With Ryan air the answer is carefully

i got my small trolleys from a Texaco garage a while back, they were advertised [and had a sticker on] stated for low cost airlines including Ryan air and the dimensions [ but even then if you over fill it it wont go into the measuring cage]

thanks wiz

I went onto youtube and watched a clip of someone measuring a suitcase, so now know, but the only problem is the cases do say they're suitable for low cost airlines, when they arent packed as they expand!

Sorted it now Wizard , I really should have only posted on the flights thread, as Dazbo kindly sorted me out with the answer. As long as my case fits the dimensions for ryanair and is squashable, then it will be ok.. I dont go for another 3 weeks but already starting to pack.

we had this question a while back and a lot of people had to go and have a lie down to rest their brains.

I've never seen any airline rules that say bottom, width etc. It doesn't really matter to them, the handlers will load it where it fits, whichever way up that is.

So for a roughly straight edged, square cornered item the answer is (for these measurements)

55cm is the longest side
44cm is the second longest
20cm is the shortest

all measured on the outside and including any wheels, feet and handles etc. And obviously when packed. It's these details that catch people out. And you can't take a bit off one side and add it to another (so no 49x49x20 even though that's less volume!)

The cages at checkin tend to be longest side across, second side up but this just makes them less prone to being knocked over, and obviously it's easier to lift a bag over a 44 cm bar than a 55cm one.

Things get a bit more complex for odd shapes like a rucksack because you have to imagine a box around it, you could make one out of cardboard and try it.

Always be wary of shop claims about airline rules. Unless they specify (preferably in writing), which airline will accept it and what rules they were going on, the claims are often too vague to be useful.

The cages at the boarding gate at EDI had the longest side up the way, so had to lift it over 55cm and not 40cm as it was at check in.

We were only asked to put the smaller of the 2 cases into the cage as the contents had fallen to the bottom of the case so needed a slight push.

luci

so it's one way round at checkin and another at the gate? that will confuse a few!

Other thing to watch is WEIGHT of bag - the rules on that vary enormously, from 5kg to "unlimited as long as you can lift it".

as long as you can lift it

tell me about it, just looking at a holiday for next year, with Easyjet flights, it said includes 20kg baggage per person
2 problems with that firstly i would never get that in our cabin trolleys and i dont think i would be able to to lift it into the locker so we then fall fowl of the £18 each to put a case in the hold and no case over 23kg if we pool our allowance

Thanks to you both, lots to think about.

I have just checked my case, with it being full, and it comes to 8kg. I bought one of those hand held luggage scales a few months ago and it also includes a tape measure, so will be taking that with me, as its what ive just used.

wizard

where did you get those numbers from? easyjet rules at http://www.easyjet.com/EN/Book/regulations.html#baggage say

cabin baggage within their size limit of 56x45x25 (much bigger than Ryanair) is unlimited weight as long as you can lift it into the overhead lockers unassisted - as far as I can tell this is only of benefit to gold smugglers!!

hold baggage is free weight of 20kg per person but with a handling charge per bag if taken.

pooled bag weight is 32kg (passengers must be on same booking reference).

from the easy jet web site, there is nothing about pooled max... it said flights include 20 kg per person free baggage [see cabin baggage] baggage can be pooled for all passengers on the same booking. therefore 2x20 = 40 and max baggage weight of 23kg.. my comment stands..

2 problems with that firstly i would never get that in our cabin trolleys and i dont think i would be able to to lift it into the locker so we then fall fowl of the £18 each to put a case in the hold and no case over 23kg if we pool our allowance

wizard,

get your easyjet booking confirmation email and scroll right down to the bottom past the adverts. Click the link "Hand and Hold Baggage regulations". This will give the exact rules for your booking, although they don't seem to have changed this year and you'll probably get exactly the same as the link I gave earlier.

Section 10, Baggage. About 6 paras down it shows the cabin bag size limit and should say No Weight restriction applies.......

a bit futher down it changes to Checked Baggage. It says 20kg free weight per person and a charge per bag (the amount varies by route so isn't shown here). Then it says passengers on same booking may aggregate weight but max bag weight is 32kg. Note each passenger has to pay for a bag even if the number isn't used.

23kg doesn't appear anywhere in these rules - but it is a limit used by some other airlines.

Just a thought, you have booked direct with easyjet and not through an agent as part of a package?

