Is carry-on luggage weighed before boarding?
May 10th, 2009, 09:56 AM
#1
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Is carry-on luggage weighed before boarding?
Hello,
Trying to do carry-on only for our trip.
We fly Lufthansa out of SFO to FCO (connecting thru FRA).
LH website says 18lbs for each carry-on. I'm at about 22lbs.
Do they really weigh everyone's carry-on? If they do will I have to go back to the check-in counter and check it thru?
Anyone have any experience with LH on this matter?
Thanks in advance for your responses.
This is a x-post. I also posted same ? on Air Travel forum
Trying to do carry-on only for our trip.
We fly Lufthansa out of SFO to FCO (connecting thru FRA).
LH website says 18lbs for each carry-on. I'm at about 22lbs.
Do they really weigh everyone's carry-on? If they do will I have to go back to the check-in counter and check it thru?
Anyone have any experience with LH on this matter?
Thanks in advance for your responses.
This is a x-post. I also posted same ? on Air Travel forum
May 10th, 2009, 10:28 AM
#2
Sometimes it is weighed, sometimes it isn't. Generally, they weigh carry-on luggage on completely booked flights. (Of course, I am talking about the major carriers, not the low cost ones looking for any possible way to charge extra.)
May 10th, 2009, 10:48 AM
#4
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In my experience LH gate agents use size as the 1st visual clue about whether to allow carry-on bags. Any bag that is big & bulging is likely to get challenged more than a small bag, regardless of the weight.
May 10th, 2009, 10:54 AM
#5
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They may or may not - and if the flight is full it;'s much more likely. You also need to be careful as to size - the approved size is less than in the US - and must include both the wheels and handle. (I've seen bags that would have been fine on US flight gate checked in Zurich due to being an inch or so too large - on American).
May 10th, 2009, 11:23 AM
#6
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Here is a trick you can do. Since you are allowed a carry on and a "personal item", bring a small foldup bag in the carry on. Then, if busted on the carry-on weight, transfer enough stuff to the fold-up and it becomes your "purse"
May 10th, 2009, 11:35 AM
#7
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Luckily, my bags DO meet the size limits. My carry-on 'purse' is over 10 lbs already! That's our meds, cameras, trip docs, maps, guide books, all the stuff I've printed from here and our 1 qt liquid bags (1 each)
But, I do have a fold-up bag just in case and I'll have the bags packed in a way so that if I have to check them it won't be too much trouble. We leave Tues afternoon.
But, I do have a fold-up bag just in case and I'll have the bags packed in a way so that if I have to check them it won't be too much trouble. We leave Tues afternoon.
May 10th, 2009, 11:52 AM
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I would think the most likely place it would be weighed is at the check-in desk at which point you can decide whether or not to check it or do the swap you described above. I haven't seen luggage weighed at the boarding desk/area but anything is possible these days! Good luck.
May 10th, 2009, 12:02 PM
#9
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You should have seen my husband a couple of years ago, wearing two shirts, his big sweater and giant raincoat onboard, with every pocket stuffed full of any small, heavy items like batteries, camera, any small electronic gear such as GPS, power adapters, etc. He must have been carrying at least 10 pounds of gear and extra clothing on his back. It was hilarious -- he was sooo overheated by the time we got back to our seats. After he put his actual carryon in the overhead he had to strip off the overcoat and the sweater and stuff them in alongside the carryon. But it worked!
May 10th, 2009, 12:34 PM
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When you use online check-in, print your boarding passes at home, and have carry-on only, you will not meet anyone who is interested in weight or size of your hand luggage until you step into the cabin. If the hand luggage meets the size restrictions, hardly anyone will care about a few pounds extra -- they do not have scales inside the airplane. You might only have a problem if you tried to sneak in bulky suitcases as "hand luggage". Anyway, if the flight is extremely full, you can run into problems even with hand luggage that meets the size restrictions if the overhead bins are simply already full.
When departing back to the US from FCO (and you don't have access to a computer to print your boarding passes), use the self check-in kiosks near the check-in counters and again, no LH rep to deal with.
When departing back to the US from FCO (and you don't have access to a computer to print your boarding passes), use the self check-in kiosks near the check-in counters and again, no LH rep to deal with.
May 10th, 2009, 12:36 PM
#11
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La_Tour_de_Cause:
I have to laugh because that's gonna be me doing that. I've got so much crap in my pockets it isn't even funny. My carry-on bags are NOT stuffed full either. Maybe I'll just check them and not worry. If they get lost I just get to buy new clothes in Rome...now how bad can that be? LOL!
Our main reason for traveling light is so that WE can handle our luggage ourselves when we get to the train part of our journey. And we thought it might get us thru airports more quickly if we don't have to wait for the luggage.
I have to laugh because that's gonna be me doing that. I've got so much crap in my pockets it isn't even funny. My carry-on bags are NOT stuffed full either. Maybe I'll just check them and not worry. If they get lost I just get to buy new clothes in Rome...now how bad can that be? LOL!
Our main reason for traveling light is so that WE can handle our luggage ourselves when we get to the train part of our journey. And we thought it might get us thru airports more quickly if we don't have to wait for the luggage.
May 10th, 2009, 12:57 PM
#12
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Not at SFO...but on several occasions at ORD in the last few years, I've watched Lufthansa agents walk throughout the gate area and pick up people's rolling bags--deciding by feel (not actually weighing or measuring) whether to check them or not.
May 11th, 2009, 09:32 AM
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TAW: Our rationale for packing light is similar - we're using public transit to get between the airport/hotel/cruise port/rental apartment. I'm aiming for one 20" carryon and one backpack per person, plus a garment bag for the formalwear and misc games, etc. DH gets to schlep the garment bag around since my slinky formal dress fits in my carryon anyway ;-) I'll be on kid duty 
We could take it all on but (a) my parents are travelling with us and they'll definitely be checking so we'd have to wait at the luggage carousel anyway and (b) we figure we'll appreciate the free hands with the kids in tow.
We could take it all on but (a) my parents are travelling with us and they'll definitely be checking so we'd have to wait at the luggage carousel anyway and (b) we figure we'll appreciate the free hands with the kids in tow.
May 14th, 2009, 05:54 AM
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For us the bags were weighed as we checked in to leave the US but not when leaving France. We were just over 12Kg when they combined each person's bags together and we were forced to check in one bag. Really stunned us since we've always traveled with carryons and never had an issue before.
