Carry-On Weight Limits for 75 Airlines in 2026 (kg + lbs)

Some links below are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you. Ranking is not influenced by commission.

I have watched two travelers in the last year get sent back to the check-in counter at gates in Frankfurt and Singapore, both because their carry-on was 2 kg over the airline’s published weight limit. Both were Americans flying internationally for the first time. Both had no idea their bag was going to be weighed. Both ended up paying gate-check fees that were higher than the food budget for their entire trip.

This is the kind of thing US travelers do not learn until it happens. Most US airlines do not publish a carry-on weight limit, and the ones that do almost never enforce it. Cross an ocean and the rules flip. Twenty-one airlines worldwide cap your carry-on at 7 kg (15.4 lb). That is roughly the weight of a packed roller bag with two pairs of jeans, a pair of shoes, and a laptop.

The quick answer: The strictest published carry-on weight limit in 2026 is 7 kg (15.4 lb), enforced by 21 airlines including Cathay Pacific, Emirates, Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines, Qantas, AirAsia, and Cebu Pacific. The standard international limit is 8 kg (17.6 lb), used by Lufthansa, SWISS, SAS, Finnair, Turkish, and most German-heritage carriers. Most US carriers publish no weight limit at all. British Airways is the outlier on the high end at 23 kg (51 lb), one of the most generous published limits of any major carrier.

This is the reference guide I wish I had handed to those two travelers a year ago. Every airline in the Vientapps carry-on data set, ranked by weight limit, with last-verified dates and source links.

How we verified this

Every weight limit on this page comes from each airline’s published carry-on policy page, retrieved and re-verified between April and May 2026. Methodology:

• Primary source only. Limits come from the airline’s own baggage policy page, not third-party aggregators. Each airline entry below links to the page on vientapps.com/tools/carry-on-size/ where the source URL is recorded.
• No estimates. If an airline does not publish a carry-on weight limit, we mark it as “no published limit” rather than guessing. Some carriers in this category may still ask you to check a visibly heavy bag at the gate, but they have no published threshold.
• Both metric and imperial. Limits are quoted in kg and lb because most airlines publish in metric and round inconsistently when converting. Where airlines publish a non-rounded imperial figure (15.4 lb for 7 kg, for example), we use the airline’s actual figure rather than our own conversion.
• Last-verified date per airline. Every data point has a date attached. Carry-on policies move more often than travelers expect (Frontier, Breeze, Hawaiian, and three European carriers changed limits or fees in the last 18 months), so we re-verify on a rolling 30 to 60 day cycle.
• Gate enforcement note. Knowing the published limit is half the story. The other half is whether the airline actually weighs bags at the gate. We pulled enforcement frequency from our internal gate-check risk score, which is rated Low, Medium, or High based on user reports, frequent flyer forums, and the airline’s own boarding procedure.

If you find a number on this page that does not match what an airline currently publishes, email us at [email protected] and we will re-verify within 48 hours.

Strictest weight enforcement: 7 kg / 15.4 lb (21 airlines)

This is the tightest tier and the one that catches US travelers off guard most often. Twenty-one airlines, mostly in Asia, the Middle East, and Australia, cap carry-ons at 7 kg (15.4 lb). Many of them also limit you to one piece total instead of one carry-on plus one personal item, which is how regional fliers in those parts of the world pack.

If you fly any carrier in this section, weigh your bag at home before you leave. A digital luggage scale costs about $10 and is the single highest-leverage tool for international travel.

Air Arabia

7 kg (15.4 lb). One carry-on at 22 x 16 x 8 inches. Air Arabia’s gate-check enforcement is rated High, which is consistent with low-cost carrier operations across the Gulf. Last verified 2026-04-22.

Air India

7 kg (15.4 lb). 22 x 16 x 8 inches plus a personal item up to 16 x 12 x 6 inches. Enforcement runs Medium, but Air India tightened cabin baggage policy in 2024 and gate scales are now common at major hubs. Last verified 2026-05-07.

Air New Zealand

7 kg (15.4 lb). 21.7 x 15.7 x 9.1 inches. No published personal item dimensions; Air New Zealand treats both bags as part of the same 7 kg total in most economy fares. Last verified 2026-04-22.

AirAsia

7 kg (15.4 lb). 22 x 14.2 x 9.1 inches plus a small laptop bag at 15.7 x 11.8 x 3.9 inches. Gate-check enforcement is High; AirAsia is famous for weighing bags at the gate and charging hefty fees if you are over. Last verified 2026-05-05.

