SWISS long haul flight hand baggage allowance
A traveler named Debra is concerned about Swiss Air's hand baggage allowances, wondering if they offer more leniency on long-haul flights from Zurich to Chicago this summer. She also inquires about the personal item allowance and whether an extra 2 cm on her handbag would be acceptable based on others' experiences.
- Swiss Air is generally strict with baggage dimensions, so it's best to stick to the set rules to avoid issues.
- Many travelers have not encountered baggage checks in Zurich, especially for carry-ons.
- Flexibility in bags might be accommodated, particularly if the item can be squished slightly.
- If you're concerned about baggage limits, consider checking the weight and dimensions on the airline's website beforehand.
AI-generated summary-
i see on the Swiss air website their hand baggage allowance is fairly small 40x23x55 cm, which is a lot smaller than others; it doesn’t differentiate between domestic and long haul flights, so I was wondering do they give any more leeway for the long haul overseas flights? Traveling on them from Zurich to Chicago this summer. The same question for their personal item allowance, would they tend to accommodate an extra 2cm on a handbag for example, in anyone’s experience?
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Hi Debra,
Normally they are quite strict. I don’t think an extra 2 cm should be a problem. I’ve never seen them measuring or weighing bags. My advice would be to stick to the hand baggage rules.
Hi Debra-
I support Chantal’s comments about dimensions, although I don’t have recent experience on Swiss Air…or are they just called “Swiss” these days….can’t keep the name changes straight.. I’m guessing the 2 cm wont make a difference, especially if the item is a bit bendable or flexible.
I too have not seen weighing or measuring in Zürich.
My Swiss friends recently have been commenting about how strictly Swiss (and Lufthansa, the parent airline of Swiss) have been enforcing those rules, at least on intra-Europe flights.
Although I used to fly Swiss Air routinely and always appreciated their excellent service, that is why I prefer a US carrier these days. I carry a shoulder bag and a photographers backpack, and my combined weights easily exceed the modest limits set by at least those two airlines. I do not want to check my cameras and lenses; I’m afraid of the rough handling and potential disappearance of the camera gear. Delta, for example, has much more generous weight and dimension limits for carry-ons. On a code shared flight on KLM ( a Delta partner), the limits are not Delta’s, but , rather the local partner airline’s – that is, KLM’s rules. So, if I fly Zürich to Amsterdam with a Delta flight number on KLM equipment, in order to pick up a Delta flight to Detroit, for example, I always hold my breath when I check in. So far, no problems, but I do make a special effort to minimize heavy items to the degree possible in my carry-ons.
Since I really don’t want to deal with the consequences of trying to get to Connecticut at rush hour if I fly into JFK, I end up flying somewhat odd routes for that final destination.
So, to the degree possible, I try to embark in Europe on an American carrier.
My experiences may not be relevant or general, but if you go to an airlines web site, as you have done, you’ll find some quite restrictive weight limits for some airlines. Surprising to those of us in the USA who are used to generous- some might say excessive – allowances for carry-ons.
Slowpoke
My carry on is half an inch longer than Swiss dimensions is why I ask. Also I have a cloth tote that technically exceeds limits but can be squished to fit. No problem last year on BA or American but the internet says Swiss airline weighs each bag and measures them so I was wondering if this is actually happening in Zurich; I also thought it might be more lenient on overseas flights as the planes are bigger on these routes, or so I’ve read.
Slowpoke, thanks for the interesting observation. My first preference was a united (or was it American?) flight to philly but that was on a very old plane without the in flight entertainment systems, and with what I flew last year on BA I didn’t want to go with another old plane! So even with no seat choice I went for Swiss airlines. Direct to chicago too, although I will be traveling on from there as well domestically. I didn’t investigate the carry on restrictions till it was too late. I’m glad someone else flies odd routes to accommodate their needs, this past winter I booked a flight from Costa Rica all the way to Dulles and back to Chicago to get a suitable connection time.
Hi Debra
We always fly with Swiss on the short haul flight from Birmingham UK to Zurich and have never had our cabin luggage weighed or measured so far. Last year I had my camera in my carry on bag with all my personal stuff (no handbag) and a laptop bag. I packed my camera bag in my suitcase (stuffed with socks to save space! ). Returning I put my laptop in my carry on bag and packed the laptop bag in my suitcase and used my camera bag as equivalent to hand bag (purse and travel documents in it as it quite a big bag but no bigger than a hand bag). My husband carried a carry on bag and camera bag both ways. No checks made on either flight. The planes used on this route are quite small and often full but loads of people seemed to have even more in the cabin than we did. So we only have experience with short haul so don’t know if it helps at all.
Maggie
Thanks yes it helps!
Hi Debra,
I think you are all set but I’d quickly add the only airlines that have weighed my luggage (never measured) are low-cost airlines which I use a lot in Europe, IE EasyJet & AirBerlin (RIP).
It is funny how they may decide to check – my wife will get her carry-on weighed but they have never looked at my backpack – and it is frequently heavier than her luggage! She’s had her luggage out in the cargo hold at the gate or at the airplane door as they ran out of overhead bin space by the time we boarded (which was fine with us as they got it to us as we got off the plane).
Again this was only low-cost airlines and only about 1/4 times.
Happy Travels!
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