for everyone's carry-on bags. These are single-aisle planes flying short journeys, often from small airports with limited baggage handling facilities. They have short turn-round times - usually about 40 minutes. Most of the other passengers will be Europeans on short trips. You can try to game the system to save money, but if you get it wrong it could cost a lot of money. If you think the system is crazy, try having a discussion with any Europesn about the American rules for firearms and alcohol sales.

The confusion always seems to come from 'gatecheck' which happens up where they check your boarding pass. What happens once you're on the plane might not even have a name, but it's a whole new game that adds no cost. Gatechecked stuff usually winds up on the carousel, cabin-nabbed usually winds up by the door as you get off. I was watching Easyjet at the next gate the other day at Manchester. If something didn't fit in the cage by even a protruding wheel, it failed the test. If there was a scale, I didn't see it. KLM was doing the same thing. So was Ryan.

I took an Easyjet flight last month. I found that my (soft sided) carry-on bag, which is the same size as the one you plan to use, fitted under the seat in front with a little room to spare. So full overhead bins should not affect you. I am short so I don't have a problem doing this but if legroom is an issue maybe put it in front of the member of your family with the shortest legs! PS - Easyjet have no weight limit for carry-on but you must be able to lift it into the overhead bins unaided.

Good to hear there is good space under the seats. I don't mind eating a kneecap for 2 hours frankly, but don't want to get my stuff misplaced as we will be very tired having flown from the West Coast of the US by the time we get on our first flight (Norwegian, with a whole different set of rules from Easyjet). I don't mind hard and fast rules, but I want to make sure I don't do something wrong inadvertently and wind up with the huge penalty at check-in time. To that end, and to my husband's complete shock, I have already packed for a trip in two months to just see how it all fits together. That is what I think is "crazy." It isn't really a comment on the UK :). I am just so used to having a purse and a piece of luggage, where, if the luggage must be checked due to lack of space, no biggie, you can put essentials in your purse (electronics, etc.). With just one bag, it throws that paradigm off quite a bit, so I am trying to be proactive. Thanks again for all the input, it is so beneficial to me as a newbie Easyjet customer!

Laura, Thanks for the clarification. I was aware of the change occurring on July 2, which I mentioned in my first reply. I may have missed the date that you'd be taking the flight so didn't know whether you'd fall under the new rule, and also wasn't sure about your meaning for "gate checked". I've found that EasyJet often checks the size of bags both prior to security and again at the gate. Any that don't fit the sizing frame are placed in the hold and the passenger is charged extra. In one incident that I witnessed with an EasyJet departure from Rome, the gate staff and a passenger got into a huge argument and the Pilot finally had to be called. He told the passenger "I decide what flies on this airplane and THAT bag is not going in the cabin", which ended the argument quite abruptly. One other recent change with EasyJet is that I don't believe they're offering check-in at the airport any longer, so you'll have to check-in online and print your boarding passes. There was quite a lengthy discussion on that topic on the HelpLine recently. I've just received notification that I can now check-in for my flight and print my boarding pass, although it won't be departing for about a month. They're also testing mobile check-in and boarding passes using Smartphones but this feature is currently only available for departures from 15 airports. Cheers!

Ken Thanks for your reply. My biggest worry is being off by a small amount (as an earlier poster mentioned, half a wheelyikes!-could get me the super expensive check in price for my bag). Thus, I am trying to be super prepared and measure things a million ways to Sunday to make sure I pre-pay for checked bags or, alternatively, don't need to. I did have a small brainstorm reading all these posts; I might just pop my bags into one of the Easyjet baggage frame thingies that measures the size of your bag when I arrive at Schilpol airport. Then I will have a chance to check additional bags in advance if they don't fit. Since we don't have that airline here, it is hard to know exactly how it will all work out. Thanks for your help! Laura

Laura, it seems you are really stressing out over the EasyJet luggage thing. If you get yourself a little hand-held digital baggage scale you can have complete control over the weight aspect. Then measuring with a tape measure should do the rest. If you really want to, make a lidless box out of some cardboard and duct tape that matches the EJ dimensions exactly and see how your packed bag fits in. But mainly, scrutinize what you plan to bring and ask yourself what you can really live without for the duration of your travels. It's amazing how little one actually needs to be comfortable, IF you're willing to do a bit of hand laundry each night. If your clothing is quick drying you can mix and match and re-use and never be carrying around any dirty laundry. There are so many tricks to traveling ultra light, and it's kind-of fun to test one's limits.

Weight isn't an issue (I do have a handheld scale) as we are planning to do laundry regularly. I just have seen too many variances on the luggage dimensions that "work" for carryon to feel confident that ours will all work without issue. Various posters have said that most rolling bags designed to be carried on will work, but some are 19" and some are up to 22" in length. The wheels could add more inches, etc. That is why I think I will just pop it in the gauge in Amsterdam to see which of ours fit and which don't so that I can pre-pay for any that don't fit (much cheaper than once you are at the airport).