KLM,Delta, Transavia Round trip carry on

Hi! Last year we flew from Spokane to Minneapolis to Amsterdam to Malaga. The last flight was on Transavia. When it was time to board, they forced a long line of us to check our carry on as we were preparing to board. One guy was throwing a major tantrum! Many of us were scrambling to remove items and place them in our personal tote - both for electronics & also necessities in case we didn’t see our luggage again. Now I always place my iPad, medicine & a small packing cube of underwear & a shirt into my personal item tote before flights. - just in case.

Also 55cm=21.65 inches which can make a difference. My husband’s 22” was rejected at Madrid coming home and had to be checked. That was either a Delta or KLM flight. And, I remember that KLM had sizing boxes at some gates in Amsterdam.

What gets me about carry on luggage is that the airlines are all flying either Boeing or Airbus jet planes. And both plane brands accept U.S. 22 inch carry on bags in their overhead compartments.

The American carriers like Delta do not measure or weigh carry on bags. But some of the budget European airlines, when they have time, may make travelers put the bags in The Rack and they may weigh some. It is all part of revenue generation.

I have only been stopped a couple of times for my carry on bag in Europe. Once I had to pay $50 with Norwegian Air Shuttle. The other time, I argued long enough with the DeGaulle gate agent that he sent me on through.

Do not worry about this issue.

As noted above, Transavia may or may not check. It depends on mood of the staff. I've never had KLM check bag size, but I have seen its sister airline Air France do this once (out of many, many times flying Air France). The Air France agents charge everyone who had an "oversized" bag (standard US bag) extra to take it on the flight unless the person had SkyTeam Elite status or a business class reservation.

As of April 2024 Transavia changed their policy you must purchase a carry on status for your ticket. I hope this would cut down on the random gate check as you are paying for it.

What gets me about carry on luggage is that the airlines are all
flying either Boeing or Airbus jet planes. And both plane brands
accept U.S. 22 inch carry on bags in their overhead compartments.

They might all fly the the same planes, but they are not identical on the inside. It's up to each airline to specify the interior, like what kind of overhead compartments they want.

When leaving from SFO last year, my Samsonite 22" carry-on which I've used for over 10 years for international travel wouldn't fit in the metal box used by Lufthansa which was 21.65" max. Lufthansa is notorious for losing luggage and only after explaining to the gate agent that I had a tight connection in Frankfurt did she reluctantly agree to let me take it on board. I absolutely don't like to check-in a carry on unless I'm going to be denied boarding. For my upcoming trip to Europe, I've decided to buy a carry-on that's max 21.65".

Delta would let you bring a steamer trunk on. I see it all the time.

But those other airlines are highly likely to be much stricter

And yes, I’ve actually seen people miss flights because their oversize bag could not be carried on and they would not check it because they were going to lose their stuff. So be sure to pack in such a way thar if your bag is oversized, your valuables are not in that bag.

And keep in mind, even if your bag is clearly within the limits if the overhead bins are full, a miracle is not going to occur to get it in there. That happens quite often on Delta because they will let you bring the steamer trunk on so my fellow elite travelers who are carrying on everything they’ve ever owned and refuse to put items under the seat in front of them will fill the overhead bins before a lot of other people get on. And if you think I’m joking, but I have actually been called out by some of these people for putting my laptop bag under my seat in front of me because “you know if you’re an elite flyer , you don’t have to do that.” I don’t know where they think that exception comes from but it is called DYKWIA and sadly it’s pretty rampant at Delta

Trying to decide on what luggage to take .

Trying to determine if you will get stopped is always a lot trickier than just following the rules. I always refer back to the Dirty Harry line in situations like this.

The best advice, if not the rule, in this instance is to use a carryon that meets the requirements of every carrier that you will be traveling with.

Of course there are exceptions to this and every rule in life. Here: https://live-travel.community.amadeus.com/c/portal/view-thread/447638403/entry-for-baggage-agreement-between-airlines Do you really want to try and figure it out? Actually that discussion i believe is only about checked bags. But i presume there is something out there for carry on as well.

Naaaaa, just comply with the most restrictive, that way you can relax and enjoy your trip ... and know, that your carry on may still get gate checked if the gate agents think that is what is best for the flight. Smile, comply and relax.

The max. allowed dimensions of your cabin bag is 55 x 35 x 25 cm (21.65” x 13.78” x 9.84”), and, combined with your personal item (maximum size 40 x 30 x 20 (15.74” x 11.8” x 7.87”), the weight may not exceed 10 kg. KLM says same size for the carryon but a smaller personal item: 40 x 30 x 15 (15.74” x 11.8” x 5.9”) and combined weight of 12 kg.

So, you can do 55 x 35 x 25 cm (21.65” x 13.78” x 9.84”) for the carryon and 40 x 30 x 15 (15.74” x 11.8” x 5.9”) and combined weight of 10 kg.

But please don’t trust me. Look it up. I have been known to be wrong.

In my experience, on the way over, Delta allows about anything, KLM generally will not bother checking at the gate if transferring over from Delta. The exception would be if the flight is very full and you are in main/economy, then they may start gate checking bags, regardless of size.

If you get to a third partner, like Transavia, then expect bags will be measured/weighed at the gate, but generally they will tag and check for free.

On the way back, expect both Transavia and KLM to be stricter about carry-on size. Even Delta (since often KLM checks you in for a Delta flight) can suddenly remember it's dusty rules. To be honest, I have found it better to always check my bag on the way home, little risk, makes for a more pleasant journey, and Rick Steves officially forgives those that do.

I will be flying Transavia in May and have paid for the cabin bag (55 cm x 35 cm x 25cm). My carry-on bag is an Eagle Creek 56cm x 35cm x 23 cm; but since it's a soft travel backpack I think it will be fine ... fingers crossed !