Asia - Carry-on limits/weight for intra-China travel

Was told the domestic carry-on size is a standard 22" case but the weight limit was 10 pounds!!! Most empty 22" cases weigh almost that.

A friend just returned from China says that checked in baggage was weighed (40 or 44 pound limit) but carry on was not and tour group all tended to put heaviest stuff in the carry-on.

Will I be able to get away with a heavy 22" carry on plus a personal item the size of a large laptop computer case?

Was told the domestic carry-on size is a standard 22" case but the weight limit was 10 pounds!!! Most empty 22" cases weigh almost that.

A friend just returned from China says that checked in baggage was weighed (40 or 44 pound limit) but carry on was not and tour group all tended to put heaviest stuff in the carry-on.

Will I be able to get away with a heavy 22" carry on plus a personal item the size of a large laptop computer case?


You are correct, Carry on baggage is very rarely weighed. The only problem with carrying a larger carryon is the luggage bins are usually quite full. Most Chinese travelers don't check anything, they carry on only. I would suggest trying to get on early enough that you can get a spot for your carryon. That of course means beating the crowd that instantly storms the gate when they announce the flight. I would suggest placing yourself near the gate to be ready to get in line.

You are correct, Carry on baggage is very rarely weighed. The only problem with carrying a larger carryon is the luggage bins are usually quite full. Most Chinese travelers don't check anything, they carry on only. I would suggest trying to get on early enough that you can get a spot for your carryon. That of course means beating the crowd that instantly storms the gate when they announce the flight. I would suggest placing yourself near the gate to be ready to get in line.

I've actually never had a problem finding bin space and I'm usually one of the last to board. While I agree that many --if not most-- Chinese carry on only, extremely small bags are popular (I also fall into the "small bag" category, which might explain my good fortune, but on my last 10 flights or so, I could have taken a much bigger bag without problem).

I've actually never had a problem finding bin space and I'm usually one of the last to board. While I agree that many --if not most-- Chinese carry on only, extremely small bags are popular (I also fall into the "small bag" category, which might explain my good fortune, but on my last 10 flights or so, I could have taken a much bigger bag without problem).


Yes I agree, usually not a problem. Sorry, I was not trying to scare the OP, just trying to think of any possible problems you may run into with a larger bag. Only if your flight is really full would I be worried about not finding space in the overheads. Even then the FA's are usually quite helpful (in my experience anyway) to find a spot for your bag, even if that means putting it in the front of the plane or something.

I've run into problems at Guangzhou's airport where they have the ubiquitious guards standing before the security line asking people to weigh their carry ons if they look big enough. I've also have a gate agent in Beijing ask me to gate check my bag because the flight was full. I didn't have a choice and had to check and of course there was plenty of room in the overheads.

I've never seen full bins in any country except the USA.

I've also have a gate agent in Beijing ask me to gate check my bag because the flight was full.

a simple, "no," usually does the trick ime. the cancelation rate on my primary route (pek-sha) is so high that checking bags can be a real liability (though i've yet to suffer any permanent losses).