luggage size

Has anyone actually had their checked luggage measured? According to the luggage info on the Delta and Air France sites, I think the luggage I bought is too big and I am wondering if they will actually measure it when we check it in. I know they are picky about carry-on sizes, but do they really care how big your other luggage is as long as it doesn%26#39;t weigh too much?

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British Air was very picky when I flew from London to Seattle last month. They actually went through the departures area and were measuring and checking the carry-on bags as well. They were being quite rude about the whole thing actually. I think its hit or miss, since I have been on other flights where it seemed that someone could have checked in a circus elephant without any scrutiny. I do know that they will make you pay extra if the bag weighs too much, though.

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Thanks Mascara, loved the elephant reference. What would they make you do if the bag is too big? Pay more money? I certainly can%26#39;t shrink the bags. I do have the receipts and tags on them still (Bought them last June though, so I might take them back to J. C. Penney.) I noticed you changed your picture, is that your dog? Mine is my granddog, Chelsea, a chocolat lab who loves my pool and has her own pool chair.

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Airlines are thankfully getting more strict about luggage - both carry on and checked.

From the US to Europe I cant see you would have a problem - your luggage allowance for transatlantic was twice that for flights in the rest of the world last time I flew to the US.

I usually travel with one pice of hand luggage and no checked for trips less than 6 weeks. After that I have a small Sammie I check through. I must admit my last trip my hand luggage weighted 8 kilos - but that was because Routard and my Michelin Routier weigh 3.5 kg..... I always make sure the book is tucked under my arm, and the can=mera bag is across my shoulder. Also - my top tip - Duty Free bags are invisible to check in staff. I have a collection I carry all my other bits in - you can usually rely on getting away with 4 or 5 of them!

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AA is getting out of hand on carry on sizing. Last month we did our usual carry on%26#39;s only from ORD on AA42 without any problem, however when we tried to check the very same bags at CDG for AA41 they claimed that our bags were far too large to be carry on luggage. They pointed to a very small sizer that DFW had sent them (much smaller than domestic), and anguished about the fact that large carry on%26#39;s made flights late when the bins are full and large bags must be gate checked--and they were accountable to the FAA for delays. They also claimed that we should have been informed at ORD of the size limits.

BS, IMO. Those same bags were fine in 100,000 plus miles on AA and 5 trips to Europe in 05. Plus we were in Business in a 2 class 767, so bin space was not an issue. Flying with the same bags outbound, 10 CDG prior trips with the same bags, referencing my hard earned elite status and the fact that no warning was given at ORD resulted in a blank stare from the GA. A supervisor finally granted a one time exception. Be warned--the only consistent thing seems to be inconsistency.

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I too rarely check baggage. I have noticed at check-in from time to time recently that the US airlines tend to be much stricter with people who are checking a fair quantity of luggage AND taking their maximum carry-on allowance. I think it%26#39;s another sign of the airlines%26#39; desperate financial straits. If your carry-on is too big and they make you check it, which they will, that may put you over the limit, and bingo! the airline collects the excess baggage fee.

I%26#39;ve heard that Ryanair can be very strict in Europe, both in terms of size and weight, though I%26#39;ve never experienced it myself and a good thing too! Many of the LCCs have very hefty excess baggage charges too - 8€ a kilo or more. So be advised....

Also baggage limits for flights within Europe are MUCH lower than for trans-Atlantic flights, so you might want to ask yourself if you really need those 16 pairs of shoes or the collected works of Georges Simenon (some 500 titles) that you were taking along for the total cultural immersion experience...

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As suggested before, some do, and some don%26#39;t.

As a general rule, we don%26#39;t try to carry on any piece of luggage larger than 21%26quot;.

Here is a link to an article and site that I find helpful:

http://www.airsafe.com/issues/baggage.htm

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WizardofAus

Excuse my ignorance, but what do you mean by %26quot;duty free bags%26quot;? Are these bags you collect from a duty free shop? I am not much of a shopper. I might need to buy a bottle of booze to get through the flight scene however.

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SilverTiger -

Just a little heads-up...

The site you posted has out-of-date info. For example, it suggests that the limit for checked baggage is two pieces weighing no more than 70 pounds each. The limit is now 50 pounds each. Show up with two 51 pound bags and it wil cost you $50.

The only safe place to check baggage limits is the airline%26#39;s own website. They all list their limits and excess baggage charges.

And if you are travelling by air in Europe with a European carrier, particularly a budget carrier, be sure to check their websites, or that bargain flight could end up costing you a bundle (or is that a suitcase?).

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These days it is becoming more difficult to check through over-sized and or over-weight baggage. Though I haven%26#39;t experienced or observed any problems with luggage size (within reason) I have experienced or observed more airlines paying much closer attention to baggage weight. Last summer, I was behind a family of six at the American Airlines desk at JFK while they treid to lighten, shift and re-arrange the contents of their grossly overweight checked baggage. I swear to Orville Wright, I wouldn%26#39;t have been the least bit surprised if I%26#39;d seen the actual kitchen sink, come out of one of these bags and someone try to disassemble the fixtures (I%26#39;m sure there must have been plumber%26#39;s tools in one of those bags) to re-pack in their carry-ons to save weight.

So if you can%26#39;t find a smaller suitcase, then do pay particular attention to airline weight limits and over-weight baggage charges.

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Wiz - how do you travel with only carry-on? What do you do with your nail scissors and bottle opener?