Airline Carry On Luggage Allowances
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These days we want to carry more onto the plane
than ever before.
Small carry on bags - like this 1970s Pan Am bag -
have been replaced by monster wheeled bags and suit
carriers.
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In 1989 TravelPro released the
first ever small wheeled suitcase designed to
be carried on to a flight.
Originally adopted by flight
crew, this wheeled suitcase style has now come to dominate the
type of carry-on luggage most people use. The good news
is that they can hold more than earlier bags.
The bad news
is that, although airlines have
massively increased their overhead bin storage space, there's no
way every passenger could stow a maximum sized carry-on
suitcase in any plane's cabin.
General Luggage Policies
Note that when maximum size
measurements are shown as a total number of inches (eg 45") this
is the total of the length, width and height of the piece.
There are standard sets of dimensions that go to make up these
totals (for example, 22 x 14 x 9 is the standard for 45") and if
you have a bag that is an unusual shape but still within the
total number of inches, you may find it being rejected.
Is Your Carry-On Bag Legal?
Many luggage stores sell
suitcases described as 'carry-on', but these suitcases are sometimes larger
than the size most airlines will accept.
The safe maximum size is
45", in the form of a 22" x 14" x 9" bag. Some airlines
allow up to as much as 55", but most do not.
Not only do luggage stores
and manufacturers seldom tell you if their bag is legally
sized or not, but they also frequently mis-measure their bag.
Their measurements generally are for the inside of the main
compartment, and assume that any external pockets are of zero
thickness, rather than stuffed full of things (which can easily
add another inch or more) and ignore any external framing such
as wheels and carry handle (which can also add another couple of
inches).
If you should be very
unlucky and find yourself forced to try and squeeze your
carry-on into an unforgiving luggage template by the gate, even
one extra inch - if your bag is already at the maximum - will be
enough to mean it doesn't fit and you have to check the bag.
More Size Problems
So you get on board with
your large but legal sized carry on item. However, what
happens if there
is no space remaining in any of the overhead bins, and you're
forced to place it under the seat in front of you?
Guess what?
Although your carry on item
might be within the size guidelines issued by the airline, that
does not guarantee it will fit under the seat in front of you!
It seems that the space under the seat in front of you is
getting smaller and smaller, particularly with some airlines
(most notably on international flights) adding bulky electronic
boxes under each seat to control the at-seat video entertainment
systems, and with more closely spaced seats that are,
themselves, thinner than before.
Even if there isn't a
blocking box of electronics, due to the design of the seat frame and supports, you'll find there might be
the least amount of space under
the aisle seat, a bit more space under the wing seat, and most
space underneath the center seat. At last - something good
to say about getting stuck in a middle seat!
Even if, in theory, your
bag could fit under the seat in front, you might find the
geometry of the space and angles is such that you can't manage to fit
the bag into the space (unless you add a hinge to the middle of
the bag - a feature not yet offered!).
For many reasons - your own
convenience, and courtesy to fellow passengers, we recommend you
focus more on bringing the smallest carry-on you truly
need rather than
the largest carry-on with you!
Carry On Luggage Allowance
All airlines place limits
on the number, the size, and the weight of what you can carry on
to a flight with you.
Generally US domestic
airlines are fairly liberal with these limits, and rarely choose
to enforce them. In a June 04 survey of Travel Insider
Newsletter readers, 80% of readers who admitted exceeding the
official carry-on allowances said they did so with no problems.
Of course, 'no problems' is
a relative term, and if you're honestly abiding by the airline
requirements and unable to fit your own smaller carry-on into an
overhead bin due to the presence of massive outsized bags
filling up all the space, you might have a different perspective
on this!
94.5% of Travel Insider
readers say they do not exceed carry-on limits.
Update mid 2008
With the airlines starting
to charge for checked bags, more passengers are trying to beat
these charges by carrying more items on planes - larger and
heavier bags. The airlines, in turn, now have a financial
incentive to enforce their carry on bag limits, and we
anticipate increasing attention and enforcement of carry-on
weight limits in the future.
