Cabins & Bags - The Ultimate Cabin Luggage Study

Which Cabin Bags Fit on the Most Airlines?

With the help of some established travel aficionados and our own luggage experts, we put together a list of the 20 most popular pieces of cabin luggage at present, and matched their dimensions with 56 of the world's biggest commercial airlines to truly see which bag is the most versatile. You can see how they stack up below.

Briggs and Riley @Work Two-Wheel Briefcase

Airlines56

Slicks Travel System - Suit Cover

Airlines50

American Tourister Lightway Four-Wheel

Airlines49

IT Four-Wheel Suitcase

Airlines49

Briggs and Riley Sympatico

Airlines44

Delsey Traversee

Airlines44

Eastpak Transfer Two-Wheel

Airlines44

Tumi Voyageur Oslo

Airlines38

Lipault Pliable Upright Two-Wheel

Airlines36

Ted Baker Falconwood Soft Two-Wheel

Airlines35

Antler Size Zero Cabin Trolley

Airlines33

Rimowa Topas Four-Wheel Cabin

Airlines33

Samsonite Cosmolite Four-Wheel

Airlines33

Tumi Vapor Lite

Airlines33

Wilko Super Light

Airlines32

Bric's Life Four-Wheel

Airlines21

Travelpro Maxlite 4 Expandable Spinner

Airlines18

Antler Neptune Landscape Mobile Office

Airlines9

It was a close race for first, but ultimately the @Work Two-Wheel Briefcase by Briggs and Riley packed the competition away, fitting on all 56 of the airlines we analysed.
The Slicks Travel System is a backpack that allows you to safely stow your suit in, and considering this, its total tally of fitting on 50 airlines is impressive.

The "lightweights" ended up tying for third, with both the IT Four-Wheeler and American Tourister Lightway fitting on a total of 49 airlines. Surprisingly, popular business luggage, the Antler Neptune Mobile Office, lagged behind, only fitting on nine cabin holds.

Airline Carry-On Dimensions - Who's the Most Lenient?

While most airline carry-on size rules will permit hand luggage which is 115 linear centimetres (45 inches) in combined length, width, and height, the actual breakdown of these dimensions can differ significantly. With this in mind, we've listed the restrictions of all the airlines in our study and also taken the liberty of combining their lengths, widths and heights to give a total volume to truly determine which airline is the most lenient in this regard.

Total Vol : cm/kg - inches/lbs

Airline (Economy)	Total Vol	Total Vol. Inches	Length	Height	Width	Weight	Length	Height	Width	Weight
Aegean Airlines	126	50.4	56	45	25	8	22.5	18	10	17.5
Aer Lingus	119	47.6	55	40	24	10	22	16	9.6	22
Aeroflot	115	46	55	40	20	10	22	16	8	22
Air Canada	118	47.2	55	40	23	10	22	16	9.2	22
Air China	115	46	55	40	20	8	22	16	8	17.5
Air Europa	115	46	55	35	25	10	22	14	10	22
Air France	115	46	55	35	25	12	22	14	10	26.5
Air India	115	46	55	35	25	8	22	14	10	17.5
Air New Zealand	116	46.4	50	40	26	7	20	16	10.4	15.5
AirAsia	115	46	56	36	23	7	22.5	14.5	9.2	15.5
airberlin	118	47.2	55	40	23	8	22	16	9.2	17.5
Alaska Airlines	129	51.6	61	43	25		24.5	17.2	10
Alitalia	115	46	55	35	25	8	22	14	10	17.5
American Airlines	115	46	56	36	23		22.5	14.5	9.2	50
Austrian	118	47.2	55	40	23	8	22	16	9.2	17.5
British Airways	126	50.4	56	45	25		22.5	18	10
Cathay Pacific	115	46	56	36	23	7	22.5	14.5	9.2	15.5
China Airlines	115	46	56	36	23	7	22.5	14.5	9.2	15.5
Condor	115	46	55	40	20	6	22	16	8	13.2
Czech Airlines	125	50	55	45	25	8	22	18	10	17.5
Delta	114	45.6	56	35	23		22.5	14	9.2	50
easyJet	126	50.4	56	45	25		22.5	18	10
Emirates	113	45.2	55	38	20	7	22	15	8	15.5
Etihad	115	46	50	40	25	7	20	16	10	15.5
Eurowings	118	47.2	55	40	23	8	22	16	9.2	17.5
Fiji Airways	118	47.2	55	40	23	7	22	16	9.2	15.5
Finnair	126	50.4	56	45	25	10	22.5	18	10	22
FlyBE	110	44	55	35	20	10	22	14	8	22
Hawaiian Airlines	115	46	56	36	23	11.5	22.5	14.5	9.2	25.3
Iberia	126	50.4	56	45	25	10	22.5	20	10	22
Icelandair	115	46	55	40	20	10	22	16	8	22
Japan Airlines	120	48	55	40	25	10	22	16	10	22
JetBlue	114	45.6	56	35	23		22.5	14	9.2	50
Jetstar	115	46	56	36	23	10	22.5	14.5	9.2	22
KLM	115	46	55	35	25	12	22	14	10	26.5
Korean Air	115	46	55	40	20	12	22	16	8	26.5
Lufthansa	118	47.2	55	40	23	8	22	16	9.2	17.5
Malaysia Airlines	115	46	56	36	23	7	22.5	14.5	9.2	15.5
Monarch	121	48.4	56	40	25	10	22.5	16	10	22
Norwegian Air Shuttle	118	47.2	55	40	23	10	22	16	9.2	22
Philippine Airlines	120	48	50	45	25	7	20	18	10	15.5
Qantas	115	46	56	36	23	7	22.5	14.5	9.2	15.5
Qatar Airways	112	44.8	50	37	25	7	20	15	10	15.5
Ryanair	115	46	55	40	20	10	22	16	8	22
Singapore Airlines	120	48	50	45	25	7	20	18	10	15.5
South African Airways	118	47.2	56	36	26	8	22.5	14.5	10.4	17.5
Southwest	130	52	61	41	28		24.5	16.5	11.2
SWISS	118	47.2	55	40	23	8	22	16	9.2	17.5
Thomas Cook Airlines	115	46	55	40	20	6	22	16	8	13.2
Thomson	115	46	55	40	20	5	22	16	8	11
tigerair	115	46	54	38	23	10	21.6	15	9.2	22
Turkish Airlines	118	47.2	55	40	23	8	22	16	9.2	17.5
United	113	45.2	56	35	22		22.5	14	8.8	50
Virgin America	127	50.8	61	41	25		24.5	16.5	10
Virgin Atlantic	115	46	56	36	23	10	22.5	14.5	9.2	22
Virgin Australia	105	42	48	34	23	7	19.2	13.5	9.2	15.5