Bamboo Airways

7 kg (15.4 lb). 22 x 14 x 9 inches. Vietnam’s full-service carrier with budget-aligned cabin baggage rules. Last verified 2026-05-07.

Cathay Pacific

7 kg (15.4 lb). 22 x 14.2 x 9.1 inches. Premium cabin tickets allow 2 carry-ons at 7 kg each, but economy is strictly one piece at 7 kg. Cathay’s gate enforcement is rated Low for premium routes and Medium for short-haul. Last verified 2026-05-07.

Cebu Pacific

7 kg (15.4 lb). 22 x 14 x 9 inches with a personal item at 14 x 8 x 8 inches. Cebu Pacific weighs cabin baggage at the gate and charges per-kilo overage fees. Gate-check rate is High. Last verified 2026-04-22.

China Airlines

7 kg (15 lb). 22 x 14 x 9 inches plus a personal item up to 16 x 12 x 6 inches. Last verified 2026-05-07.

Emirates

7 kg (15.4 lb). 21.7 x 15 x 8.7 inches. Emirates First and Business get two carry-ons at 7 kg each, but economy is one bag total. Gate-check rate is Low; Emirates rarely weighs bags but will if a piece looks visibly oversized. Last verified 2026-05-05.

Etihad Airways

7 kg (15.4 lb). 22 x 14.2 x 9.1 inches. Same pattern as Emirates: doubled allowance in premium cabins, single 7 kg piece in economy. Gate-check rate Medium. Last verified 2026-05-05.

EVA Air

7 kg (15 lb). 22 x 14 x 9 inches plus a personal item up to 16 x 12 x 4 inches. EVA’s premium service does not relax cabin baggage rules as much as Emirates or Cathay. Last verified 2026-04-22.

flydubai

7 kg (15.4 lb). 21.7 x 15 x 7.9 inches. Dubai-based budget carrier with strict gate enforcement. Last verified 2026-05-07.

IndiGo

7 kg (15.4 lb). 21.7 x 13.8 x 9.8 inches plus a personal item at 13.8 x 9.8 x 5.9 inches. India’s largest carrier, with Medium gate enforcement and frequent over-weight checks at major airports. Last verified 2026-05-07.

Jetstar Airways

7 kg (15.4 lb). 22 x 14 x 9 inches. Jetstar enforces strictly and offers paid upgrades to bring the limit to 14 kg, but only if you pre-purchase. Gate-check rate High. Last verified 2026-05-07.

Qantas

7 kg (15.4 lb). 22 x 14.2 x 9.1 inches plus a personal item up to 15.7 x 13.8 x 3.9 inches. Domestic Australia is one piece at 7 kg; international economy allows the carry-on plus a small personal item. Last verified 2026-05-07.

Qatar Airways

7 kg (15.4 lb). 19.7 x 14.6 x 9.8 inches. The shortest published length of any major carrier. If your bag is right at the 22-inch US standard, it will not fit Qatar’s sizer. Gate-check rate Medium. Last verified 2026-05-05.

Saudia

7 kg (15.4 lb). 22 x 18 x 10 inches with a personal item at 18 x 14 x 8 inches (one of the largest dimensional allowances in this tier). Gate-check rate Low. Last verified 2026-04-22.

Singapore Airlines

7 kg (15.4 lb). 21.7 x 15.7 x 7.9 inches. Singapore is famously customer-friendly and gate-check rate is Low, but the published limit is still 7 kg and a heavy bag is grounds for a polite request to remove items. Last verified 2026-05-05.

Spring Airlines

7 kg (15.4 lb). Unusual cabin allowance: 12 x 8 x 16 inches, one of the smallest of any global airline. Spring is China’s biggest budget carrier and enforces both size and weight aggressively. Gate-check rate High. Last verified 2026-04-22.

Thai Airways

7 kg (15.4 lb). 22 x 17.7 x 9.8 inches. One of the more generous dimensional allowances in this tier despite the strict weight cap. Gate-check rate Low. Last verified 2026-05-05.

VietJet Air

7 kg (15.4 lb). 22 x 14 x 9 inches. Vietnam’s largest budget carrier with High gate-check enforcement and per-kilo overage fees. Last verified 2026-05-07.

