Overhead luggage size?

[bones774]

Please, what is the optimum luggage size to bring in aircraft cabin for overhead storage? Thanks

Looking for a wheeled or spinner type bag

[CruiserBruce]

9 x 14 x 22 is the standard size most airline use. Sometimes they will take an inch off one or two of those measurements...9 x 14 x 20, for example.

[bones774]

What about bag bloat? Thanks

[CruiserBruce]

Don't push it. Most US domestic lines have bag measuring devices, and foreign airlines weight carry on (that is the common name for what you are describing) bags.

[slidergirl]

2 hours ago, bones774 said:

What about bag bloat? Thanks

NOOOOOO "bag bloat"!   Look up the measurements for the airline on which you are traveling.  9x14x22 is the norm, but not a standard for all.  And, that is floor to top of handle for the height, not just the bag.  And, sometimes, the spinner bags do not fit because they have those 4 wheels sticking out, not just 2 wheels.  If you can't keep your bag within those limits, check it instead of trying to stuff it in the overhead (it holds up everyone else and you end up having to swim back upstream to give you bag to a FA for checking, anyway).  Those "expansion" zippers are useless if you are just carrying on as it makes the bag way too big.  

[TruckerDave]

Also keep in mind if you end up on a smaller plane (regional jet) you will have to gate check your carry on, as the overhead bins are not even big enough for those, and only small personal things are allowed.  Then you get to play the bag wait game in the jet bridge. (which can be a major pain if you have a tight connection with a hike to your next gate).    Plus if you are flying on a foreign carrier (non US carrier) many of them have a 7kg limit for carry on (depending on what class you are flying).  The size is usually the same, just a weight limit which us carriers don't have.

[CruiserBruce]

25 minutes ago, TruckerDave said:

Also keep in mind if you end up on a smaller plane (regional jet) you will have to gate check your carry on, as the overhead bins are not even big enough for those, and only small personal things are allowed.  Then you get to play the bag wait game in the jet bridge. (which can be a major pain if you have a tight connection with a hike to your next gate).    Plus if you are flying on a foreign carrier (non US carrier) many of them have a 7kg limit for carry on (depending on what class you are flying).  The size is usually the same, just a weight limit which us carriers don't have.

 

Actually I think the common foreign airline weight limit for carry ons is 8kg.

[TruckerDave]

5 minutes ago, CruiserBruce said:

 

Actually I think the common foreign airline weight limit for carry ons is 8kg.

Cathay, Qantas and Air New Zealand are all 7kg.  The Euro airlines seem to be a bit more, finding Lufthansa is 8kg while  BA, KLM and Air France all look like 12+. 

 

(I have been starting to plan my next vacation to Sydney and New Zealand so I have been looking at those airlines mostly lately. That is why the 7kg stuck in my head.)

[FlyerTalker]

Did you really mean "optimum" or did you mean "maximum"?

 

If maximum, it COMPLETELY depends upon the particular carrier, both for dimensions and weight.  There is no industry "standard", though non-USA airlines tend to have smaller allowances than USA carriers.

 

If optimum, then it depends on what YOUR criteria are.  For some folks, it is ease of transport.  For others, it's pockets or features.  And for others, it's cost.

[bones774]

Good info all around, thanks all

[6rugrats]

3 hours ago, CruiserBruce said:

 

Actually I think the common foreign airline weight limit for carry ons is 8kg.

My DD just took a Virgin Atlantic flight and their limit was 10 kg.  

Check with your airline.

[waterbug123]

9 hours ago, 6rugrats said:

Check with your airline.

 

And then keep in mind that the next time you fly, you can't rely on "but it fit on my last flight."   So check with your airline, but also consider if you plan to travel again, and if there are certain airlines you fly most frequently and check with them so you don't have to replace your bag.

[slidergirl]

5 hours ago, waterbug123 said:

 

And then keep in mind that the next time you fly, you can't rely on "but it fit on my last flight."   So check with your airline, but also consider if you plan to travel again, and if there are certain airlines you fly most frequently and check with them so you don't have to replace your bag.

