United Codeshare - Austrian Airlines baggage allowance carryon
 

Hi

I am packing carefully for my journey to Vienna. My usual "one small carryon suitcase and my camera bag" might not work on Austrian. I looked at their website and it sounds like ONE carryon only. Not sure if that is from VIE to IAD, or all over.

Has anyone flown them recently? I would consider gate checking the small suitcase, but my laptop is in there. Do they even gate check for big airliners? I've done it for the RJs, never have for the TA flights.

Not sure about Austrian but one carry on only is fairly standard outside the USA. Can you not fit your camera bag into your carry on (which, incidentally, should be within the permissible size - it's far more likely to be refused if it's too big than if you have two).

As to gate checking, yes you might be relieved of excess carry on at the gate, but it generally gets delivered to the carousel at your destination.

Finally, the number of carry on items is generally limited to one, but this is not rigorously enforced. Many people arrive with shopping bags from their airport shopping and are allowed on. Also, in winter, people have heavy coats. So you should probably be ok.

I would suggest not hanging out around the gate agents as I have seen them enforce the 1 bag policy in Vienna. There were a couple gate agents walking around having people go over to the scales as well as measuring the bag size. And this was for people with only one bag!

Enforcement in Europe can be strict (but not always). I usually chance it with my 22" bag and my laptop bag and have no problems. I am also *G and usually in premium class so that may have some impact.

I used my 19 inch carryon and a laptop bag (and spent at least an hour trying to make everything fit that woulda fit had I used the backpack. No can do.

In the end, I packed my purse in checked and put the necessities on my person/in the laptop bag (passport, etc etc). I bought a Scottevest which helped a lot. Not enough to avoid checking something I didn't want to check, but still...

I am here, now, to get home Saturday with the same luck.

Does the gate staff at IAD regularly use the sizer and bag scale, or are the sizer and scale simply left visible as an unused deterrent? Also, does Austrian charge for gate checks if they are necessary? What is the Austrian gate checking procedure (do you bring the bag to the end of the jetway and leave it at the top of the jetway steps)?

In Vienna (for a recent flight to IAD), Austrian was charging for gate checking a bag and they collected everything (the credit card charge and the bag) at the scales which was right before the gates (and security).

Was there also a sizer there? Also, how much were they charging for the gate-checks?

Yes, there was also a sizer, but they seemed more interested in weight (8 kilos max in Y). If you had already checked a bag, then it was 50 Euro to check your carry-on as a second bag. I had only checked one bag and had *G status, so the carry-on was free to check. It was only 11 kilos (I had overnighted in VIE so I just had a change of clothes and my toiletries and two books). I tried switching my books to my computer bag (very small, just fits the computer and maybe the two books) but they wouldn't let me do that. Since I had the second bag free allowance, I didn't fight it.

Apologies for reviving an old thread, but this looks like the right place to ask the question.

Flying out later today on AC into FRA where I'll connect to an Austrian flight. My understanding of OS' carry-on rules is 1 bag with a max weight of 8 kg. AC, on the other hand, allows 10kg. My questions are:

1) Do they actually weigh bags during connections at FRA?
2) If I'm forced to gate check (which I don't mind since it really shouldn't cost me anything as a *G) where does the bag get delivered upon arrival? The carousel with the rest of the baggage?

Thanks!

Since european non-LCC airlines include a bag in the ticket, less people travel with big carryons, and gate checking is not happening. What they sometimes do for small plane regional flights (where overhead space or weight is limited) is that you surrender your bags upon entering the flight from the bus, and you get it back directly before boarding the bus and driving to the gate.

Sweet, thanks for the info ^

Is there a limit to the carry on bags if I'm on United award ORD-VIE-INN (Business, then 1 cabin respectively)? I'll be with my wife and infant, so more baggage:) If it makes a difference the return is MUC-ORD on United business.

Congrats :) this is your 21th post about the same trip! Keep them coming!
Didnt check the complexity of all the posts but this can be answered by a super difficult google search for "austrian baggage allowance".

Congrats:) Your sarcasm is totally appreciated. I realize there is a thing called a search engine. Perhaps if you took the time to read my question (this is a travel forum correct?) you would realize I was asking the experienced travelers since I have 1 leg in business then the other is economy. But thanks for adding value to this forum.

So now you found out I guess that it doesnt matter because its always 8kg max.
(but since this is a travel forum: do whatever you want, as long as it looks a carry-on, they usually wont measure its weight)
[and for your child's sake I am really hoping that you dont want to pull 4 carryons and deal with the baby with only 4 hands, just to avoid checking in baggage]