Standard international: 8 kg / 17.6 lb (13 airlines)

The 8 kg tier is dominated by German-, Austrian-, Swiss-, and Nordic-heritage carriers, plus Turkish Airlines and a handful of European leisure carriers. This tier is enforced reliably but more flexibly than the 7 kg tier. A bag that comes in at 8.5 kg often gets waved through; a bag at 10 kg almost never does.

Austrian Airlines

8 kg (17.6 lb). 21.7 x 15.7 x 9.1 inches plus a personal item at 15.7 x 11.8 x 5.9 inches. Member of Lufthansa Group, same allowance as Lufthansa and SWISS. Gate-check rate Medium. Last verified 2026-05-05.

Condor

8 kg (17.6 lb). 21.6 x 15.7 x 7.9 inches plus a personal item at 15.7 x 11.8 x 3.9 inches. German leisure carrier; weight is enforced more loosely than legacy German carriers but the dimensional sizers are strict. Last verified 2026-04-22.

Discover Airlines

8 kg (18 lb). 22 x 16 x 9 inches. Lufthansa Group’s leisure subsidiary, with slightly more generous dimensional allowance than the parent. Last verified 2026-05-07.

Eurowings

8 kg (17.6 lb). 21.6 x 15.7 x 9.1 inches plus a personal item at 15.7 x 11.8 x 9.8 inches. Lufthansa Group’s intra-European low-cost arm. Gate-check rate High; Eurowings is one of the more aggressive Lufthansa Group carriers when it comes to overhead bin enforcement. Last verified 2026-05-07.

Finnair

8 kg (17.6 lb). 21.7 x 15.7 x 9.1 inches plus a personal item at 15.7 x 11.8 x 5.9 inches. Gate-check rate Low; Finnair has one of the friendlier overhead enforcement profiles in this tier. Last verified 2026-05-04.

ITA Airways

8 kg (17.6 lb). 21.7 x 15.7 x 9.1 inches plus a personal item at 17.7 x 14.2 x 7.9 inches. The successor to Alitalia, with a more generous personal item allowance than most European legacy carriers. Last verified 2026-05-07.

Lufthansa

8 kg (17.6 lb). 21.7 x 15.7 x 9.1 inches plus a personal item at 15.7 x 11.8 x 5.9 inches. Premium economy and business get a second carry-on at 8 kg each. Lufthansa enforces at the gate, especially on intra-European flights where overhead space is tight. Last verified 2026-04-22.

Pegasus Airlines

8 kg (17 lb). 21.6 x 15.7 x 7.8 inches. Turkey’s main budget carrier, with High gate-check enforcement. Last verified 2026-04-22.

SAS Scandinavian Airlines

8 kg (17.6 lb). 21.7 x 15.7 x 9.1 inches plus a personal item at 15.7 x 11.8 x 5.9 inches. Same dimensional spec as Lufthansa Group; SAS is part of the same wider European 8-kg consensus. Last verified 2026-05-05.

SunExpress

8 kg (18 lb). 22 x 16 x 9 inches. Lufthansa-Turkish Airlines joint leisure carrier, with the same allowance as Discover. Last verified 2026-04-22.

SWISS International Air Lines

8 kg (17.6 lb). 21.7 x 15.7 x 9.1 inches plus a personal item at 15.7 x 11.8 x 5.9 inches. Lufthansa Group sibling, identical allowance. Last verified 2026-05-04.

Turkish Airlines

8 kg (17.6 lb). 21.7 x 15.7 x 9.1 inches plus a personal item at 15.7 x 11.8 x 5.9 inches. Gate-check rate Low; Turkish enforces less aggressively than its budget compatriot Pegasus. Last verified 2026-05-04.

Virgin Australia

8 kg (17.6 lb). 22 x 14.2 x 9.1 inches plus a personal item at 17.7 x 13 x 7.9 inches. Sits between Qantas (7 kg) and US carriers (no limit), with Medium gate enforcement. Last verified 2026-04-22.

Mid-tier: 9 to 10 kg / 20 to 22 lb (21 airlines)

The 9 to 10 kg band is the largest tier in the global airline market. It includes most European budget carriers, most Latin American carriers, several Asian premium carriers, and Air India sibling fares. Enforcement varies widely. Ryanair and Wizz Air are notorious for strict gate weighing; Korean Air and ANA are mostly polite.

Aer Lingus

10 kg (22 lb). 21.7 x 15.7 x 9.4 inches plus a personal item at 13 x 9.8 x 7.9 inches. Aer Lingus’s personal item allowance is one of the smallest of any European legacy carrier. Last verified 2026-05-07.

