Achieve a Smaller Carry-on – The Incredible Shrinking Suitcase
This article is a book excerpt from 300 Healthy Travel Tips available on Apple iBooks and coming soon to the Amazon Kindle and other ebook stores. Learn more at healthytrekking.com.
If you haven’t noticed, airlines are getting smarter, and for us, that’s not always a good thing. Today, airlines operate at an average of 83 percent capacity, putting space at a premium. If you’ve ridden a subway in New York or Tokyo at rush hour, you know what we mean. In response, many airlines have decreased the allowable size for carry-on luggage and jacked up the fees for checked luggage to nosebleed levels. More than ever, become a Jedi Master of packing light, you must.
To help you prepare, below are charts detailing the allowable dimensions and weights for carry-on luggage listed by the major U.S. and international airlines. Let’s just put it this way: They’re not getting bigger.
Be sure to measure your carry-on luggage dimensions to avoid being forced to check your bag at the gate for your next flight. Nobody said that traveling was easy. But with a little preparation, it doesn’t have to be a headache.
Airline Carry-on Allowable Dimensions and Weights
U.S. Domestic Airlines
| Airline | Dimensions (Inches) | Linear* (Inches) | Weight (Lbs) | ||
| Height | Width | Depth | |||
| Alaska Airlines | 24 | 17 | 10 | 51 | |
| Allegiant Air | 22 | 14 | 9 | 45 | 25 |
| American Airlines | 22 | 14 | 9 | 45 | |
| Delta Air Lines | 22 | 14 | 9 | 45 | |
| Frontier Airlines | 24 | 15.5 | 10 | 49.5 | 35 |
| Hawaiian Airlines | 22 | 14 | 9 | 45 | 25 |
| JetBlue Airways | 26 | 18 | 12 | 56 | |
| Southwest Airlines | 24 | 16 | 10 | 50 | |
| Spirit Airlines | 22 | 18 | 10 | 50 | |
| United Airlines | 22 | 14 | 9 | 45 | |
| Virgin America | 24 | 16 | 10 | 50 | 30 |
International Airlines
| Airline | Dimensions (Inches) | Linear* (Inches) | Weight (Lbs) | ||
| Height | Width | Depth | |||
| Aer Lingus | 21.5 | 15.5 | 9.5 | 46.5 | 22 |
| Aeroflot | 45 | 22 | |||
| Aerolineas Argentinas | 22 | 14 | 10 | 46 | 11 |
| Aeroméxico | 45 | 22 | |||
| Air Asia | 22 | 14 | 9 | 45 | 15.4 |
| Airberlin | 21.5 | 15.5 | 9 | 46 | 17.6 |
| Air Canada | 21.5 | 15.5 | 9 | 46 | 22 |
| Air China | 21 | 15 | 7 | 43 | 11 |
| Air France | 21.5 | 13.5 | 9.5 | 44.5 | 26.5 |
| Air India | 22 | 16 | 8 | 46 | 17.6 |
| Air New Zealand | 46.5 | 15 | |||
| Air Tahiti | 17 | 13 | 7 | 37 | 11 |
| Air Tahiti Nui | 45 | 22 | |||
| Alitalia | 21.5 | 13.5 | 10 | 45 | 17.6 |
| ANA | 22 | 16 | 10 | 45 | 22 |
| Asiana Airlines | 21.6 | 15.7 | 7.8 | 45 | 22 |
| Austrian Airlines | 21.5 | 15.5 | 9 | 46 | 17.6 |
| Avianca Airlines | 22 | 14 | 9 | 45 | 22 |