Update March 2009
Some more tweaks and changes
to airline policies. While some airlines have predictably
tightened up on their carry-on policies, others have become more
liberal. The table below has been updated accordingly.
Personal Items
The standard allowance
typically provides for a bag of up to a certain size plus one
'personal item'.
What is a personal item?
Some airlines give examples, and suggest that a personal item
may be :
Still More Exemptions
In addition to generally allowing you to carry on one bag plus one
personal item, many
airlines may also allow you to carry on other items such as
coats, hats and other 'outer clothing' items, 'assistive
devices' such as crutches/canes and wheelchairs, diaper bags and
approved child safety seats.
Unlike checked luggage,
where you can pay extra to carry heavier or bigger or more
items, with carry on, there are no extra charges. If the
airline enforces its carry-on rules, then your only option is to
have the disallowed items checked.
Domestic and International
Carryon Luggage Policy variations
International flights often
have much stricter carry-on policies, particularly with regard
to the weight of carry-on bags.
Although most domestic
airlines have no limit on carry-on bag weight, internationally, you
will find that some airlines set such ridiculously low carry-on
weight limits (sometimes as little as 11 lbs) that the weight of an empty carry-on bag is more
than the total weight you're allowed to take with you!
You
need to be aware of these rules, or else the next time you see
someone desperately unpacking and repacking their luggage on the
floor by the checkin counter, that person might be you!
International airlines may
have different size limits on your carry on bags, too -
sometimes smaller in one dimension, even if perhaps larger in a
different dimension.
If you want a bag that is always accepted on both domestic and
international flights, you'll need to choose a size or two
smaller than the maximum allowable domestic sizes.
If your flight is on a
really small plane, you might find that your luggage allowances
for both checked and carry-on items are substantially reduced.
For example, some light aircraft operators limit passengers to
20lbs of luggage (both carry on and checked).
General Notes about the Luggage
Information Below
This information has been
taken from the various airline websites.
Policies do change.
The information in the table below is shown as of 3/25/09.
Baggage rules can be
complicated, and what is shown is a simplification and may not
apply to your particular flight. For the absolutely most
accurate information, you should visit the airline's website or phone the airline and get exact
confirmation of your luggage entitlements before your flight.
The airlines are also
moderately free to vary their carry-on rules as it suits them,
and they sometimes do this, particularly on full flights.
One reader told a story of being on an American Airlines flight
where the gate agent announced that absolutely no wheeled items
of any kind would be allowed on the flight!
The appropriate page of each
airline website is linked to the airline name in the tables
below to make it easy for you to conveniently check the current
accuracy of the information shown here. If you should find
something out of date, please
let us know so we can correct and update this information.
Domestic Airline/Flight
Policies - Carry On Luggage
Airline |
Allowance |
Max wt
per piece |
Max size per
piece |
AirTran |
1 plus 1
personal item |
- |
55" |
Alaska and also Horizon |
1 plus 1
personal item |
- |
10"H x 17"W x 24"L |
Aloha |
now ceased
operation |
America West |
now merged with US
Airways - see below |
American |
1 plus 1
personal item |
40lbs |
45" for
bag
36" for personal item |
ATA |
now ceased
operation |
Continental |
1 plus 1
personal item |
40lbs |
45" |
Delta |
1 plus 1
personal item |
40lbs |
All items
must each fit in a 'Size wise' template, approx
22" x 14" x 9" |
Frontier |
1 plus 1
personal item |
35lbs |
49" |
Hawaiian |
1 plus 1
personal item |
25lbs |
45" or 22"
x 14" x 9" |
JetBlue |
1 plus 1
personal item |
- |
Carry on =
26" x 18" x 12" on A320
24" x 16" x 10" on E190
Personal item = 18" x 15" x 8" |
Midwest |
1 plus 1
personal item |
50 lbs |
Carry on =
21" x 15" x 9"
Personal item = 18" x 15" x 6" |
Northwest |
1 plus 1
personal item |
- |
Carry on = 22" x 14" x
9"
Personal item = 15" x 11" x 6" |
Southwest |
1 plus 1
personal item |
- |
24" x 16" x
10" |
Spirit |
1 plus 1
personal item |
- |
24" x 16" x
12" |
United |
1 plus 1
personal item |
- |
22" x 14" x
9" |
US Airways |
1 plus 1
personal item |
40 lbs |
22" x 14" x
9" |
Virgin America |
1 plus 1
personal item |
16 lbs |
24" x 16" x
10" for overhead |
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The Relevant Law and its
Implications
The relevant law controlling
passenger carry-on baggage is found in Title 14 of the US Code
of Federal Regulations, (Aeronautics and Space PART
121—OPERATING REQUIREMENTS: DOMESTIC, FLAG, AND SUPPLEMENTAL
OPERATIONS
Subpart T—Flight Operations
§ 121.589 Carry-on baggage.
