Passengers bring all their belongings onboard planes in the U.S., hoping to avoid checked bag fees. In some parts of the world, like Europe and Australia, that isn’t allowed. They don’t just limit you to a personal item and a carry-on bag, they actually weigh the carry-on – and you’re often limited to just 15.4 pounds (7 kilograms). That includes the weight of the bag itself!
Here’s a passenger on Qantas’s Jetstar who sees staff bringing over scales to the gate to weigh bags, “you ruin broke [peoples] day for a living.”
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Some airlines use these policies to generate fees, and ultra-low cost carriers are even known for paying out financial incentives to gate agents for catching passengers with excess carry on bags (who can then be charged premium fees for having to gate check those bags).
The underlying policies themselves? Completely unnecessary. Safety justifications are obvious nonsense because U.S. aviation isn’t unsafe due to lack of carry-on weight limits with strict enforcement.
There are a lot of misconceptions about the need to weigh carry-on bags.
- It’s not really about overhead bin capacity. While European airlines don’t tend to have the oversized bins that U.S. airlines now do, many U.S. carriers don’t – Delta doesn’t on many planes, Southwest is only just installing them. And carry-on size is the better proxy for bin capacity anyway.
- It’s not really about workplace injuries. Heavy carry-on bags can cause workplace safety injuries, but when was the last time you saw flight attendants lifting passenger bags? There isn’t actually a rash of dangerous injuries happening in the U.S. where bag weight isn’t limited. There are some injuries from carry-ons (it isn’t zero) and there are in fact some in Europe, oto.
- It’s not about ancillary revenue though some airlines offer extra bag weight for a fee, and many offer extra bag weight for business class passengers further suggesting that 7kg isn’t a necessary hard limit. But most airlines don’t sell extra bag weight, so it’s not primarily a revenue tool.
Iberia’s flight attendants union went to court demanding smaller overhead bins or an order declaring they wouldn’t have to close the bins before departure. They did not get either – but did order Iberia to enforce its carry-on weight limits.
The larger bins American Airlines uses, for instance, have an auto lift feature where you simply pull down the bin and it helps raise it up, power assist as it were. That way whomever is closing the bin isn’t actually lifting up the full weight of the bin.
Airlines say weight limits are about bin space, boarding speed and safety but it really isn’t. It’s actually about government regulation.
Australia’s regulator says that standard weights are assumed for passengers, and this does not include carry-on bags. So 7kg is added per passenger to weight assumptions. There, the government isn’t saying 8kg is a danger to the aircraft or flight attendants. It’s simply that this is their method for coming up with a standard weight. It’s not the only way to do it (there’s no safety issue with the U.S. approach to weight and balance), it’s just their regulatory approach.
And 7kg is chosen because that’s the average regulators in Europe found for carry-on bag weights.
The U.S. has airlines develop average weights. Airlines do sometimes weigh passengers to valid their standard assumptions.
Europe has airlines do it with passenger weight and then assume carry-on weight (although this is not the only allowable method).
U.S. airlines can safely operate without carry-on weight limits. Europe and Australia could too! They just adopted a different regulatory approach.
I prefer European style, the US should do that too
Jetstar at least forewarns you and I weighed by luggage before leaving home – not that hard. But I did have to ditch a plastic water bottle in my carry on backback to make weight!
Sorry Gary, but it absolutely is about safety and liability. I can tell you from personal experience that passenger liability insurance premiums are significantly lower when there is a weight limit policy in place for carry-on luggage.
Are the words ‘foreign’ and ‘force you to’ (do anything) merely click/rage bait for the View from the Right Wing base?
Their airline their rules. Gary if you don’t like it don’t fly them. Not sure why you constantly whine about things you don’t believe are right or fair yet won’t change no matter how many time you say it!
These limits are frivolous and pure revenue generation.
Turkish Airlines made me weigh my carry on bag and suggested I check it in. After pleading, they let me hold onto to my bag. What’s the point of bringing a carry on if I have to check it in? I can’t stand waiting for baggage claim.
Read before you buy. If you want to fly an airline and carry a very heavy carry-on bag, fly an American airline. If you want to fly a foreign airline with good meals and often nicer cabin crew members, follow the rules that are plainly written. Some foreign airlines have the 7kg as a total of the weight of all cabin luggage. Some even have 5kg as the total weight of all cabin luggage. With those rules, there is often enough space so that no carry-on luggage has to be gate checked. On my recent JetBlue flight I observed what the sizes the carry-on roller bags were. JetBlue has published dimensions of 22x14x9. I observed some that were over on all three dimensions with the greatest overage being 12 instead of 9. The cabin crew seemed to find a place for every bag on the A321. Due to the weight restrictions on carry-on bags, I have taken to flying with day backpacks for cabin baggage, a large one for the overhead and a smaller one for the personal item. A typical roller bag is too heavy by itself, often in the 3kg to 4.5kg range, and that does not leave much weight available for carried items. A nicely padded day backpack can be in the 1kg range and even lighter for smaller sized and less padded backpacks.
