United/Luftansa carryon

The best practive rule is don't test the system. The weight on the Lufthansa site is not in pounds, it's in kilos. And, the limit is 8kg (17.6lbs). There is also a size limit (55x40x20cm).

This question has been asked before about Lufthansa and reportedly, sometimes they weigh and sometimes they don't. Of course they have a place to weigh the carry on. It's right there at the check in counter. They didn't weigh ours in the LAX Tom Bradley International terminal but they did weigh others. Ours wasn't that large. Besides, we were flying business class and we were permitted two such bags and we only had one each. But, they were weighing others. Will they make you check your bag if you are overweight? Who can say. But I say again, don't test the system. It's not a nice system these days.

Thanks Larry. We really don't want to "test" the system, and we will stick with the limit. I just wonder about our bathroom scale being acurate. Do you think it is worth the ride to the local airport to weigh with their scales? We will be close to the offical limit. Any advice?

We will also have one person item (RS civita bag). Luftansa told me that there is not offical size, just a handbag, etc. I asked about weight and they said there is nothing offical, but around 5 lbs is ok. Any advice about this?

We are hoping to stay within the limits and not check a bag, but if we have to we will..it will be close! (I've got several pounds of ice packs for meds)

The only thing I can suggest is to call the Lufthansa ticket counter at SFO. I actually went to the counter when my tickets changed. I wanted to look somebody in the eye as they were making the changes and issuing me new tickets. They were quite pleasant. Or, call Lufthansa customer service. I'm betting that you can get a bit of credit for the cold packs. Finally, if you have a nice size sweater or jacket in the carry on, put it on and check in.

I am sure it's their scale that counts. And, I wouldn't put much trust in a bathroom scale, particularly because measuring instruments are generally designed to be accurate in the middle of the scale. Do most people weigh 0-35#? However, post offices do have very accurate scales.

Our experience with Luftansa is that the luggage has never been weighed BUT the sizing box is used all the time especially for those with wheeled bags. And nearly all fail.

Thanks for all the replys. I'm hopeful that we will be under a pound or two and won't have to worry. I'm also hopeful that maybe I can get my UPS husband to take the bags to work before they open and weigh the carryons. I tried weighing myself holding the bags, and then just by myself to see the difference. Now I wonder how far off I may be!

We may run down to the local airport and test them in the sizing box to be sure we are not over stuffing them. I don't even have all our stuff together yet, but it sure seems like we are bringing more "things" than clothes.

Thanks for the help!

You may want to invest in a small travel/luggage scale. An Analog one runs about $10 and a digital one about $25. Basically, these are handheld and you attach them to the handle of the bag and lift. The scale then reads the weight.

They usually hold anywhere from 50-75 pounds.

I've seen analog ones at Target and Bed, Bath & Beyond. Digital ones online.

Or a cheap way to do it is to take your scale, weigh yourself without your bags and then weigh yourself holding them. That gives you a rough estimate of your bag weight.

I had a little trouble with Meridiana over their rules, and found out that the airlines have agreements with each other regarding these rules. I learned the hard way to check regarding weight and size limits for luggage before getting the tickets. (Thankfully, British Airways went to bat for me and made sure that Meridiana didn't force me to check our field electronics!)

If the ticket was issued by United Airlines, then generally the rules you follow are theirs (that is, if it is an international flight and you booked them all as part of a package). If you booked the flights separately, then you will have to follow the most restrictive rules. It would be worth your while to call (first) United and then Luftansa to make sure- and if there is any disagreement, get it in writing.

I test my home scale with a 5 pound bag of sugar.

When it comes down to it, the rules on your ticket are the rules you must live by. Like a contract, you and the carrier must abide by these rules. If you know the rules on your ticket and abide by them, the airline will also but you may have to remind them.

It comes in to play in situations like yours. You change to an airline with stricter requirements. As long as your ticket doesn't have a line like, "Our partners may allow less" (I haven't seen one of these statements yet, but I'm sure they are coming) you are okay abiding by United's rules.

I travel happily with 15 lbs. for a month or more but I know this is really stressing out a lot of travelers.

Air New Zealand has the kind of super-restrictive policies that challenge carry-on travellers, with a strict limit of 7 kilos for the carry-on and a description of the personal item that it be a
"thin" handbad or laptop case. (They even have a picture online of a larger laptop case labelled "uacceptable." And they do weigh carry-ons. But they don't weigh "personal items," so I put my heaviest bits (laptop, Ipod, reading matter) in my personal item.

Also, when traveling on Easyjet (which still has a strict one-bag rule--no personal item at all), I wore a cargo vest with pockets stuffed with some of my goodies and made it on just fine.