Most of us definitely would agree that the most annoying thing that could happen to us in any airport is to be told that our hand-carry luggage must be check in because it didn’t meet the regulations of the airline.

Sometimes too, we are told that some of the stuff we have in our hand-carry luggage are not allowed onboard the plane, either we have to get rid of them, or (again *sigh*), have our luggage checked in.

Before we got angry and get irritated by these kinds of inconveniences, it is wise to check with our specific airline regarding their hand-carry luggage policy, including items that are allowed inside the plane.

Hand-carry Luggage Guides
related article: Carry On Luggage Dimensions

Different for each airline, there are some guidelines that we need to follow in order for our hand-carry luggage to be allowed aboard the plane. On most airlines, the usual size of hand-carry luggage allowed is approximately twenty-two by fourteen by nine inches. Anything exceeding this should already be checked in.

It’s not surprising that some luggage stores may insist that the sizes of their carry-on bags are the exact dimensions that airlines have specified. While this may be true, it is a good idea to measure the bags ourself, just to make sure that we are buying a correct-sized carry-on bag, instead being told later that they are too big for carrying on the airplane.

The other thing that we have to consider is the shape of our carry-on luggage. Unfortunately, even if we have the appropriate total size of the allowable carry-on luggage which is 45 inches, if it’s shaped is too irregular, it may still need to be checked in the compartment of the plane.

Finally, we have to check with our airlines on the items that are allowed to be carried on the plane; and the items that we can still carry onboard without being added as part of our hand-carry luggage. These items include jackets, child seats, and umbrellas, among other things.

Packing Our Carry-On Luggage

So okay, we got the right airline carry-on luggage size down to a T; we have checked that it is just the right shape to fit into the compartment inside the plane; and we have also checked all the items that we are allowed to pack inside our hand-carry bag.

The next thing that we need to trick is how to pack the back in such a way that we will not exceed the allowable weight of carry-on bags as directed by our airline. And again, this may be different for each airline, and also different on domestic and international routes.

We have to remember that when we are packing, we can’t just stuff inside the bag whatever we want, haphazardly. Being organized with our packing will not only ensure that all items will still be in good condition once we land; it will likewise eliminate the possibility of it being checked in for exceeding the allowable weight.

Finally, we should take care not to put anything in the outer pockets of the bag as this will cause the bag to be bulky; hence, it might not easily slip through the checking counter for hand-carry bags.

you might also want to read this article: Airline Seat Pitch