SW: What if a carry-on wheel bag is slightly oversize?

[Altoqueenkelly]

I am also wondering why you cant check it? Since bags fly free on SW I wouldn't even bother or hassle with it.

 

[Lewisc]

I suggest either paying for EBCI or making sure you check in at exactly T24. I hope you're taking N/S flights. A low BP won't help you if your incoming flight is delayed and you're the last passengers to board.

There might not be enough bin space for late boarding passengers. Everyone in your party has a bin bag. Might not be enough bin space for everyone. No sense going with carryon only bags if you're going to have to check one or more at the gate.

 

[Seabean]

I'm going to bump this one a year later. Last year we took no chances and used only strictly compliant sized bags (and by luck flew on the larger SW jets anyway).

This year, just today, a member of our family decided to get a new bag, and was aware of the 10 x 16 x 24 rule. The bag itself even has a card on it that says its 7 x 16 x 24. But that doesn't include the wheels. When it got home, the tape measure was pulled out and showed it was really 25" high with the wheels.

So I guess I need to ask: do they include the wheels in the measurement? Should this bag go back to the store?

 

[bumbershoot]

So I guess I need to ask: do they include the wheels in the measurement? Should this bag go back to the store?

Manufacturers are sneaky and rarely include wheels in their measurements.

Airlines DO include wheels in their measurements.

There's a disconnect there.

I"m actually in the middle of an email back and forth with ricksteves.com's store, because they are VERY much in favor of carryon only, and in Europe. But last year I ended up with one of their carryons NOT fitting in a bin of a gigantic Air Canada plane. Had to go sideways which was tremendously embarrassing. By RS measurements compared to AC's info it should have fit. It has fit on every domestic flight we have EVER taken. If we were on RyanAir, etc, I would have understood but this wasn't Ryan. It was a big Air Canada plane from Vancouver to Heathrow. The first CS agent said something like they go by *interior* measurements. I have written back saying, basically, "um, what?" If that's what they are going by, I'll be going to the next travel festival Mr Steves has in my area and talking with him. You can't sell bags specifically for carryon-in-Europe travel and have bad measurements!


But OTHER companies I *expect* to have bad measurements.

 

[goofy4tink]

I'm going to bump this one a year later. Last year we took no chances and used only strictly compliant sized bags (and by luck flew on the larger SW jets anyway).

This year, just today, a member of our family decided to get a new bag, and was aware of the 10 x 16 x 24 rule. The bag itself even has a card on it that says its 7 x 16 x 24. But that doesn't include the wheels. When it got home, the tape measure was pulled out and showed it was really 25" high with the wheels.

So I guess I need to ask: do they include the wheels in the measurement? Should this bag go back to the store?

Well, if you take the wheels off, then you fit the acceptable size. But....since wheels aren't removable (that I know of), those wheels have to fit into the overhead, and allow it to close. Wheels in preferably!!

 

[supersnoop]

I'm going to bump this one a year later. Last year we took no chances and used only strictly compliant sized bags (and by luck flew on the larger SW jets anyway).

This year, just today, a member of our family decided to get a new bag, and was aware of the 10 x 16 x 24 rule. The bag itself even has a card on it that says its 7 x 16 x 24. But that doesn't include the wheels. When it got home, the tape measure was pulled out and showed it was really 25" high with the wheels.

So I guess I need to ask: do they include the wheels in the measurement? Should this bag go back to the store?

What brand is the bag? My "22-inch" bag would barely fit wheels-first in the overhead, but that was an interior dimension.

 

[jec6613]

So I guess I need to ask: do they include the wheels in the measurement? Should this bag go back to the store?

They do include the wheels, and handles, although some wheels are removable on better bags.

To be honest, my carry-ons are 21" exterior dimensions because every other airline uses 22". A 24-25" bag isn't considered a carry-on by most companies making the bags - in fact, that's the size of my *checked* luggage, the ones that my carry-ons nest into.

So the moral of this story: that will only ever be a carry-on for a single airline, and checked on every other one ... and you may lose all carry-on ability for that bag soon when the new deeper bins that actually do have space for everybody to bring a 22x15x8 bag and put them into the overheads.

 

[Betty Rohrer]

OP what time is your flight? if not an early morning flight where plane over nights at Philly, there is a good chance that one or more of your carryons will have to be gate checked because of overhead space already filled by the time you board. plane may have 30 or so people already on plane. when space is taken before you get on you may have to check your bags anyway. the time this happened to us even though they were gate checked we still had to go to baggage claim any way

 

[charmed59]

Seat pitch, or width of a row of seats on Southwest is 31-33 inches. So above that row you could get at most two of their 16 inch wide carry on bags, or one carry on bag if it has to go in lengthwise.

At present, Southwest is assuming no more than 2/3rds of their passengers are bringing large carry on bags that must go overhead. Despite free checkin for bags, that isn't really how it is working out. If your boarding number puts you in the last third (late B or C) there is a decent chance there will be no space in the overhead.

 

[jec6613]

There are also bins used for aircraft equipment and stowage, plus the empennage dictates smaller bins in the rear, so it ends up being about 3 bags for every 5 people, assuming everybody plays by the rules.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

I hate to sound like a grumpy ("Get off my lawn") old man but this is a pet peeve of mine. This is one of the reasons that flying is such a bad experience anymore. There's nothing worse than being a late boarder (Zone 4, 5 or 6) and finding no room left for your one small carryon bag because some people use all of the available overhead space so they can avoid paying the $25 or don't feel like waiting at Baggage Claim.

We usually fly to Disney 3 to 4 times a year and it gets worse every time. If you can afford a Disney trip, you can surely afford $25 or $50 to check a couple of bags.

Off of my soap box...

Jim

If you fly that often, get an airline branded credit card which gives you benefits such as earlier boarding. If you buy your tickets with a United Airlines Chase card, you get boarding group 2 (among other benefits).

 

[Seabean]

Just an update, that bag went back to the store and was exchanged for one the same size as our others. Thanks for the replies!

(and yes, our flight is very early in the AM)

 

[goofy4tink]

And now you don't have to worry!!

 

[Ladygoldenhair]

Glad they exchanged, lot less worry. Those bins on flights can be tiny height wise and deep wise.