Air France & Lufthansa carry on question
 

We are flying Air France in September from Boston to Barcelona via Paris and Lufthansa from Boston to Vienna via Munich. We were wondering if we could take a small TUMI rolling suitcase as a carryon. The dimensions are 14"W X 22"H X 9"D (11½"D expanded). We have never used this as a carryon and have not flown Air France or Lufthansa recently. But, on other trips, we have seen all sorts of giant bags going carryon.

In my experience over the past four years, Air France flying out of Logan measures and weighs carryons and makes you check anything oversize. Check their website for permitted dimensions and do not expect to get around it. You may be lucky, but you certainly should not count on it.

Lufthansa weighs carryons and may or may not make you check them.

Air France clearly states its carryon rule on its website. 55cm x 35cm x 25cm. So measure your TUMI more carefully, including all handles and wheels. 55cm is not quite 22" and 35cm is not quite 14". If you don't expand the bag, then 9" deep will definitely be fine.

Lufthansa is 55cm x 40cm x 20cm. 20cm is not quite 8".

No recent experience on AF but our experience on LH (8 times in last 5 yrs) has been erratic. I've seen them measure and weigh, then other times just eye-ball it. My observation is that they're more strict on flights that are full.

It will be fine on Lufthansa Boston to Munich, then if the aircraft Munich to Vienna is small or full they may give you the orange "delivery at aircraft" tag and receipt at the boarding gate, then you give the bag to the ground staff at aircraft and you pick it up immediately at aircraft disembarking and not later on the belt. I have no idea about AF.

The morning flights from Munich to Vienna are usually A319 jets. "Delivery at aircraft" is only done with smaller aircrafts that cannot use a jetway/ gate position. So, worst case, the FA may have to get your carry-on put in cargo, and in Vienna you will most probably have to pick it up at baggage claim and not at the jetway. To prepare for this (rather unlikely) event, I'd have a small bag handy for valuable or important items from the carry-on.