NEW YORK — Millions of fliers might soon have to buy new carry-on suitcases.
An international airline group announced a guideline Tuesday that recommends shrinking carry-on bags to give all passengers space to store a carry-on bag in the overhead bin. The size limit is slightly smaller than the standards imposed by most U.S. carriers.
The guideline, which is not binding, could mean passengers must check a favorite bag that is now too large — or else pay a fee, typically $25 each way.
Nine major international airlines plan to adopt the guideline, but no U.S. carriers have signed on yet.
“If you fly around within Europe, or start your trips from Europe, then yes — it’s a big deal,” said Bernard Majeau, product design and development director at in Greenwood Village.
But, he added, “We currently see many airlines struggling to consistently enforce the current carry-on luggage guidelines of 22 by 14 by 9 inches, which leads us to believe the enforcement of the new guidelines will be all the more difficult to mandate.”
The recommendation by the International Air Transport Association, suggests an “optimal” carry-on size at 21.5 by 13.5 by 7.5 inches.
American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines allow bags up to 22 by 14 by 9 inches — although gate agents don’t always enforce those measurements.
Denver-based Frontier Airlines a fee for carry-on bags in 2013. It currently charges $40 for carry-on bags at check-in or $25 to check the bag. Frontier’s carry-on bag maximum is larger than others. Bags exceeding 24 by 16 by 10 inches must be checked.
“We don’t have hard numbers, but we’ve definitely seen more people check their bags,” said Frontier spokesman Jim Faulkner.
As it is, many airlines have different luggage-size requirements. This was an attempt to offer a standard, said Chris Goater, a spokesman for the transport association.
Charlie Leocha, a consumer advocate and co-founder of Travelers United, said if enough airlines adopt these guidelines, it will be great for travelers to at least know what size bag is acceptable on multiple airlines.
The nine airlines that plan to adopt the guideline are Avianca, Azul, Caribbean Airlines, Cathay Pacific, China Eastern, China Southern, Emirates, Lufthansa and Qatar, according to Goater.
Theoretically, if airlines follow this guideline, “everyone should have a chance to store their carry-on bags on board aircraft of 120 seats or larger,” the trade group said. Today, it’s typical for the last 20 or so passengers to board to be forced to check their bags at the gate because the bins are already full.
Staff writer Tamara Chuang contributed to this report.
