Hello all,

I am flying from the US to Italy on AA and then connecting to BA in Heathrow. Though, I know AA has its carry-on allowance, I had always been able to take somewhat "bigger" carry-on without any issues.

My question is - if it is allowed for me to take my carry-on on board AA - will I have issues with BA? I mean, it's a bit inconvenient to find out later that you have to check your luggage on your connecting airline.

Thanks in advance.

FHD

Simple advice - BA normally police carry-on restrictions far more than USA based airlines do.

Check this link the BA website, be aware of and comply with their conditions and you should be fine:

As you have to reclear security in the UK, even if connecting, you will have to pass the BA and/or BAA baggage police. You run a considerable risk of having it checked with the sizer.

Try it if you like, never look 'em in the eye, pull your bag on the opposite side of you from which they are standing, don't hesitate or all is lost. And don't be upset if they nail you. Happens all the time.

BA themselves are not particularly problematic if you're travelling in a premium cabin, but BAA (who run/own LHR, amongst others) are very rigid, because max. sizes are set by UK government regulation. These are:

These sizes are overall, including wheels, handles and external pockets.

If you're boarding any flight at LHR with baggage larger than this, it's less hassle to check it before you go through security. They're almost certain to make you go back and check it anyway.

Just as a point of reference, since July I have used the ebags Mother Lode eTech mini 21 and done fine on 2 RT BA intercontinentals and 3 RT European trips. All in Y.

I regularly travel with a carryon that meets AA sizing requirements but is a bit too large for BA. My suggestions:

1) When transferring, take a confident, full-steam-ahead mentality. Do not make eye contact with the "helpful" people at the transfer point; just go straight ahead to the transfer desk (where you'll get a new boarding pass).

2) BAA Security seems to care when you're at the regular lanes, but I've found FastTrak to be far more lax. I'm a little fuzzy as to whether elite status gets you FastTrak access, but when transferring I've never actually encountered somebody checking eligibility (this is different if you're leaving from Heathrow and have to clear regular security in T3).

3) You may have bigger problems on your return -- that is, the BA gate staff at your Italian destination may be stricter and make you check your bag. If your layover is longer than two hours, I'd actually suggest checking the bag ONLY to LHR and picking it up there. There's less of a chance of a lost bag, and you'll spend the time picking your bag up at LHR instead of picking it up stateside (only really valid if your LHR-US flight is non-stop to your final destination). Note that this will require you clearing UK customs/immigration to get your bag and then transfer to T3, so I'd only recommend it if you're a US/EU/Commonwealth citizen and really have time to kill at LHR.

With some AA flights coming up early next year, I've been revisiting this issue. It transpires that, at 49.7 linear inches, the BA permitted size (= UK govt. permitted size) is actually some 10% larger than AA's permitted size (45").

Can I take it that the AA rule isn't actually enforced?