Aeromexico

10 kg (22 lb). 21.7 x 15.7 x 9.8 inches plus a personal item at 15.7 x 13.7 x 7.8 inches. Last verified 2026-05-05.

ANA All Nippon Airways

10 kg (22 lb). 21.7 x 15.7 x 9.8 inches. ANA is one of the more generous Asian carriers in this tier, with Low gate enforcement and a culture of letting visibly small overages pass. Last verified 2026-05-05.

Avianca

10 kg (22 lb). 21.6 x 13.7 x 9.8 inches plus a personal item at 17.7 x 13.7 x 7.9 inches. Last verified 2026-05-05.

Azul Linhas Aereas

10 kg (22 lb). 21.7 x 13.8 x 9.8 inches. Brazil’s third-largest carrier; gate-check rate Medium. Last verified 2026-05-07.

Copa Airlines

10 kg (22 lb). 22 x 14 x 10 inches plus a personal item at 17 x 10 x 9 inches. Panama-based hub carrier with Low gate enforcement. Last verified 2026-05-07.

Iberia

10 kg (22 lb). 22 x 15.7 x 9.8 inches plus a personal item at 15.7 x 11.8 x 5.9 inches. The Spanish flag carrier and one of the more generous European legacy carriers in dimensional terms. Last verified 2026-05-04.

Japan Airlines

10 kg (22 lb). 21.7 x 15.7 x 9.8 inches. Same allowance as ANA, similar polite gate enforcement style. Last verified 2026-05-05.

Korean Air

10 kg (22 lb). 21.7 x 15.7 x 7.9 inches. Korean Air’s dimensional spec is narrower than ANA or JAL, so the same volume of stuff weighs the same but might not fit the sizer. Last verified 2026-05-05.

Norse Atlantic Airways

10 kg (22 lb). 22 x 18 x 10 inches plus a personal item at 16 x 12 x 6 inches. Long-haul leisure carrier with one of the most generous dimensional allowances in this tier. Last verified 2026-05-07.

Norwegian Air Shuttle

10 kg (22 lb). 21.6 x 15.7 x 9.1 inches plus a personal item at 15 x 11.8 x 7.9 inches. Last verified 2026-05-07.

Porter Airlines

9 kg (20 lb). 22 x 16 x 9 inches plus a personal item at 17 x 13 x 6 inches. Canada’s regional premium carrier and the only major airline at 9 kg. Last verified 2026-05-05.

Ryanair

10 kg (22 lb), but only with the paid Priority & 2 Cabin Bags add-on. Standard fare is one personal item at 15.7 x 9.8 x 7.9 inches that must fit under the seat. Gate-check rate High; Ryanair’s gate agents are famously strict on both size and weight. Last verified 2026-05-04.

Scoot

10 kg (22 lb). 21.3 x 15 x 9 inches plus a personal item at 15.7 x 11.8 x 3.9 inches. Singapore Airlines’ budget subsidiary with stricter enforcement than the parent. Last verified 2026-05-07.

TAP Air Portugal

10 kg (22 lb). 21.7 x 15.7 x 9.8 inches plus a personal item at 15.7 x 11.8 x 5.9 inches. Last verified 2026-05-04.

Transavia

10 kg (22 lb). 22 x 16 x 10 inches plus a personal item at 16 x 12 x 8 inches. Air France-KLM’s leisure subsidiary, with High gate-check enforcement. Last verified 2026-04-22.

Virgin Atlantic

10 kg (22 lb). 22 x 14.2 x 9.1 inches plus a personal item at 15.7 x 11.8 x 5.9 inches. Gate-check rate Low. Last verified 2026-05-04.

Viva Aerobus

10 kg (22 lb). 22 x 16 x 10 inches plus a personal item at 18 x 14 x 8 inches. Mexico’s other major budget carrier, alongside Volaris. Gate-check rate High. Last verified 2026-05-07.

Volaris

10 kg (22 lb). 22 x 16 x 10 inches plus a personal item at 17.7 x 13.7 x 9.8 inches. Mexico’s largest ULCC, with High gate-check rate and per-kilo overage fees. Last verified 2026-05-05.

Vueling

10 kg (22 lb), but only with the paid carry-on upgrade. Standard “Basic” fare is one personal item at 15.7 x 7.9 x 11.8 inches under the seat. Last verified 2026-05-07.

