feysul

I am starting to travel more Internationally into Europe. I would like to ask some of the more seasoned EUropean travelers what you all think?

Do i really need a International SizE Carry on or could i get away with a Continental size?

ANy help is appreciated.

Thanks

John Isaac

No problem----if you don't mind being forced to gate check your bag from time to time, that is.

nmh1204

Yes. American domestic sizes are far bigger than the rest of the world.

feysul

I understand. I guess what I am asking is. How much do the international airlines enforce this and further will my carry on not fit above?

nmh1204

Lufthansa, Aer Lingus and EasyJet do, and they often make you put it in the sizers

STBCypriot

You may also find that some European airlines will actually weigh your carry-on. So you should be concerned about weight limits too.

feysul

Thank you. Thats what i was looking for. sorry if i wasn't that clear.

so what you are saying is that i should buy the International Carry ON and that the European carriers enforce the size.

fassy

Size and weight. It is often about 8kg to 10kg. So look for a lightweight carry on. There are lots of carry-ons around which weight already 4kg which puts you out if the weight limit sooner than you might want.

Stick to the Lufthansa sizing (55 x 40 x 23 cm) and stay under 10kg and you will be fine.

Tizzette

Translate to inches 21 x 15 x 9, 22 pounds. If you pack only clothes in a bag that size, it is possible to make 22 pounds. Put the books, the 311 bag, the electronics and other heavier stuff in your backpack or personal item bag because smaller bags are unlikely to be weighed. Wear the boots and the coat.

Badenoch

It depends on the airline. Some of them are quite strict on the limits. My roller is a Briggs and Riley Commuter U119X. It is slightly smaller and therefore usually doesn't draw a second look. What I give up in packing space I gain in certainty.

YuropFlyer

Low service carriers like Lufthansa or Swiss will check your baggage size at the gate EXTREMELY strict - be over a single centimeter or half a kg, and you're forced to gate-check it (against an extremely hefty fee)

gobluetwo

In my experience, it's generally intra-Europe travel where they are most strict. Also, they have tended to be more lenient if you are in a premium cabin. These days, I use an international size Victorinox, but I have brought on my US domestic carry-on when traveling LH and LX business class, both inter- and intra-continental.

Of course, those experiences may have been outliers and you are always safer with a smaller carryon when traveling to/from/within Europe.

deniah

How often do you find yourself traveling into Europe?

Ive been doing EU flying at gold level for 3 years, primarily with the LH group (occasionally BA/AF/KLM/others) and i can count the times ive been subjected to or seen the weight/sizing with 1 hand.

Often its an eyeball test at check-in. If you dont have an overstuffed 22", then they wont be ask for it to be weighted.

ONE time I got stopped at the entrance to security at VIE. Which should be carrier-agnostic. The agent was (of course) dressed in OS and I was flying LX. Had to check-in my bag. But that's been my home airport and that occured only once.

Never been checked at the gate.

Just my experience. Do the math and see if it makes sense for you - to stave off the rare possibility of being denied carrying-on, or to benefit from additional storage volumes for all your other trips?

YuropFlyer

For your information, times have changed FAST in Europe: This summer, LX had introduced (more than before, when they only run them Ex-GVA) Europe-wide handbaggage-only fares, with LH and OS following them on 1st October. Consequences are now super-strict checks on luggage.

Oversized will definitely be "catched", and they're also checking for luggage weight, and are very strict about it. If you're at 9kg, you can remove a few things and carry those, but if you're at 12kg or similar, it might become hard to get out..

Mellonc

No.

Most of the time, I find that it's the weight that gets you not the size. Unless I'm doing a 2 or 3 day trip I just bring my 24 inch and check the darn thing. (wring from the US) Either for business or pleasure, it doesn't really make sense for me to travel for 2 days in Europe or Asia anyway. I'll pull various meetings together and make it at least a week. At that point, you need a checked bag.

On top of that it take a while to get through immigration anyway. By the time you are done, your checked bag should be out there waiting for you.