Before your flight, airlines check hand luggage dimensions — often with strict sizing frames at the gate. If your bag doesn't fit, you risk high gate-check fees. Here's how to measure your luggage accurately at home.
What do the dimensions mean?
Always place your bag upright on a flat surface:
- Height (H): from the floor (bottom of the wheels) to the top of the handle.
- Width (W): from the left edge to the right edge — including side handles.
- Depth (D): from the front to the back — including bulging pockets.
Golden rule: wheels, feet and handles always count. Airlines measure to the outermost point.
Step by step: the "wall & book" trick
Luggage has curved corners and protruding wheels, so a loose tape measure almost always reads too small. This trick simulates the airport sizer:
- Pack the bag completely — a full bag adds 2–5 cm in depth.
- Push it against a wall — one side firmly against a flat wall.
- Hold a book against the opposite side — at the furthest point.
- Measure from wall to book — repeat for all three dimensions.
Typical carry-on allowances
| Bag type | Where it goes | Typical size | Common airlines |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small personal item | Under the seat | 40 × 20 × 25 cm to 40 × 30 × 15 cm | Ryanair, Wizz Air, easyJet |
| Standard carry-on | Overhead bin | 55 × 40 × 20–23 cm | Lufthansa, KLM, Air France |
| Generous carry-on | Overhead bin | 56 × 45 × 25 cm | British Airways, easyJet |
Checked baggage: the 158 cm linear rule
For checked luggage, airlines rarely limit individual edges. Instead they use the linear size — the sum of all three sides:
Height + Width + Depth = 158 cm (62 in) maximum — the global standard.
4 common mistakes
- Measuring empty — always measure fully packed.
- Ignoring pockets — stuffed front pockets add 3–5 cm.
- Forgetting wheels — spinner wheels add up to 7 cm in height.
- Overpacking soft bags — bulging depth is the #1 reason bags fail the sizer.