In an attempt to keep cheap airplane tickets and cheap vacation packages affordable many passengers do their best only to bring carry-on bags on flights to avoid checked bag fees. Such a strategy is becoming more challenging as airlines start to impose carry-on weight limits.
Today mostly foreign airlines limit the weight of carry-on bags. Heavy bags pose dangers when they fall from bins. Overhead bins are constructed to operate as intended so long as the stored bags are within specific weight limits.
Singapore Airlines now weighs carry-ons on flights departing from U.S. cities and has a 15 pound weight limit. While often passengers bring carry-ons to avoid having to pay checked baggage fees, sometimes carry-ons are used to packed valuables that airlines will not accept responsibility for in the event there is loss or damage of such items in checked bags.
Hawaiian Airlines is one of the few U.S. airlines that is enforcing a 25 pound weight limit on carry-ons. Hawaiians gate personnel have started weighing carry-on bags at check in and at the gate, using portable luggage scales, imposing a checked bag fee for overweight bags.
US Airways sporadically insist that passengers check carry-ons which weigh over 40 pounds.
Far more foreign airlines follow strict, and often quite low, weight limits for carry-ons. ANA limits carry-ons to no more than about 22 pounds. Emirates does not allow carry-ons that weigh over 14 pounds. Lufthansa follows a 17.5 pound limit and Virgin Atlantic enforces a 13 pound max.
Experts believe that as more passengers attempt to carry on more and larger bags and airlines continue to look for new sources of revenue more U.S. airlines will increasingly impose weight limits on carry-ons. www.cheapfares.com