Traveling on United for the first time in years gives me pause over this carryon issue. My 3 carryons from which I can choose one all meet the stringent low cost airlines rules in Europe.

However...it seems I may still run afoul with United.

Living 2 miles from an airport with a United counter (not EWR), I breezed by yesterday with my computer/briefcase rolling carry on I want to use on 12/25. It slid into the larger frame easily, did not touch the right or left sides of the frame (as it's square not rectangular), and I could wobble it back and forth front to back within the frame in some small spare space.

However, if I leaned over and peered straight down, the small wheels at the back and bottom WERE touching the frame at the back--barely, without clearance.

Oh well, let's hope on 12/25 the gate agent working does not happen to observe Christmas and therefore might unlikely have a cranky moment having to work the holiday! Because if they want to enforce the "free space around carry on within frame" technicality, guess I'm toast with 1/2 inch or so oversized in the wheel area.

:-))))))))))

Fingers crossed...