Checked Baggage. It says 20kg free weight per person and a charge per bag (the amount varies by route so isn't shown here). Then it says passengers on same booking may aggregate weight but max bag weight is 32kg. Note each passenger has to pay for a bag even if the number isn't used.

I agree with what you say Steve as I've just checked my EJ confirmation for my April booking. Not sure what you mean though about each passenger having to pay for a bag. There's 2 of us travelling and I've only paid for one bag. we're only taking one case as 20kgs will be enough between us for the week.

We've only got one case booked for our trip to Malta with Easy Jet as well. Surely we don't have to pay for a case that we're not taking

no if your only putting 1 in the hold then only one charge....

we will put about 7kg in each flight trolley and the bulky items in one case in the hold, it just seems stupid giving a 20 kg free baggage when the average traveller would not get half this in the cabin bag... unless like Steve said your a gold smuggler

I thought there wasn't a weight limit for cabin bags. It's just what you can lift yourself. I can't find anywhere on EJ website where it states 20kg free baggage. When I fly with EJ I usually only take hand luggage and can manage about 10KG in my cabin trolley, anything more would put my back out.

Not sure where Wizard's got the 20kg hand luggage from either Judith. It definitely says no limit as long as you can lift it yourself. I wonder if they'd allow hubby to lift mine for me

Let's concentrate a bit here, click the easyjet link I posted above and read carefully the paras above the grey excess weight charges box in section 10.

The 20kg per person checked baggage weight is free, the bag handling isn't! All airlines, even BA First Class, set a weight limit, even if they don't charge for handling.

On easyjet each person is allowed 20kg, the normal handling charge is based on how many bags that 20kg is split between - 1 person could pay for 2 bags and take 10kg + 10kg. If 1 person turns up with more than the 20kg free allowance then the excess charge of £10 per kg applies as per the grey box (in addition to the handling charge). No bag can be more than 32kg but a single person can take up to 50 kg by splitting it between 2 bags, paying 2 handling charges plus £300 in excess weight fees!!! That is a pretty standard way of operating for all airlines that charge for bag handling. Where easyjet are different is that they still allow people to pool allowances, the aggregate weight rule they show.

If more than one person travels on one booking then they all have the first 20kg allowance. If, for example, 2 are going for a weekend and only need 20kg between them then the aggregate rule doesn't really come into it. They just put everything in 1 bag, pay 1 handling charge and go as one person with luggage and one without. But if they want to take over 20 kg the bag will run into the excess weight charge if it is classed as one persons luggage, at £10 per kg that's a lot of money. At this point the aggregate rule can come into play, as they show this applies to"Passengers on the same booking who have each paid the fee for an item of baggage..........." and then they can pool their 20kg allowances. So our couple could pay for 2 handlings and take 1 bag up to the 32kg lift limit.

But where it is much more useful is when the 2 people each take a bag (and pay the handling fees) but one of them is over the 20kg personal allowance, say one is 25kg and the other 15kg. With most low cost airlines the light bag gets no credit for underuse but the heavier one gets hit with the excess weight charge which is why you see people on the floor at checkin moving stuff between bags - with easyjet 2 people, paying 1 bag handling fee each, get a joint 40kg allowance and it doesn't matter how the weight is spread as long as no bag is over 32kg.

So 3 people paying for 3 bags get 60kg allowance - and at this point the family market comes in. Take a couple with a 5 year old child. The child has to have a ticket and gets the 20kg allowance. But even if a bag handling charge is paid a 5 year will struggle with a 20kg bag and an adult will struggle try to pull 2 bags at the same time even if they had wheels! So the obvious thing is to spread the weight around into the parents bags - but with most low cost airlines they'd come unstuck because the parents can't go over their individual allowance. With easyjet they can, so dad can take 32kg, mum 23kg and child 5kg - sounds obvious but without the aggregate rule that would have got £150 of excess weight fees even though the child had virtually nothing!!!

Steve

Thanks for all of that, but having flown with EJ a number of times every year I fully understand (at least I think I do) all of their terms for checked luggage, my question was where was Wizard getting the info that there was a 20kg limit for hand luggage. Having only yesterday booked an EJ flight to LGW for my OH in December I had reread T&C's to see if there were any changes and didn't see anything new for hand luggage.

Judith there is def no max weight for hand luggage if you can lift it yourself- Wiz, I think was mistaken.