 

ALSO, if you are flying and are connecting on different airlines, be sure that your bag is no larger/heavier than the most restrictive requirements of all of those airlines.  Airline A may allow9/14/25 and 10kg (that's 22.+lbs!!!) and Airline B may allow 9/12/20 and 7 kg - you better be at those Airline B requirements because you won't be able to pull the "but it was OK on my last flight."

 

Yep, it's not just cut and dried on those requirements...

[iancal]

If you plan a fair amount of international air travel, especially on the non majors, then in lieu of checking each airline you may want to assume that the carry on limits are 9X14X20 including wheels.  About the lowest weight restriction we have experienced is 7KG and for some airlines that limit is inclusive of your second personal item.  Having said that, we have seldom had our bag weighed but that could be because we do not overpack and they are not bulging.  In six years of frequent retirement travel I think that our bag has only been weighed two or three times.  Even then, most agents allow a little overage-especially when the lines are long.   We have never had the dimensions checked.  Most agents simply eyeball it and make a decision to let us go.  We only travel with a carry on each.

 

If you are shopping for a carry on, keep in mind that just because the tag on the bag says lightweight does not mean that it really is.  Most especially on the bags that do not actually indicate the weight on the tags that come with the bag.  Just our experience.  Depending on the aircraft you may have to gate check you bag because of the overhead physical limitations on the smaller commuter jets.

Edited January 11, 2019 by iancal

[bones774]

On 1/10/2019 at 12:31 PM, slidergirl said:

 

ALSO, if you are flying and are connecting on different airlines, be sure that your bag is no larger/heavier than the most restrictive requirements of all of those airlines.  Airline A may allow9/14/25 and 10kg (that's 22.+lbs!!!) and Airline B may allow 9/12/20 and 7 kg - you better be at those Airline B requirements because you won't be able to pull the "but it was OK on my last flight."

 

Yep, it's not just cut and dried on those requirements...

I just recently flew within the states and all together it was 4 different legs involved, flying Delta. People had carryon of varying sizes and weights, one thing that got me mad was waiting to deplane because people couldn't even handle their own luggage, some were seniors, some women but you could see the difficulty they had in grabbing their luggage. They oughtta wait and let everyone deplane first before blocking the aisles with their oversize/overweight luggage.

[wowzz]

And BA allow 23kg for cabin baggage in economy. Good luck lifting that into the overhead locker!

[Jeremiah1212]

On 1/9/2019 at 3:37 PM, TruckerDave said:

Also keep in mind if you end up on a smaller plane (regional jet) you will have to gate check your carry on, as the overhead bins are not even big enough for those, and only small personal things are allowed.  Then you get to play the bag wait game in the jet bridge. (which can be a major pain if you have a tight connection with a hike to your next gate).    Plus if you are flying on a foreign carrier (non US carrier) many of them have a 7kg limit for carry on (depending on what class you are flying).  The size is usually the same, just a weight limit which us carriers don't have.

 

If you know you have to gate check, be one of the last to board and your bag will almost always be one of the first off. It hasn't failed me too many times yet. 

 

Here is a fairly inclusive list of size and weight restrictions:

 

https://www.ebags.com/buyingguides/luggage-and-travel/carry-on-luggage-size

[Globaliser]

6 hours ago, wowzz said:

And BA allow 23kg for cabin baggage in economy. Good luck lifting that into the overhead locker!

 

And that illustrates the reality of BA's weight limit, which is that for most people it's what you can lift into the overhead by yourself, as that is also a requirement.

 

Having just done the rather unusual thing (for me) of carrying a relatively heavy wheelie bag onto one flight, I think that I would probably hit my personal limit somewhere around 15 kg.

[Alaskanb]

My advice is to take a measuring device with you when you shop for a bag so that label measurements include wheels and handles.

On multi-leg international trips I create a chart and make sure we take a bag that meets the lowest requirements. Sometimes we pay to check a bag in.