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!

this is from AI web page
http://www.alitalia.com/CH_EN/your_t...andluggage.htm
you are correct about the wight. only 5kg.!
I don't know what you can do : buy a soft ( no wheels) carry on bag, or put on some heavier clothing until they finish weighing the luggage. Sounds strange, but I know people who put heavy items in their pockets or purse.

Repost on the airline forum.

I think gate checking is actually safer than checking luggage at the counter because when you gate check, your luggage is already there with the plane. There isn't really anywhere for it to go, unless someone just plain forgets to load it and leaves it sitting in the jetway. When you check bags at the counter, the luggage must travel through the airport to the correct plane - there are all sorts of places for it to go that it shouldn't.

Well... there was the Delta Station Manager who decided the way to deal with the "gate check" issue was to put them ALL on the next flight........(I admit it worked. Business travelers quit trying to bring on just "one extra piece" but there was an outcry that got it stopped!)

Can't tell whether you are concerned about your luggage on the way over to Europe or on the way back.

I usually check my luggage on the way back to the States--it has nothing of great value in it and I don't care if it shows up late. Would prefer it not get lost "forever" but am willing to take that chance.

This frees me up to take the "valuables" home in my carry-on--camera, small amount of jewelery, breakable purchases, etc. On the way over, I like to use carry-on only if at all possible.

Not sure any of this info helps you other than to provide the advice that I would just go ahead and check it through on a return flight.

Years ago, there was a problem with my flight from JFK to Nice. After several hours of delay, they put me in a business class to Frankfurt. I had a carryon that was acceptable until I got to that city in Germany. They refused to let me take it with me in the plane, Lufthansa, to Nice. The layover was many hours, still that carryon was not in the same plane that I flew to Nice. However, it came the next flight and they delivered it to my hotel in Villefranche that night.

I am mainly worried about the trip from Barcelona to Rome since Rome is notorious for loosing luggage and Alitalia has such stingy allowances.