Is There a Carry On Weight Limit? Everything You Need to Know

You probably know that there’s a size limit for carry on bags. But you might be wondering, is there a carry on luggage weight limit? Well, the answer isn’t as straight forward as you might hope. Some airlines do have a carry on weight limit, while others do not.

Cabin baggage weight limits can trip you up if you don’t read your airline’s rules about carry on baggage. Let’s take a look at what this all means for you when you’re packing up your carry on bag.

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Carry on luggage weight

Airlines are getting stricter and stricter about carry on baggage. So from size to weight to number of items, there are limits to what you can bring in the cabin.

This is similar to weight limits for checked bags, so it comes as no surprise that there could be a weight limit for carry on bags.

Carry on luggage weight allowed in domestic flights

There’s no hard rule for how much you can carry on domestic flights. This is because each airline sets their own weight limit. But you’ll be happy to know that many US based airlines don’t have a weight limit for a carry on bag.

For example, Southwest Airlines does not list a weight limit for carry on baggage. Delta also has no carry on weight limit, except for a few international destinations.

American Airlines is another one without a carry on luggage weight limit. JetBlue states that “you must be able to place your carry on luggage in the overhead compartment” but there is no exact weight limit.

International carry on weight limit

Just like with the domestic flights, there isn’t a standard carry on baggage weight limit for international flights. But airlines based in other parts of the world, like Europe and Asia, do tend to more commonly have hand luggage weight limits.

This is important to know because the airline that operates your flight is usually the one whose rules you must go by. So for example, if you book a flight through the Delta website from Atlanta to Amsterdam and it says “operated by KLM” you should look for the KLM carry on weight limit.

KLM allows 12kg/26lbs for your carry on luggage, which is actually pretty generous. Lufthansa’s weight limit for carry on is 8kg/17.6lbs.

So always look at your ticket to see which airline determines the carry on weight and size you must comply with.

Budget airline rules

What if you’re flying a budget airline, like Frontier or Ryanair? Many budget airlines only allow a personal item, unless you pay for a carry on bag.

In most cases, these airlines have a weight limit for the carry on suitcase or backpack that you purchase, but not for the personal item. This is a small win for those of you flying on one of these airlines.

What this means is if you purchase a carry on bag on your ticket, the bag that goes in the overhead compartment must comply with the weight limit. But you can put smaller heavy items in your personal item to ease the burden of that weight limit.

Is there a personal item weight limit?

The personal item is the bag that must fit under the seat in front of you. And yes, sometimes there is a weight limit on the personal item. It’s not as common, but it does happen occasionally.

For example, TAP Portugal lists both a carry on weight limit and a personal item weight limit. Air France only lists one weight limit, but it says the limit includes both bags combined.

Bottom line: Always look through the details carefully so you understand your airline’s carry on luggage weight limit, including if they have a limit for your personal item.

How much can a carry on weigh?

A carry on can weigh as much as your airline allows. But beyond that, you should also make sure you personally can carry it and lift it above your head and into the storage compartment on the plane without assistance.

Flight attendants are not allowed to help you put your bags in the overhead in most situations. This is mostly due to the increased risk of injuring themselves. Could you imagine if they were lifting 100 or more 25 pound carry on suitcases above their heads every flight?

So make sure you can lift your carry on suitcase or backpack, regardless of what the weight limit is or even if there isn’t a weight limit.

Here are the carry on weight limit and size limits for the most popular airlines. If your airline isn’t listed here, it’s probably on one of my other carry on size charts, which are grouped geographically, plus there’s a chart for budget airlines.

Is there a TSA carry on weight limit?

No, TSA does not have any rules about how much your carry on weighs. It’s the individual airlines that determine how much a carry on can weigh for their particular flights. Always check the airline’s weight restrictions for carry on luggage.

How to reduce your carry on bag weight

Now that you know you might have to deal with a weight limit for your carry on luggage, and maybe even your personal item, what should you do?

After more than 15 years of traveling with only carry on bags, I’ve learned a few tricks that help with the issue of the carry on luggage weight limit.

First, get a luggage scale. We have this Amazon Basics luggage scale and it’s inexpensive and easy to use. If you want to bring it with you to weigh your bag for the return flight, the scale itself weighs almost nothing.

Then look at what you’re packing. Shoes often weight a lot, so limit the number of pairs of shoes you pack. What else do you have that’s heavy? See if you can eliminate a few items or swap a few out for lighter alternatives.

What smaller items do you have that are actually kind of heavy? Something like a power bank or a small camera or even your liquids bag can be a lot of weight for its size. Pack it in your personal item, or even consider a jacket pocket for something like the power bank.

Speaking of jackets, don’t pack your coat or jacket in your suitcase. Carry it instead because it won’t count against your carry on limit, and I’ve never seen anyone weigh someone’s coat.

Get creative, move things around, reduce the heavy items, take advantage of your personal item, especially if there’s no specified weight limit for your personal item. There’s almost always a way to get your luggage within the carry on weight limit.

It’s much more important for budget airlines because they are most likely to weigh your bags. So you could take a chance knowing there’s a low chance of getting checked, but then you have to be willing to deal with ditching items or checking a bag and paying the last minute fee.

Light weight carry on luggage

It’s also important to get carry on luggage that doesn’t weigh too much. Suitcases especially can be quite heavy even when they’re empty, so always look for how much it weighs before you buy something.

Hopefully that answers all your questions about carry on luggage weight limits and how much your carry on can weigh.

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