Carry-on Limits question
 

Hello.

I'm going to be travelling to PVG next week and am wondering if they still allow multiple carry-ons. I'd like to bring my camera gear and my laptop in 2 carry-ons but if I run into trouble leaving (due to limit of 1 carry-on) I'll leave the laptop at home.

Thanks.

Aren't the carry on rules 1 piece of hand luggage plus one camera plus one laptop?

I never know what the rules are anymore. Going through the UK you're allowed 1 bag period. If it's a camera bag, laptop bag, carry on, whatever. One bag. Period. I rarely carry everything with me when I go to the UK anymore. Or if I do, I put my chargers/cables into my checked luggage and use a bigger carry on that will take everything else into 1 bag.

It's only the UK. Everywhere else, it's still 1 + 1.

You could probably carry on a whole collection of things at PVG and they wouldn't care if it all fit through the X-ray.

Yeah, no problems at all; those guys are pretty chill. HKG, by contrast, can be a tad annoying at times.

...unless your airline gives you the secret bag tag, which allows you to whizz right through in HKG. Otherwise HKG seems to be almost always annoying about this, last time I passed through, they were religiously using the bag sizers at the entrance to security.

I've never had any problems at PVG but earlier this month I was pulled aside after ticketing by China Eastern at SHA. My 20" roller was too thick for their ridiculously thin requirements. Meanwhile my co-worker and nearly everyone else skated by with far larger bags than mine.

Don't make eye contact with the gate keeper :p - that must have been my downfall

very true. I received the secret cabin baggage tag from CO since I was flying BusinessFirst and they never even looked twice at my carryon which was way too big for the sizer.

The only carry-on problem I've had in Shanghai was at the old HongQuao airport back before PVG opened. Someone was wanting me to check the backpack (it's sized to be carry-on legal) I was wearing because it was over 5kg. I of course balked at the notion of checking $3k in camera equipment. My wife (a native speaker) was able to convince them to allow it to be carried on.

I've flown the same bag through there other times without difficulty.