Instrumentation & Measurement Magazine 23-2 - 103

Table 1 - Different airline rules
Company

United

Ryanair

Hand luggage size
9 " x 14 " x 22 "
(22 cm x 35 cm x 56 cm)

40 cm x 20 cm x 25 cm

Method of
measurement

Weight

Charge
In case of noncompliance

no

bag sizers at the
airport

Additional charges
may apply

Not specified (but
if priority ticket
allows until 10
kg bags in the
cabin that means
that non-priority
should be the same
or in case even less)

check at the Bag Drop
desk before going
Additional fee (£ 50)
through security

23 kg each

bag sizers at the
airport

Additional fee

8 kg

Not specified

Additional charge

Not specified

Not specified

Small one
40 cm x 30 cm x 15 cm
16 " x 12 " x 6 "
British Airways

Other baggage
56 cm x 45 cm x 25 cm
22 " x 18 " x 10 "
(wheels and handles included)

Lufthansa

max. 55 cm x 40 cm x 23 cm

KLM

1 item max. 55 cm x 35 cm x 25 cm
(21,5 " x 13,5 " x 10 ")
1 accessory, e.g. a handbag,
12 kg
briefcase or laptop, max.
26 lbs
40 cm x 30 cm x 15 cm
(16 " x 12 " x 6 ")
Wheels and handles included

organization established in 1955 under the wide umbrella of
the International Bureau of Weights and Measures aimed at
recommending legal metrology regulations. To do so, it publishes several categories of documents:
◗◗ International recommendations which are intended as
model regulations for a number of categories of measuring instruments, and which OIML member states are
morally obliged to implement as far as possible;
◗◗ International documents which are informative and are
intended for guidance purposes; and
◗◗ Other publications such as vocabularies, guides, etc.
This organization does not provide compulsory acts, but
it fosters the adoption of correct rules (aimed at protecting
people from damages or even fraud caused by inadequate or
tampered instruments) by each member state.
Its recommendations prescribe principles and methods
for practically all kinds of legal metrology measurements,
April 2020	

including weight and dimensional measurements, so that it is
possible to refer to reliable and relevant reference documents
for legal purposes in case of litigation.
As far as the instruments used to measure the size of luggage are concerned, each measuring device should carry an
anti-tamper seal with a label that lists the most important
metrological parameters and assures the conformity to metrological standards through tests and verifications performed
following international recommendations (OIML R 35).
Furthermore, the same approach must be followed for balances (OIML R 76) to avoid uncontrolled measurement results
that may lead to an unfair treatment of passengers.

Conclusions
This short survey on a not so minor problem that harasses all
of us when we fly and has represented, recently, non-negligible income for most airlines, shows that even the simplest

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