Wizz Air

10 kg (22 lb), only with the paid Wizz Priority add-on. Standard fare is one personal item at 15.7 x 11.8 x 7.9 inches under the seat. Gate-check rate High; Wizz is the only carrier in our data set that consistently rivals Ryanair on enforcement. Last verified 2026-05-04.

Generous tier: 11.5 to 16 kg / 25 to 35 lb (9 airlines)

This tier breaks into two clusters: legacy European carriers in the 12 kg range (Air France, KLM) and US ultra-low-cost carriers with surprisingly generous published limits (Frontier, Breeze, Sun Country at 16 kg / 35 lb). The ULCC numbers are misleading; those carriers also charge $30 to $99 to use the overhead bin in the first place. See our guide on airlines that charge for carry-on bags for the full fee breakdown.

Air France

12 kg (26.5 lb). 21.7 x 13.8 x 9.8 inches plus a personal item at 15.7 x 11.8 x 5.9 inches. Sits at the top of the European legacy tier alongside KLM. Last verified 2026-05-05.

Breeze Airways

16 kg (35 lb). 22 x 14 x 9 inches plus a personal item at 17 x 13 x 8 inches. Carry-on costs $20 prepaid. Gate-check rate Medium. Last verified 2026-04-22.

easyJet

15 kg (33 lb), only with the paid “Plus” or higher fare. Standard fare is one personal item at 17.7 x 14.1 x 7.9 inches under the seat. Has the highest weight allowance among European budget carriers but the option costs ~$13 prepaid. Last verified 2026-05-05.

Frontier Airlines

16 kg (35 lb). 24 x 16 x 10 inches plus a personal item at 14 x 18 x 8 inches. Carry-on costs $59 prepaid, $75 at the gate. The 35-lb weight limit is unusual for a US carrier and Frontier enforces it more aggressively than Spirit does. Last verified 2026-04-22.

Gol Linhas Aereas

12 kg (26.5 lb). 21.7 x 13.8 x 9.8 inches. Brazil’s largest carrier alongside Azul and LATAM. Last verified 2026-05-07.

Hawaiian Airlines

11.5 kg (25 lb). 22 x 14 x 9 inches. The only US legacy carrier that publishes a carry-on weight limit. Hawaiian enforces lightly on inter-island routes and more strictly on long-haul Pacific flights. Last verified 2026-05-05.

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines

12 kg (26.5 lb). 21.7 x 13.8 x 9.8 inches plus a personal item at 15.7 x 11.8 x 5.9 inches. Same allowance as Air France (the airlines share parent ownership). Last verified 2026-05-04.

LATAM Airlines

12 kg (26.5 lb). 21.6 x 13.7 x 9.8 inches plus a personal item at 17.8 x 13.8 x 7.9 inches. South America’s largest carrier. Last verified 2026-05-04.

Sun Country Airlines

16 kg (35 lb). 24 x 16 x 11 inches plus a personal item at 17 x 13 x 9 inches. Largest dimensional allowance of any US carrier, paired with the same 35-lb weight limit Frontier and Breeze use. Carry-on costs $30 prepaid. Last verified 2026-04-22.

Most generous: 23 kg or no published weight limit (11 airlines)

This is the tier US travelers default to without realizing it. Ten US, Canadian, and budget US carriers publish no carry-on weight limit. Plus British Airways, which publishes the highest cap of any major carrier at 23 kg. If you fly any of these eleven airlines, weight is essentially never the issue. Dimensions and fee structure are.

Alaska Airlines

No published weight limit. 22 x 14 x 9 inches. Gate-check rate Low. Free carry-on on all fares. Last verified 2026-05-05.

Air Canada

No published weight limit. 21.5 x 15.5 x 9 inches plus a personal item at 13 x 17 x 6 inches. Free carry-on on all fares including the cheapest “Standard” tier. Last verified 2026-04-22.

Allegiant Air

No published weight limit. 22 x 16 x 10 inches plus a personal item at 16 x 15 x 7 inches. Carry-on costs $35 prepaid per segment, $75 at the gate per segment (a round-trip gate-check is $150). Last verified 2026-04-22.

American Airlines

No published weight limit. 22 x 14 x 9 inches plus a personal item at 18 x 14 x 8 inches. Free carry-on on every fare including Basic Economy. Last verified 2026-05-04.

