Here's my experience:

Last May, I came back from Bristol, UK; I hurried at EWR, and got on an earlier flight back to IAH on standby. Flight is 100% full, and I had a middle seat. Wasn't the first to get on either. No problem finding room for my 20" rollaboard.

2 weeks ago, my parents and I flew back from Milan on CO's 762. It's overbooked, but we left with 2 open seats in coach. Granted, my parents got on 1st because they're Elite, but I don't have problem finding room for my 20" rollaboard either. My mom's 21" was going in sideways, taking up a lot of room, but we still had room for my dad's 19", my mom's other bag, and all our winter coats. Yes, the last person who got onboard had a little problem finding room, but there were TONNES of emtpy room up in BusinessFirst, so FA easily found room for his bag. Despite full load, the plane closed its doors ahead of schedule.

Next flight, EWR-IAH, also 762. 100% full, and not a single empty seat. The EWR crew were horrible, and we didn't board until 2:50 for a 3:10 flight. Still, all carry-ons fit and door was closed at 3:22, after waiting several minutes for connecting customers.

My recent experience, that's all.

I flew AA a few months ago and checked in CDG and asked the ticket agent if there was a problem with caring on my bag she looked down and had a smile and said no problem and even weight it and I went on to security and got on the plane where I meet the flight attendant in the aisle and she said in a rough voice why do they let everyone haul these bags on. My bag is an eagle creek solf top and measures 20 inches. As I got ready to put it up in the over head I looked up and a young boy had put is guitar in the over head taking up the whole bin but she wasn't concerned with him. Go figure. It is just a wheel of chance. I did recently see a ticket agent want to charge a student $25.00 going home to Cairo for being 2 pounds over the weight limit. He ended up taking a couple things out and having it re-weigh. This is getting crazy. Good luck

yk - Do you remember if the 763 you were on have the new-style Boeing interior (roundish ceiling, storage bins that drops down); or the really ancient ones that are like a little squarish drawers?

I am looking at some photos and database, and I realize that some of AA's 767-300ER are pretty ancient, but they're still used heavily on international routes. AA took delivery of 763ER from 1988 to 2003.

Pretty big difference in the capacity of the overhead bins.

rk-

The 763 I was on was ANCIENT! As I said, the bins in the center of the aircraft cannot fit any rollaboards at all. There isn't enough clearance for the suitcases to slide in.

yk - I see what you mean.

Here's a pic of an ancient AA 763's interior. It's the business cabin, but the overhead storage is same:

www.airliners.net/open.file/718168/L/

Here's a NEW AA 763 interior. Note the size of overhead bin opened on left!

Whoops. Clicked too fast. Here's a pic of the new AA cabin:

www.airliners.net/open.file/411638/L/

Better look at those humungous 777-type overhead bins on the newer 763s; this one on a Hainan Airlines plane:

www.airliners.net/open.file/733801/L/

All CO's 767s are new, that's why I was spoiled!

one thing apatinage, that always comes to mind when I think of flying OUT of Paris..
when my son and I were flying AirFrance SFO to CDG, in Jan 03, he had the misconceived notion that he would, as a college student, pack some textbooks he would study in his down time (!) in Paris..this was not a problem USA to France, but when we were at CDG heading home, we had to do
what I had in the past witnessed, but never understood until it was MY turn,
the check-in-desk-open-all-of-your-bags-and-redistribute-all-contents-scenario, because, as I learned, at CDG they take the weight requirement VERY seriously! So the bottles of wine, plus son's books, made for an immediate problem!! All was okay, but I learned a lesson, I always weigh my bags now!!!

rk-

Exactly! The AA 763 I was on had the bins from your first photo. I couldn't believe my eyes when I first got on the plane, thinking, "How on earth are we gonna fit all the carryons in those tiny bins???"