@Retired Gambler — Nah, sometimes ideas are bad, and we should advocate for change. (But, by all means, if you want to play ‘Daddy, free market, hit me harder!’ You do you, I guess. But, also, Gary gon Gary.)
@Gary – What do they do if you’re well over the limit?
US airlines don’t need to weigh your carry on bag because when you get to the gate the very professional agent will force you to check it through to your final destination even when all the overhead bins are empty
If the airlines didnt use badge fees to generate extra revenue, people wouldn’t carry so much on board. Then the other problem is gate agents don’t enforce their own carryon limits. I’ve seen people carry on also many bags and luggage they could barely carry it all themselves.
And leaving that sweet, sweet $50 checked-bag fee on the table in the process.
Again, the airlines (and probably the TSA) are very likely to crack down on carry-ons in the not-too-distant future. Only question is who does so first.
@Denver Refugee — Think of all the open space in the cabin if they got rid of those overheads! Bah…
@1990 – Bah, indeed. But we increasingly can’t have nice things anymore.
That’s just for the peasants in coach, right? Okay good.
@Pilot93434 — “Please, sir, I want some more…”
In vienna airport saw a group of agents with weight scales standing in the hallway just before security check to randomly stop people carrying bags that look “heavy”, after seeing from a distance I found a circular route to get where needed to without having to pass right in front of them!
1990, I’m with you. The bootlickerism that accretes around so many aviation-related forums is astonishing. Many rules are stupid and senseless; these deserve withering criticism.
@OtherSteve — Oh, I’m a huge fan of debate and banter on these sites. That said, wowza, oh how the shills for ‘Big Airline’ race onto here to defend their beloved for-profit corporations while said companies nickel and dime us consumers all the freakin’ time. Like, sure, maybe if it’s a tiny aircraft, a little ole Cessna, every pound might count, but most commercial jet aircraft, if your carry-on or checked bag is off by a pound that isn’t really safety issue. Like, if it’s an extra $50 charge for being a pound over, it was never really about safety, it was just about profits. Breath of fresh air for anyone to actually support passenger rights and bare minimum standards of fairness.
Actually, any policy that limits the amount of carry on baggage is a good one, whether it is weight, size, or number of bags. US airlines can learn from this: passenger comfort is increased, leg room is better, and boarding and disembarking are quicker.
Actually, any policy that strictly limits the amount of carry on baggage is a good one, whether it is weight restrictions, size restrictions or a limit on the number of bags. US airlines can learn from this: passenger comfort is increased, leg room is better, and boarding and disembarking are quicker.
@Baliken — So, just ‘limit’ or ‘strictly limit’? And, how ‘strict’? Is a ‘fanny pack’ a personal item, or is it a mere clothing ‘accessory’? Be more specific with your draconian rules!
I suspect that weight limits prevent multiple injuries from lifting and having heavy bags dropped on one’s head. I vastly prefer non-US airlines, but not the ultra-low-cost ones. I’ve never had to gate-check a carryon on them. I’ve also never had an issue for being less than a kg over the limit. It’s a vast improvement over the US system.
That’s a great policy. US airlines should be adopting it. Way too many benefits: 7.1 kg goes in the hold.
I strongly prefer the policy of American Airlines. If I’m taking a short business trip, I like to bring a compact rollerbag and tote bag (personal item) ONLY. While these are not oversized or bulky, but they can be heavy if I have a laptop and other electronics.
Why do I want to waste 20-30 minutes at the baggage claim? In addition, if I check-in a bag, the airline may damage it and deny any responsibility, or worse, I may never see it ever again.
I average about eight legs per month on LH. As I always fly biz, gate agents leave my bags alone.
BUT, I generally observe the gate agents in action. Whenever a flight appears full, they first make announcements that they will gate check your bag: for free. They do not charge to gate check.
The other thing I notice is that large bins are rarely loaded properly. There are very large legible signs on each bin PICTURING the proper way to do so. When seated, I notice 65% of biz passengers load them incorrectly. When biz gets full, the FA has to reload them. I asked one Purser about pre-recorded announcements when boarding, and she said no one listen to them.
“They don’t just limit you to a personal item and a carry-on bag, they actually weigh the carry-on – and you’re often limited to just 15.4 pounds (7 kilograms).”
Gary, you are missing half the story.
When I flew Air France within Europe, I had to weight the carry-on AND my personal item. If the total weight was higher than the limit (don’t remember the number), I had to check one. Airline even had a pre-printed card in English explaining to you the policy.
And what are you supposed to do if you have stuff that’s too heavy and shouldn’t be checked?
I’m thinking of stuff like laptops and DSLRs.
@Loren — Incidents like this make me wanna strap my Canon around my neck, just in case. Not comfortable, but better than having to purchase a new multi-thousand dollar camera. I suppose there are some insurance policies that would cover it, but good luck explaining that claim. And, if you have priceless family travel photos not backed up, even more motivation to bring it with you. Who knows, once safely away from the smoldering wreckage, you could be one of the first on the scene to document the incident for the NTSB. Ok, maybe not a great idea, but, clearly, there’s worse one could do… (like running onto an active runway.)