International luggage dimensions

[dis2cruise]

Are all the international airlines use the same standards for their sizes?

 

Does the  dimensions include the wheels?

Edited July 12, 2019 by dis2cruise

[dogs4fun]

5 minutes ago, dis2cruise said:

Are all the international airlines use the same standards for their sizes?

 

Does the  dimensions include the wheels?

Not sure if they all use the same standards as we have not flown on all international airlines. You can check with the specific airlines in which you are interested. The ones on which we have flown have used roughly the same standards and carry-on luggage dimensions do include the wheels.

[Zach1213]

There can be some differences between airlines. They usually post it pretty clearly on their website. Dimensions do usually include wheels and handles.

[iancal]

Our experience is that it includes wheels. The big difference in carry on is a 20" length limit instead of 22". Usually expressed in metric.    Weight limits, in our experience, vary between 7KG and 10KG.   Some are very particular with regard to weighing, others not so much.    Any time we are not certain we check with the airline's web site.  The info will be there.  Don't know about checked bag size/weight restrictions because we typically  do not check any bags.

 

Most luggage vendors such as Eagle Creek offer two types of carry on.  US/NA and international.   We mostly travel carry on with European and Asia/Pacific airlines.     Some, like Jetstar,  will allow you to upgrade from 7KG to 10KG for a fee.  But you must still be within the sizing rules.

 

 

 

Edited July 12, 2019 by iancal

[the mice]

Different airlines have different dimensions, which are specified on each carrier's website, for total length/width/depth including wheels.   Many are smaller than the US standard carry-on size of 22 inches.   As  iancal mentioned, the biggest difference is that many international carriers impose a weight limit.   I've encountered this several times  (TAP, Alitalia, others) which has forced us to check a bag, instead of going carry on only which we can do on US carriers.   They can request to weigh your bags if they look oversized.  So you want to be sure that you have your meds, electronics, anything you can't afford to lose, in a bag that meets carry-on or personal item size requirements.  

[iancal]

Forgot to add...for some it is a combined weight limit.  Carry on and personal item,  so they sometimes place my spouses purse on the scale with her carry on to see the total weight.   last winter, on Jetstar in Brisbane we got weighed twice.  The second check for weight was at the gate.  

[CruiseDigits]

8 hours ago, the mice said:

As  iancal mentioned, the biggest difference is that many international carriers impose a weight limit.   I've encountered this several times  (TAP, Alitalia, others) which has forced us to check a bag, instead of going carry on only which we can do on US carriers.

Aeroflot weighs carry on bags too.

[iancal]

I have never been asked to check my carry on.  I think it is because it is the smaller international size carry on and I not pack it so that the sides are bulging out.  More than once I have put heavier objects in my jacket to reduce the luggage weight.  Most of the airlines we have been on have a tolerance level of just under 1kg.

 

I agree with others.  If your bag is bulging at the seams seem more  likely to be challenged.  Lots of gate agents seem to apply the eyeball test without bothering to weigh.  On smaller planes we will do gate check and pick up on the trolley as we exit the plane.

Edited July 13, 2019 by iancal

[Keith1010]

My experience is no and that included carry on (weight of luggage varies by airline and whether or not it is enforced) as does the size and not all airlines have the same checked guidelines.  Before you book be sure to read the specifics for the airline you are considering.

 

Keith

[ducklite]

It also depends on the class of service.  We've flow first with BA and rolled on a bag that was clearly over the limit without them batting an eyelash, and we've flown Aer Lingus where every bag was checked in the sizer at the gate and tagged if it was too large.

[pcur]

I found Ailitalia's carry-on to be smaller than most other European airlines.  My friend and I bought new carry-on bags for our trip to Europe 2 years ago.  We had multi-carriers, so we opted for an "international carry-on" bag from e-bags.com just to be sage.

[waterbug123]

22 hours ago, pcur said:

 we opted for an "international carry-on" bag from e-bags.com just to be sage.

 

For those who are less experienced international travelers:  Be very careful going by a 3rd party vendor's claim of "international carry-on."  While most transoceanic carriers have similar size allowances, they do vary.  And there are budget carriers that have much stricter allowances.  Ryan Air for instance...they only allow a personal item 40cm x 20cm x 25cm.  (16 x 8 x 10 inches)  That is much smaller than the typical carry on luggage allowance of 20-22" in length.  And yes, I realize Ryan Air doesn't fly transatlantic routes, but it would be easy for someone to see a label on an item in a store or website that implies something meets "international" guidelines, and then end up mid-travels on a carrier like Ryan Air and end up paying a fortune because their bag is too big.

[pcur]

13 minutes ago, waterbug123 said:

 

For those who are less experienced international travelers:  Be very careful going by a 3rd party vendor's claim of "international carry-on."  While most transoceanic carriers have similar size allowances, they do vary.  And there are budget carriers that have much stricter allowances.  Ryan Air for instance...they only allow a personal item 40cm x 20cm x 25cm.  (16 x 8 x 10 inches)  That is much smaller than the typical carry on luggage allowance of 20-22" in length.  And yes, I realize Ryan Air doesn't fly transatlantic routes, but it would be easy for someone to see a label on an item in a store or website that implies something meets "international" guidelines, and then end up mid-travels on a carrier like Ryan Air and end up paying a fortune because their bag is too big.

I agree.  I checked the requirements for all 3 airlines we used on that European trip, and Alitalia was the smallest, so I then hunted for something that size and found it on eBags in their international carry-on section. 

 

I still use it, because even though it's smaller, the cavity holds more because of the design.  My friend and I went for 2 weeks with 5 days land and 11 nights cruising with just those little carry-ons.