Question: Forcing Me To Check Carry-On Luggage On Every Airline

Understanding Airline Carry-On Policies and Travel Expectations: A Personal Perspective

Traveling across Europe has been an eye-opening experience for many travelers, especially when it comes to airline baggage policies and procedures. Recently, I had the opportunity to reflect on some recurring experiences and want to share insights that may help travelers better navigate the complexities of airline baggage handling — particularly regarding carry-on luggage compliance and check-in protocols.

A Series of Observations During European Travel

During a three-week journey through various European destinations, my wife and I encountered a pattern: airline staff at baggage check-in points consistently conveyed that our carry-on luggage did not meet the strict European Union (EU) standards, often citing “full flights” or “non-compliance with EU carry-on standards” as reasons to have our bags checked instead of allowed onboard.

Despite meticulously preparing for our trip — ensuring that all our carry-on bags adhered to EU size and weight regulations and regularly weighing our luggage — these assertions persisted. Our initial encounter was in Prague with Swiss Air, where, under the staff’s advisement, we chose to check our carry-ons before security screening, believing their guidance. Surprisingly, our flight was only about half full, and conditions suggested we could have kept our bags with us. Many other passengers seemed to have stored similar-sized bags overhead without issue.

We experienced similar situations again in Lisbon, first at the TAP! baggage check station and later at the gate. In each instance, airline personnel told us our bags wouldn’t fit or were non-compliant, issued checked baggage tags, and advised us to check them. Nevertheless, upon boarding, we found that both bags fit comfortably in the overhead compartments, and the flights were only approximately two-thirds full.

Differences Between U.S. and European Airline Practices

In the United States, when gate crew mention that a flight is full and ask for volunteers to check their carry-on luggage, it often indicates genuine space constraints or crew requests for volunteers willing to check their bags at no additional charge. Conversely, during our European travels, this seemed less about capacity and more about compliance enforcement, which raised questions about the motives behind such assertions.

Speculation and Cultural Factors

It appeared that some airline staff might have been incentivized — whether through commissions, kickbacks, or other motives — to persuade passengers to check their bags, even when they could have been carried onboard. This impression was reinforced by observations that certain staff seemed to target English-speaking or foreign passengers, possibly due to language barriers or different expectations.

Consider