British Airways

23 kg (51 lb). 22 x 18 x 10 inches plus a personal item at 16 x 12 x 6 inches. The highest published carry-on weight limit of any major airline by a wide margin. Effectively, BA is treating cabin baggage the way most carriers treat checked baggage. Last verified 2026-04-22.

Delta Air Lines

No published weight limit. 22 x 14 x 9 inches. Gate-check rate Low. Free carry-on on all fares including Basic Economy. Last verified 2026-05-04.

JetBlue

No published weight limit. 22 x 14 x 9 inches plus a personal item at 17 x 13 x 8 inches. Free carry-on on Blue and above; Blue Basic restricts you to a personal item only. Last verified 2026-05-05.

Southwest Airlines

No published weight limit. 24 x 16 x 10 inches plus a personal item at 18.5 x 8.5 x 13.5 inches. Most generous dimensional allowance among US legacy and mid-tier carriers. Free carry-on on every fare. Last verified 2026-05-04.

Spirit Airlines

No published weight limit. 22 x 18 x 10 inches plus a personal item at 18 x 14 x 8 inches. Carry-on costs $65 prepaid, up to $99 at the gate, the most expensive carry-on fee in the US. Last verified 2026-04-22.

United Airlines

No published weight limit. 22 x 14 x 9 inches plus a personal item at 17 x 10 x 9 inches. Free carry-on on all fares except domestic Basic Economy, which is personal item only. Last verified 2026-05-04.

WestJet

No published weight limit. 22 x 9 x 14 inches plus a personal item at 16 x 13 x 6 inches. Free carry-on on all fares. Last verified 2026-04-22.

Full alphabetical comparison table

The same data, sorted A to Z. Use this for quick lookups.

Airline	Weight Limit (kg)	Weight Limit (lb)	Gate-Check Risk	Last Verified
Aer Lingus	10	22	Medium	2026-05-07
Aeromexico	10	22	Medium	2026-05-05
Air Arabia	7	15.4	High	2026-04-22
Air Canada	No limit	No limit	Low	2026-04-22
Air France	12	26.5	Medium	2026-05-05
Air India	7	15.4	Medium	2026-05-07
Air New Zealand	7	15.4	Medium	2026-04-22
AirAsia	7	15.4	High	2026-05-05
Alaska Airlines	No limit	No limit	Low	2026-05-05
Allegiant Air	No limit	No limit	High	2026-04-22
American Airlines	No limit	No limit	Medium	2026-05-04
ANA All Nippon Airways	10	22	Low	2026-05-05
Austrian Airlines	8	17.6	Medium	2026-05-05
Avianca	10	22	Medium	2026-05-05
Azul Linhas Aereas	10	22	Medium	2026-05-07
Bamboo Airways	7	15.4	Medium	2026-05-07
Breeze Airways	16	35	Medium	2026-04-22
British Airways	23	51	Low	2026-04-22
Cathay Pacific	7	15.4	Low	2026-05-07
Cebu Pacific	7	15.4	High	2026-04-22
China Airlines	7	15	Medium	2026-05-07
Condor	8	17.6	Medium	2026-04-22
Copa Airlines	10	22	Low	2026-05-07
Delta Air Lines	No limit	No limit	Low	2026-05-04
Discover Airlines	8	18	Medium	2026-05-07
easyJet	15	33	High	2026-05-05
Emirates	7	15.4	Low	2026-05-05
Etihad Airways	7	15.4	Medium	2026-05-05
Eurowings	8	17.6	High	2026-05-07
EVA Air	7	15	Medium	2026-04-22
Finnair	8	17.6	Low	2026-05-04
flydubai	7	15.4	Medium	2026-05-07
Frontier Airlines	16	35	High	2026-04-22
Gol Linhas Aereas	12	26.5	Medium	2026-05-07
Hawaiian Airlines	11.5	25	Medium	2026-05-05
Iberia	10	22	Medium	2026-05-04
IndiGo	7	15.4	Medium	2026-05-07
ITA Airways	8	17.6	Low	2026-05-07
Japan Airlines	10	22	Low	2026-05-05
JetBlue	No limit	No limit	Medium	2026-05-05
Jetstar Airways	7	15.4	High	2026-05-07
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines	12	26.5	Medium	2026-05-04
Korean Air	10	22	Low	2026-05-05
LATAM Airlines	12	26.5	Medium	2026-05-04
Lufthansa	8	17.6	Medium	2026-04-22
Norse Atlantic Airways	10	22	Medium	2026-05-07
Norwegian Air Shuttle	10	22	Medium	2026-05-07
Pegasus Airlines	8	17	High	2026-04-22
Porter Airlines	9	20	Medium	2026-05-05
Qantas	7	15.4	Medium	2026-05-07
Qatar Airways	7	15.4	Medium	2026-05-05
Ryanair	10	22	High	2026-05-04
SAS Scandinavian Airlines	8	17.6	Medium	2026-05-05
Saudia	7	15.4	Low	2026-04-22
Scoot	10	22	Medium	2026-05-07
Singapore Airlines	7	15.4	Low	2026-05-05
Southwest Airlines	No limit	No limit	Low	2026-05-04
Spirit Airlines	No limit	No limit	High	2026-04-22
Spring Airlines	7	15.4	High	2026-04-22
Sun Country Airlines	16	35	High	2026-04-22
SunExpress	8	18	Medium	2026-04-22
SWISS International Air Lines	8	17.6	Medium	2026-05-04
TAP Air Portugal	10	22	Medium	2026-05-04
Thai Airways	7	15.4	Low	2026-05-05
Transavia	10	22	High	2026-04-22
Turkish Airlines	8	17.6	Low	2026-05-04
United Airlines	No limit	No limit	Medium	2026-05-04
VietJet Air	7	15.4	High	2026-05-07
Virgin Atlantic	10	22	Low	2026-05-04
Virgin Australia	8	17.6	Medium	2026-04-22
Viva Aerobus	10	22	High	2026-05-07
Volaris	10	22	High	2026-05-05
Vueling	10	22	High	2026-05-07
WestJet	No limit	No limit	Medium	2026-04-22
Wizz Air	10	22	High	2026-05-04