(a) No certificate holder
may allow the boarding of carry-on baggage on an airplane unless
each passenger's baggage has been scanned to control the size
and amount carried on board in accordance with an approved
carry-on baggage program in its operations specifications. In
addition, no passenger may board an airplane if his/her carry-on
baggage exceeds the baggage allowance prescribed in the carry-on
baggage program in the certificate holder's operations
specifications.
(b) No certificate holder may allow all passenger entry doors of
an airplane to be closed in preparation for taxi or pushback
unless at least one required crewmember has verified that each
article of baggage is stowed in accordance with this section and
§121.285 (c) and (d).
(c) No certificate holder may allow an airplane to take off or
land unless each article of baggage is stowed:
(1) In a suitable closet or baggage or cargo stowage compartment
placarded for its maximum weight and providing proper restraint
for all baggage or cargo stowed within, and in a manner that
does not hinder the possible use of any emergency equipment; or
(2) As provided in §121.285 (c) and (d); or
(3) Under a passenger seat.
(d) Baggage, other than articles of loose clothing, may not be
placed in an overhead rack unless that rack is equipped with
approved restraining devices or doors.
(e) Each passenger must comply with instructions given by
crewmembers regarding compliance with paragraphs (a), (b), (c),
(d), and (g) of this section.
(f) Each passenger seat under which baggage is allowed to be
stowed shall be fitted with a means to prevent articles of
baggage stowed under it from sliding forward. In addition, each
aisle seat shall be fitted with a means to prevent articles of
baggage stowed under it from sliding sideward into the aisle
under crash impacts severe enough to induce the ultimate inertia
forces specified in the emergency landing condition regulations
under which the airplane was type certificated.
Commentary
You'll note that these
regulations do
not specify sizes or weights. But they do say the
airline must enforce its own policies.
This would suggest that
every time an airline allows someone on board who has more than
the airline's specified allowance of carry-on, then the airline
(not the individual) has just broken an FAA regulation.
If you're a militant
traveler keen to control the amount of passenger baggage carried
on to flights, you might want to keep this in mind, and point
out to the gate staff and airplane crew that you have just
observed a passenger going on board with more luggage than the
airline's policy allows, meaning that the airline is no longer
in compliance with the FAA regulation promulgated in CFR Title
14 Chapter I Subchapter G Part 121 Subpart T section 121.589(a).
If that doesn't impress them, ask for their names and advise
you'll be sending in a written complaint to the FAA about
them operating a flight that is not in compliance with FAA
directives.
If you choose to do this,
write to the FAA and tell them the airline, flight number, the
cities it was operating from and to, the date and time of the
flight, and the names of all involved airline personnel, and
give specific details of the people and their luggage that you
saw them carrying on.
You can contact the FAA at
this email address -
[email protected] - but to have your complaint viewed
more seriously, it is better to write to them :
Aviation Consumer Protection
Division
U.S. Department of Transportation
400 7th Street, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20590
You might like to print this
part of this article out to keep with you when traveling.
Good luck!
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Originally published
25 June 2004, last update
30 May 2021
You may freely reproduce or distribute this article for noncommercial purposes as long as you give credit to me as original writer.
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