When looking at total space for hand luggage, perhaps unsurprisingly the Americans came out on top, with Southwest boasting the most total centimetres allowed (130/51 inches.) To add to this, they also don't have a weight limit on cabin bags. The American propensity for space is also reflected in Alaska Airlines' total of 129cm, with Virgin America (127cm) coming in a close third.
Easyjet was an anomaly when it came to low budget airlines in Europe: their generous hand luggage restrictions of 56-45-25 gave them a grand volume of 126cm allowed overall, 11 centimetres more than competitors Ryanair and Thomas Cook (115.)
And bringing up the rear, all the way down under the competition was Virgin Australia, whose restrictions of 48-34-23 for domestic and short-haul international flights meant their total centimetres allowed of 105 was comfortably the lowest of all the airlines analysed. Crikey.

Cabin Luggage Finder

Select which airline you'll be flying on next to see which popular choice of bag fits in the cabin hold!

Switch : cm/kg inches/lbs

Luggage Name	Length	Height	Width	Weight	Length	Height	Width	Weight
American Tourister Lightway Four-Wheel	55	35	20	1.6	21.6	13.7	7.8	3.5
Antler Neptune Landscape Mobile Office	45	43	23	2.8	17.7	17	9	6.1
Antler Size Zero Cabin Trolley	55	40	20	2.4	21.6	15.7	7.8	5.2
Bric's Life Four-Wheel	54	39	22	2.8	21.2	15.3	8.6	6.1
Briggs and Riley Sympatico	53	36	23	3.6	21	14	9	7.9
Briggs and Riley @Work Two-Wheel Briefcase	33	44	20	3.8	13	17.3	7.8	8.4
Delsey Traversee	55	36	23	1.8	21.6	14	9	3.9
Eastpak Transfer Two-Wheel	49	32	23	2.5	19.2	12.5	9	5.5
IT Four-Wheel Suitcase	55	35	20	1.54	21.6	13.7	7.8	3.3
Lipault Pliable Upright Two-Wheel	50	37	20	1.9	19.6	14.5	7.8	4.1
Rimowa Topas Four-Wheel Cabin	55	40	20	4.6	21.6	15.7	7.8	10.1
Slicks Travel System - Suit Cover	52	32	20	2.2	20.4	12.5	7.8	4.9
Samsonite Cosmolite Four-Wheel	55	40	20	1.8	21.6	15.7	7.8	4
Ted Baker Falconwood Soft Two-Wheel	50	38	20	2.3	19.6	15	7.8	5
Travelpro Maxlite 4 Expandable Spinner	55	36	25	2.6	20	14	9.5	5.7
Tumi Vapor Lite	55	40	20	3.6	21.6	15.7	7.8	7.9
Tumi Voyageur Oslo	38	36	21	3.6	15	14	8.5	7.9
Wilko Super Light	50	40	20	1.9	19.6	15.7	7.8	4.1

Some important carry on advice to consider before flying:

One frequently asked question is whether or not a hand luggage bag's wheels are included in the dimensions specified by the airline. The answer is, yes, so don't forget to include them when making your arrangements.
Most airlines do not have enough space for everyone to place their carry on bags inside the cabin, meaning that some luggage must inevitably be placed in the hold. To avoid this happening, try to arrive at the boarding gate in plenty of time before your flight is due to depart.
It's not just airline carry-on dimensions that can cause inconvenience. Weight limits on hand luggage can also be restrictive and must be complied with. Luckily, not all airlines have weight limitations but, again, check our table before you fly.
One frequently asked question is whether or not a hand luggage bag's wheels are included in the dimensions specified by the airline. The answer is, yes, so don't forget to include them when making your arrangements.
Unfortunately, airline rules for personal items' are not as clear as they are for carry-on luggage. For airlines such as FlyBe and Jet2, you are allowed one personal item, along with your hand luggage as long as the former fits under the seat in front of you or into the overhead compartment. For others, such as Thomson and EasyJet, any personal items must fit into your main hand luggage bag.
Most airlines will allow items such as one standard duty-free shopping bag, an umbrella, crutches or a walking stick. But it is always best to check beforehand as the rules can catch you out.
Some items, such as laptops departing from certain destinations to the UK, are also banned due to security risks. According to WIRED magazine,the UK Department for Transport has confirmed the restrictions will apply on airlines including British Airways and EasyJet on all inbound flights from Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Tunisia and Saudi Arabia.'
The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 smartphone is universally banned from all flights around the world because it keeps blowing up.
So, you've seen the research, now hopefully you won't be caught out when it comes to cabin luggage and the information will help you choose the right bag for you!