What this means by region

If you fly within the US. Weight is essentially never the issue. Pack reasonably and the gate agent will not weigh you. Watch the fee structure on Spirit, Frontier, Allegiant, Sun Country, and Breeze, plus the Basic Economy carve-outs on United, JetBlue, and on some American fares. See the airlines that charge for carry-on bags guide for fees and the gate-check risk by airline guide for which sizers are actually enforced.

If you fly to Europe. 8 to 10 kg is the ceiling on most carriers, and the gate weighs you on intra-European flights. The biggest gotcha is a US-to-Europe transatlantic on a US carrier (no weight limit), connecting to a Lufthansa/Air France/KLM/IAG short-haul flight with strict 8 to 12 kg enforcement on the second leg. Pack for the second leg, not the first.

If you fly to Asia or the Middle East. 7 kg is the default and it is enforced. Check our best carry-on bags guide for ultralight options under 5 lb empty, which gives you 10 lb of usable packing room within a 7 kg total.

If you fly to Latin America. 10 to 12 kg is standard, and Mexican ULCCs (Volaris, Viva Aerobus) enforce strictly. Avoid Aeromexico’s basic fare carry-on traps with our best personal item bags for budget airlines guide.

The bottom line

If you fly only US carriers, the carry-on weight conversation does not really apply to you. If you fly internationally, especially in Asia or the Middle East, weigh your bag at home before you leave, every time. A digital luggage scale is $10 and prevents the single most common cause of unexpected baggage fees on international itineraries.

The strictest 7 kg tier is 21 airlines including all three major Middle Eastern carriers (Emirates, Qatar, Etihad), most major Asian carriers (Cathay, Singapore, Thai, ANA-rival JAL is one tier up at 10 kg), and most Pacific budget carriers. The most generous tier is the US legacy + Canadian airlines plus British Airways, which together cover most North America-centric travel patterns. Everything else falls in the 8 to 12 kg band where the rule is “enforced sometimes, more strictly in Europe.”

If you want to skip the math and just check your specific airline before a trip, the Vientapps carry-on size checker holds the same data for all 75 airlines plus dimensional limits, fees, and personal item rules, sourced from the same official policy pages we used to build this guide. If you publish travel content on your own site, you can embed the data as a free widget.

Sources and methodology

Every weight limit in the table is hand-checked against the airline’s published baggage essentials page. A lastVerified date is recorded per airline; rows older than 60 days are re-checked before each guide refresh. Representative primary sources used for the major carriers include Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, American Airlines, British Airways, Lufthansa, Emirates, Singapore Airlines, and Qantas. Where an airline does not publish a numeric carry-on weight limit (most US legacies and Canadian carriers), the table records “No limit” rather than estimating.