How fussy are Easyjet about hand luggage?

May 16, 2009 2:40 PM

Easyjet flight UK to Spain hand luggage: can I use a M&S Xenon medium rollercase? It's 22.5cm wide but limit says 20cm - too risky?

I'm traveling by Easyjet in a week's time and wanting to use a Marks & Spencer medium Xenon rollercase. Its given dimensions on the website are H52 x W39 x D22.5cm but the limit on the Easyjet website is 55 x 40 x 20. So it's technically 2.5cm too deep - are they that fussy? Or is it not worth the risk and should I take a different bag?

posted by monster max to travel & transportation (6 comments total)

I am also flying Easyjet next weekend. I am not risking it.

I've flown Easyjet a fair amount and I do see them testing the bags in those metal tester containers as you board the aircraft. They tend to do this more for hard cased roller bags. This is also why I've chosen to take a backpack - because if the need arises, I can squish it to high heaven to fit it in that metal tester.

It's not that I mind paying to have to check my bag if they do take it away from me at the gate - it's that I have zero confidence on a busy bank holiday weekend that my bag is then going to actually going to make it into the hold of the aircraft and arrive at my destination when I do.
posted by meerkatty at 2:49 PM on May 16

er.....is then going to actually make it into the hold of the aircraft and arrive at my destination when I do.
posted by meerkatty at 2:50 PM on May 16

I've flown easyJet recently and they've never measured or denied my oversize flightcase. Its got a BA certified label on it through (which I've left attatched) and maybe that's what they don't wish to be negatively compared too
posted by handybitesize at 3:18 PM on May 16

I've never had any trouble with Easyjet. In fact, I don't think they've ever asked to check any of my bags for size. (Be aware, though, that they're generally very strict about you only having one piece of hand luggage, so make sure you can fit everything into that one case.)
posted by badmoonrising at 3:28 PM on May 16

I have a very similar case, and have flown to girona via easyjet many times. It's a soft-sided case so will squish down at the front if you don't overpack it (or expand even more if you do), if the dimensions you give are accurate. As long as you can fit it in the metal cage they have at the check-in desk (which has a certain amount of wiggle room), it'll be fine - they don't wield a tape measure! If you have a book in the front pocket, stick it in your jacket pocket for the check-in. I've only had my hand-luggage checked for dimensions a couple of times, usually they just check the weight.

I dunno if we're looking at the same case though; the one linked is H62 x W42 x D25.5cm, which would be pushing it a big too much for my taste.
posted by ArkhanJG at 4:05 PM on May 16

My mistake - should have said SMALL not medium (got a medium one as hold luggage) - link. The airport I'm flying from is only about half an hour's drive away so I'm seriously contemplating driving down there to stick the wretched suitcase in their wretched frame to see whether it will fit. I really DON'T want to discover that it won't when I arrive - with family - for the flight...

Thanks for the heads-up about the "really truly one item only" stuff, badmoonrising - last time I was on a plane (several years ago), I had dutifully taken one very small bag on board and was ASTONISHED at the people around me with handbags, laptops, small suitcases and armfuls of carrier bags from duty free!...

(Needless to say, I've had nothing helpful from Easyjet themselves, just a useless email saying what their allowed luggage dimensions are. Which I'd put in my email to them anyway. Sheesh.

(Yeah, the more I think about it, maybe the 'driving to the airport' thing is the best option. At least it's certain!...)
posted by monster max at 1:56 PM on May 17