If my carryon is denied, will it be less likely to arrive in Rome?
 

I am flying to and from NY to Europe via Continental. Their carry on allowances are such that I can avoid checking my luggage ( Please, l do not wish to debate the pros and cons of carry on only luggage.)

I am concerned since I will fly from Barcelona to Rome on Alitalia which has much
less generous rules. I am concerned that if I am denied permission to board with my luggage (and I am having a hard time finding luggage that is light weight and within the
13.7 x21.65 x 9.84 size limits. The weight limit which I gather is less crucial is only 11 lbs!

Assuming my luggage is the right size but the airline actually determines it is too heavy,
they will check it at the check in gate (I assume).
I wonder if this increases the chance that the luggage will be lost?
I have heard that FCO luggage retrieval is a mess.

THanks!

If your bag is not wildly out of bounds you will likely be able to take it with you to the boarding gate. If the gate agents are being particularly strict they would have you gate check it - tag it right there on the jetway. Chances are probably better that it would come with you on the same plane than if you checked it at the lobby counter to begin with, as less handling is required.
BTW I am a big proponent of carry on only.

I am trying to figure out what exactly you're asking.

I assume you're flying EWR-BCN on CO, and then connecting immediately to FCO on AZ.

Apparently, the chance of losing the checked bag is higher if AZ forces you to check it, compared to if you carry it the whole way (which is zero, unless you lost it or get robbed).

So, I guess you're asking if the chance of losing the bag is higher if AZ forces you to check it at BCN, compared to you check it the whole way from EWR (or wherever your origin is)?

It's hard to tell, as losing bags is a rare event (most people don't lose their bags, so statistics is not reliable), and the chance of losing it depends on whether there's tight connection, schedule change, or other irregular things that happen along the way. But still, I don't see why the chance of losing it will be higher (or significantly higher) if you are forced to check it at BCN, compared to if you check-in with CO at EWR (or prior).

I understood OP's question to be as rkkwan phrased it. While I have no experience with AZ (or BCN), if you're allowed to carry on at EWR but forced to check it at BCN, it most likely will be gate checked. If that's the case, my experience is that it's less likely to be lost since it's carried from the jetway to the plane. If you're forced to check as hold baggage, I think the chances are no better nor worse.

Thanks for the advice and sorry that my question was less than clear. We are flying to Madrid on leg one and then, day later, going from Barcelona to FCO.

Now that we understand better your trip, the answer likely depends on at what point the size of the bag for carryon will be examined. At Heathrow for example the sizers for carryon are as you enter the security line which if you are examined and asked to check your bag you have to go back to your airline counter and check it. So it's subject to the handling as a regular checked bag. At other airports there is no real check on size until you are at the gate. So then it goes right down the jetway and onto your plane. Perhaps someone who knows Madrid airport can explain what to expect there.

Thanks. My concern is 1) will Barcelona alitalia let me check it in 2) will it get to FCO if it is gate checked..

1. May be, maybe not.

2. Do you have an alternative?

Thing is, whenever your bags leave your side, there's always some chance of having lost. But hundreds of thousands of travelers check bags each day on AZ and other airlines in the world, and the vast majority get them back.

I should have said above "Perhaps someone who knows Barcelona airport can explain what to expect there." The OP's question is about his flight from Barcelona to Rome.

If they gate check the bag then make sure that the airport code for the destination is correct on the tag before they take the bag away.