Strange luggage size and 5 kg limit - Carry on impossible?

[Jaffa]

Hi, I booked a flight with Thomas Cook (UK) thought I would try out my new Tristar. Going to a hot country - easy. However... not only is the carry-on 5 kg, but the luggage size limit is 43 x 28 x 23 cms - sorry they dont do inches.
I thought this could be a challenge, me/Tristar like challenges, but checking the sizes means that most bags -Tristar included are too large usually on the width.
Good news is they increased the checked limit to 20kg, I would rather they increased the 5kg limit and made the sizes more in line with other airline guidelines.
Is this the only airline with absurdly low weight AND bag sizes?.
I thought the idea was to encourage carry on and discourage checked luggage.
Any others out there?

[JonP]

I think the real intent is to raise revenue by fees of all types. Even the Western Flyer will not meet those dimensions.

[backpack]

Brain Bag Dimensions: 18" x 14" x 9" / 450 x 350 x 230mm

Smart Alec " : 18.5" x 11.75" x 7.75" / 470 x 300 x 200mm

Synapse " : 16" x 11.5" x 7.9" / 410 x 290 x 200mm

The Synapse is the only bag that came close, 1 centimeter too wide.

I suspect that this airline only wants purses on boards or is in a process of offering a custom bag.

I know, many airlines already offer cabin size pet carriers sporting their brand name assuring their size compatibility with the airline size regulation.


I bought an airline branded fabric cabin size pet carrier for a cross country direct flight and it barely survived the trip.

Some years earlier, a friend asked my cabin mate to bring back a puppy with us.
The airline plastic pet carrier was so small, the puppy was uncomfortable and cried for some times. The puppy soon got a better seat on the cabin mate lap hidden in his jacket. The width of the understanding middle row passenger and myself hiding it further.

The worse part, under the seat, there was room for twice the height of the airline carrier.

[Fat Crip]

You'd get away with the Western Flyer as its only about an inch too big, so long as you didn't pack it too full. TB bags aren't rigid so you can usually squash an inch off! Otherwise you'd never be able to use an Aeronaut on RyanAir - the Aeronaut is an inch too thick, but it'll fit so long as you have packed accordingly!

[maverick]

5kg is definitely on the restrictive side, in my opinion.

my aeronaut with 4 changes of light weight summer clothing, toiletries, some snacks, and the imago with 11" macbook air packed inside weighed in at 6.2kg on a recent trip. it felt very light on my back - i've carried the aeronaut packed far heavier than it was on this trip.

however, you are far less likely to be asked to weigh and size a bag you are wearing on your back than one on wheels. there is a perception that if you're carrying it on your back, it isn't that heavy.

having said that, there was the time that the northwest personnel wanted to check my aeronaut to ensure that it met their sizing requirements - and it did