Swiss Air - Are Carry-on Limits Enforced?

it is more the dimension than the weight but you should comply with the rules even if it is a Rick Steve's bag. The fuller the flight the more attention paid. A lot of people break the rules with the carry on bags. Worse a lot people stuff their coats in the overhead bins causing a space problem before you even board and get to your seat; this made a delay worse on my last flight as the flight attendants had to find space or gate check bags.

I've flown Swiss with a carry-on and I made sure it was under 17.5 lb. I don't think they weighed it, but the ramifications of it being too heavy were not worth this game of roulette.

Even if someone came along and said they got away with carrying on a 25 pound bag when they flew Swiss last week, that would not matter. It is not relevant to what the airline will require and enforce when you fly. Best to comply with the rule so you will not have to worry.

This is always the problem with this question --- it is asked frequently. You have to assume that it is enforced. It may not be rigidly enforced but if it happens to you what is your plan B if you are over the limit? I have stood in hundreds of check-in lines over the past 50 years and maybe have seen luggage checked for size or weight a dozen times. A lot of unhappy people. The last was in Prague on Delta five years ago when a couple with two children were forced to return to the front to check their bag - no gate checking. They missed the flight home because one overweight bag. Dozens will post here that they have traveled for years with overweight/oversized bags with no problems. And that is very true. BUT, if you are caught in the one in a hundred times then what do you do? Roll the dices. You probably will be lucky most of the time.

We were on a full Swiss Air departing Zurich last winter. Gate personnel walked around the waiting area at the gate asking passengers with carry-ons that looked close to maximum size to use the size checkers.

There is a way to survive this, my wife and I always travel with just carry on's and if there is an issue with the weight we each have a Scottevest jacket that has 20+ pockets (most on the inside) and we take the heaviest objects out of our bags and put them in the jackets while waiting to board the plane. I've found that clothes don't weigh much, it's usually the liquids, iPads, medications, umbrella, etc that weigh the most and these all fit in the jacket. We then wear the jacket during boarding and take it off when we take our seat, so far this has always worked for us. When my bag is fully packed it usually weights around 19 lbs, so I only have to remove a few things. If you have several pairs of shoes they can weigh quite a bit so I just take regular low cut hikers on most trips, if I'm in the south of Europe then I toss in a pair of sandals but again these will fit in my jacket.

Hope this helps!

yes a jacket with all kinds of pocket space is the best thing ever when traveling trying to meet the carry on weight limit.

Great information everyone. Thanks. I saw the Scottevest website. Perfect solution to deal with carry-on limits by certain carriers.

Since you have a Rick Steves bag, you will probably be exempt. Of course, if they forgot, just whisper "keep on traveling" and they'll let you off the hook.

Sorry, that was me being sarcastic.

No one can answer your question. As others have stated, there may be thousands who swear they never had a problem and you could be the one whose bag is weighed. Stick to the rules or not be bothered if they insist on checking it. (If this happens, just make sure they check it through to Athens.)