| Azul Brazilian Airlines | 42 | 11 | |||
| British Airways | 22 | 17.7 | 9.8 | 49.5 | 50 |
| China Airlines | 22 | 14 | 9 | 45 | 15.5 |
| China Eastern Airlines | 62 | 50 | |||
| China Southern Airlines | 45 | 11 | |||
| easyJet | 22 | 17.7 | 10 | 49.7 | |
| El Al Israel Airlines | 22 | 17.7 | 7.8 | 45 | 17.6 |
| Emirates | 22 | 15 | 8 | 45 | 15 |
| Ethiopian Airlines | 21.6 | 15.7 | 9 | 46.3 | 15.4 |
| Etihad Airways | 19.6 | 15.7 | 8.2 | 43.7 | 15 |
| EVA Air | 22 | 14 | 9 | 45 | 15 |
| Finnair | 22 | 18 | 10 | 50 | 17.5 |
| Flybe | 21.5 | 15.5 | 9 | 46 | 22 |
| Garuda Indonesia | 22 | 14 | 9 | 45 | 15.4 |
| GOL Airlines | 45 | 11 | |||
| Germanwings | 21.5 | 15.5 | 9 | 46 | 17.6 |
| Hainan Airlines | 21.7 | 9.8 | 7.9 | 40 | 11 |
| Iberia | 22 | 17.5 | 10 | 49.5 | 22 |
| Icelandair | 21.5 | 15.5 | 8 | 45 | 22 |
| Japan Airlines | 22 | 16 | 10 | 45 | 22 |
| Jet Airways | 21.6 | 13.7 | 9.8 | 45 | 15.4 |
| Jetstar | 22 | 14 | 9 | 45 | 15.4 |
| KLM Royal Dutch Airlines | 21.5 | 13.5 | 10 | 45 | 26 |
| Korean Air | 21.6 | 15.7 | 7.8 | 45 | 25 |
| LATAM Airlines | 21.6 | 13.7 | 9.8 | 45.1 | 17 |
| LOT Polish Airlines | 21.5 | 15.5 | 9 | 46 | 17.6 |
| Lufthansa | 21.5 | 15.5 | 9 | 46 | 17.6 |
| Malaysia Airlines | 22 | 18 | 10 | 45 | 15 |
| Norwegian Air Shuttle | 21.5 | 13.5 | 9 | 44 | 22 |
| Oman Air | 45 | 15.4 | |||
| Philippines Airlines | 45 | 15 | |||
| Qantas | 22 | 14 | 9 | 45 | 15 |
| Ryanair | 21.5 | 15.5 | 8 | 45 | 22 |
| SAS | 22 | 16 | 9 | 47 | 17.6 |
| Saudia Airlines | 22 | 18 | 10 | 45 | 15.4 |
| Singapore Airlines | 45.2 | 15.4 | |||
| South African Airways | 22 | 14 | 9 | 45 | 17.6 |
| Swiss International Air Lines | 21.5 | 15.5 | 9 | 46 | 17.6 |
| TAP Portugal | 21.5 | 15.5 | 8 | 45 | 17 |
| Thai Airways | 22 | 18 | 10 | 50 | 15 |
| Turkish Airlines | 21.5 | 15.5 | 9 | 46 | 17.6 |
| Vietnam Airlines | 22 | 14 | 9 | 45 | 15.4 |
| Virgin Atlantic Airways | 22 | 14 | 9 | 45 | 22 |
| Virgin Australia | 18.9 | 13.3 | 9 | 41.3 | 15.4 |
| WestJet | 21 | 15 | 9 | 45 | |
Linear inches is an airline-industry term determining if your carry-on luggage is acceptable for their flights. To calculate linear inch measurements for your carry-on luggage, measure the length, width and depth of your carry-on bag. The sum total of these three dimensions is the linear inch total.
Brian Teeter, 300 Healthy Travel Tips | February 27, 2017
About the Author
Brian Teeter is an author and publisher of the Healthy Trekking travel guidebooks. Learn about his new book, 300 Healthy Travel Tips by visiting www.healthytrekking.com. You can meet Brian at the upcoming Los Angeles Travel & Adventure Show February 18-19 in Booth 1730.
Featured Photo Credit: DepositPhotos
