Concern about a carry-on suitcase for Air France

Good evening, On June 19th, I’m flying with Air France to Morocco (Rabat). I have a carry-on suitcase that’s 53x36x24, and on the Air France website, they list the dimensions as 55x35x25. On the forum, I read that the sum of the three dimensions shouldn’t exceed 115 cm, so I should be fine since mine adds up to 113 cm—but the Air France site doesn’t mention this at all. Do you think I’ll run into problems because the width is 1 cm over? Thanks for your replies! Have a good evening

Hi there.

No worries, it should be fine.

Hi there.

No worries, it should be fine.

Thanks

hi is this a soft or hard-shell suitcase? because it needs to fit in the allowed space.

Hello, is it a soft or hard suitcase? Because it needs to fit in the allowed space.

It's a hard suitcase that's 1 cm too wide—36 cm instead of 35.

width is fine.. especially for 1 cm!

Width is fine... especially for 1 cm!

Thanks, that’s what I thought too, but oh well

It’s really rare to put your luggage in the size-check templates with built-in scales on AF. I don’t know the exact tolerance for the template, but for 1 cm, there’s little risk.

It’s really rare to put your luggage in the size-check templates with built-in scales on AF. I don’t know the exact tolerance of the template, but for 1 cm, there’s little risk.

Thanks, that clears up my doubt!

Hmm, not that rare actually—I flew to Tokyo in mid-May with Air France, and at CDG on the Paris-Tokyo flight, they made me put my carry-on suitcase through the baggage sizer/weigh it. This was *after* I’d already checked my hold luggage.

On the way back, though, there was no check or weighing of any baggage at all.

Hi, I have the exact same question as you about the suitcase. It's 1 cm over the size limit set by Air France. Did you have any issues? Thanks in advance for your reply! 😊

As mentioned recently in another thread, it’ll be fine.

Checks aren’t systematic—rare outside Roissy T2E/T2F—and a certain tolerance is allowed.

Generally, the security agents (from Securitas) are positioned before the security filters. They mainly target passengers with multiple bags + accessories.

Thanks for your reply :) So close... I’ll play it safe 😉

hi we just got back (yesterday for the return flight) from a round-trip Paris–Los Angeles. For both flights, before departure, there were announcements asking passengers to check their cabin bags (flight was full). Cabin bags were checked into the hold for free, with size verification using the appropriate cages, and this was also done before boarding.

The fact that checked bags have become paid extras means more and more people are traveling with carry-ons (which makes sense). As a result, there’s increased scrutiny of hand luggage, and as mentioned, these bags are often placed in the hold because there’s not enough space in the cabin.

Yeah, "back in my day"—which wasn’t actually that long ago—the price of a flight ticket automatically included a checked bag, at least with non-low-cost airlines. Now, I’ll admit it’s a bit unsettling to have to add 100 € to a ticket that wasn’t exactly cheap to begin with (normal price, but hey, Réunion is far, I get it). So, challenge accepted: I’m trying to travel with just a carry-on. Thanks for your reply

Good evening,

You could switch airlines. 🙂 When carry-on luggage isn’t rigid but soft and within the size limits, it’s already less complicated. The issues usually come from wheels and other protrusions.

Michel

Hello, we just got back (yesterday for the return flight) from a round-trip Paris–Los Angeles. For both flights, before departure, there were announcements asking passengers to check their carry-on bags (full flight). The carry-on bags were checked into the hold for free, with size verification using the appropriate cages, and this was also done before boarding.

The fact that checked baggage has become paid means more and more people (it’s normal) are bringing carry-on suitcases. As a result, there’s increased scrutiny of hand luggage, and as mentioned, these bags end up in the hold because there isn’t enough space in the cabin.

yes, I could, and it's a choice not to do it... it would be nice to respect that choice, right??

My reply was just to inform that since AF, KLM, and the whole SkyTeam alliance now offer "no checked baggage" fares to align with low-cost airlines, they’ve become stricter about baggage. Take it or leave it— it’s the passenger’s pricing choice.

yes I could and it's a choice not to do it... it would be nice to respect that choice, right??

You do exactly what you want 🙂.

my reply was just to inform that since AF, KLM, and the whole SkyTeam alliance now offer "no checked baggage" fares to align with low-cost airlines and are therefore becoming stricter about baggage whoever wants to take it... or not and it's the passenger's pricing choice

The day I notice the same trend with Star Alliance, I’ll let you know.

Michel

Actually, it's a commercial and strategic choice that I personally think is great.

The SkyTeam alliance sells tickets without checked luggage at prices similar to low-cost carriers. I paid 378 € for a round-trip flight from Marseille to Los Angeles with good service. The paid baggage...on top of that. So I think it's normal they're strict about carry-on luggage. Only freeloaders or those who don’t respect the rules (the same people, basically) will have something to complain about.

Everyone else can only benefit from this strategy...

As far as I'm concerned, I never check luggage, so this would actually work in my favor, but I have this ingrained sense of commerce and respect for the customer, so petty meanness tends to drive me away. That’s why I love Turkish Airlines so much: genuine respect for the customer and a sense of service. An ethic.

Michel

Actually, it’s a commercial and strategic choice that I personally think is great.

The SkyTeam alliance sells tickets without checked luggage at prices similar to low-cost carriers. I paid 378 € round-trip for a Marseille–Los Angeles flight with good service. Paying extra for checked baggage… on top of that. So I think it’s normal for them to be strict about carry-on luggage. Only freeloaders or those who don’t respect the rules (the same people, basically) will have something to complain about.

Everyone else can only benefit from this strategy...

I also think Turkish Airlines is a good airline 😉

But for getting to Los Angeles... well, a direct flight is still way more convenient... So rather than twice the time and three times the price,

it's clear that AF's direct flight at 379 € is, how can I put it, a no-brainer...

And it's not just SkyTeam. Star Alliance and Oneworld do it too: examples from Lufthansa or British Airways.

Hello,

Yes, I know; besides, I’m not against the idea of offering a fare without baggage—it actually works better for me. I mainly wanted to point out that with Star Alliance, things are handled without this pettiness over a single centimeter that Nataly seems to consider mandatory and justified. That’s all.

Michel

And it’s not just SkyTeam. Star Alliance and Oneworld do it too: examples from Lufthansa or British Airways.

Hi there,

I just love flying when the service is top-notch, and I’m a huge fan of layovers. 🙂

Michel

I also think Turkish Airlines is a great airline;)

But for getting to Los Angeles... well, a direct flight is still way more convenient... So rather than taking twice as long and paying three times as much,

It’s obvious that AF’s direct flight at 379 € is, how should I put it, a no-brainer...

Hi, The best answers are usually on the airline’s website—I always check there for accurate info.

Hi,

+1

First post here to revive a discussion from 6 years ago, even though the links don’t guarantee anything at all 🙁

Yeah, I get it—it’s often a headache. I found some answers I’m sharing so we don’t have to stress about it anymore:

luggage and suitcases on planes Choosing the right suitcase for flying FAQ and answers about travel luggage

This really helped me, and I hope it’ll help you too in the future

Hi there. I know people who’ve tried to order pizzas at a dry cleaner’s or a kebab at the post office 😏 Since every airline has its own baggage policy, personally, if I book a ticket with Transavia or others, I check their website before finalizing the purchase to see the baggage dimensions allowed for that ticket (pretty silly, huh?) 😄

Hi, Yesterday I didn’t have time to open one of the links, but now I’ve done it..... Reopening an old discussion with a transactional site isn’t great....