Yes, Europe is much stricter. A week ago in Venice the gate agent wanted to weigh my briefcase/computer bag. Not kidding you. Swiss flight VCE-ZRH.

Also going Europe-USA is rather strict.

What are the measures of the Eddie Bauer duffle? 27" sounds really big. The usual advantage is that duffles tend to look smaller and actually occupy a lesser footprint for more volume than a comparable standard 22" roller or case.

I have successfully carried on a 25x12x12 duffle, the Valoroso VD-25. If you do a search for it here, you can read a bit more about that experience. I think a 27" will be really over the limit unless it's 27x10x10. You should also keep in mind that these things can get VERY heavy. Mine was in the 22-25lb category. At the very limit of what I would want to carry. 20 is ok for me, anything heavier gets cumbersome real quick.

Till