Airline baggage
 

How tight are airlines when it comes down to size requirements for baggage?
I'm flying United and they say the maximum size is 62" of h+w+l. I found an awsome piece of luggage that works out to about 68". It's awsome because most of that is length so I can fit my tripod inside it, and not have to carry that as an extra bag.

Anyway, do they actually measure your bags when you check them, or as long as it isn't something ridiculously large, are you OK?

Thanks

I don't think they will measure them, but it has to fit in the
overhead compartment I think?? Not sure on this. Perhaps
you can shorten the bag a bit?

If you're talking about carryon FORGET IT! 21 or 22 inches is the MAX length. PERIOD! For checked bags they might not measure with a tape but the do have a jig or template and might charge you extra for an oversize bag.
Oh yeah now I remember, carry on is limited to something like 22X15X9-must fit either overhead OR under the seat in front of you.

Don't forget that they may ask you to turn the stuff on to prove that it isn't a bomb. So when you pack everything in just perfectly they may ask you to bring it all out again.

Never mind that you could create a bomb small enough so that the electronics masking it ... never mind.

The better question is - how much do they charge for oversize (and that includes weight!) baggage. If it is reasonable, I wouldn't worry about it. The worst thing that will happen is that you end up paying a few bucks. If it is expensive then I might look for a different bag.

That's for bigger planes. Keep in mind that for smaller planes if you are oversize/weight it may not go at all. It was a real trick to get all our gear up to the Cape York Peninsula in Australia....

http://www.packinglight.com/html/car...uirements.html

http://www.allcases.com/airReg.asp

You might find these pages interesting.

Guys, my question is concerning checked luggage, not carry on.
I believe the charge for an oversized bag is $80us EACH WAY. F-ing expensive if I get caught going a little over.


Got the Porta-Brace Quick Draw as my carry on bag.
FWIW, Maximum carry on size for United is 45" of L+W+H, but the max of any one dimension can only be 22", as Don correctly pointed out.

So, $80 is outrageous and has to factor into your decision. Other airlines only charge $15-$25, so may be ok if you get caught now and then. That said, I have never seen a ruler used on checked bags but see people dinged on the weight penalty nearly every time I fly these days.

If the bag is not obviously oversize in a dimension then it may not attract their attention. Even on the carry-on. United uses these dimension scales but they don't catch length so I see people get by with 24" as long the other dimensions are reasonable.

Airlines have started getting a LOT more picky though. If I have any doubts about size at all I make sure there is nothing in it that can't be checked. I even ended up getting a new carry-on to be on the safe side.

OK, I'm going to risk it with the checked bag. If it's too big, I'll just stomp on it unit it meets the minimum size limit. :)
Cameras will not be in it of course.

I fly an awful lot and the only thing they really pay attention to is weight apart from the obvious. Both my carry on bags are marginally oversized and I've never been challenged. I fly 2 or 3 long hauls a month.