Which airlines have no carry-on weight limit?

Most major US carriers — American Airlines, Delta, United Airlines, Alaska Airlines, Southwest, JetBlue, and Hawaiian Airlines — have no stated carry-on weight limit. In practice, your bag must fit in the overhead bin. Frontier and Spirit are US budget carriers that also impose no weight limit. Several Canadian and Latin American carriers follow the same no-limit policy.

What is the most common carry-on weight limit worldwide?

7 kg is the single most common weight limit worldwide, used by carriers including Emirates, Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines, Air India, AirAsia, Vietjet, Cebu Pacific, and many others. The 10 kg limit is common among European carriers including Ryanair (with Priority), Wizz Air (with Priority), Norwegian, and easyJet.

Do airlines actually weigh carry-on bags?

Most airlines do not routinely weigh carry-on bags, but low-cost carriers — particularly in Asia and Europe — are far more likely to do so than full-service carriers. Ryanair, Wizz Air, AirAsia, and Vietjet have staff who weigh bags at the gate or during boarding on busy routes. Full-service carriers like Lufthansa or British Airways rarely weigh carry-ons in practice, despite having stated limits.

Carry-On Weight Limits by Airline (Full List 2026)

Carry-on weight limits are one of the most inconsistently enforced — and most financially punishing — aspects of airline baggage policy. An overstuffed bag that sails through check-in on a United flight will get pulled and charged on an AirAsia leg of the same itinerary. This guide compiles weight limits for more than 40 airlines and explains when enforcement actually happens.

Airlines With No Carry-On Weight Limit

These carriers impose no stated weight limit on carry-on bags. The practical constraint is bin space, not scales.

Airline	Notes
American Airlines	No weight limit; must fit overhead or under seat
Delta Air Lines	No weight limit stated
United Airlines	No weight limit stated
Alaska Airlines	No weight limit stated
Southwest Airlines	No weight limit stated
JetBlue	No weight limit stated
Hawaiian Airlines	No weight limit stated
Frontier Airlines	No weight limit stated
Spirit Airlines	No weight limit stated
Allegiant Air	No weight limit stated
Sun Country Airlines	No weight limit stated
WestJet	No weight limit on carry-on
Air Canada	No weight limit (must be liftable)
Aeromexico	No weight limit stated
Copa Airlines	No weight limit stated

North American and Transatlantic Carriers

Airline	Weight Limit	Notes
American Airlines	None	No limit enforced
Delta Air Lines	None	No limit enforced
United Airlines	None	No limit enforced
Air Canada	None	Must fit overhead
WestJet	None	Must fit overhead
British Airways	23 kg (combined)	Hand baggage + personal item combined; rarely enforced
Virgin Atlantic	10 kg	More consistently enforced than BA
Air Transat	10 kg	Enforced on weight-limited fares

European Carriers

Airline	Weight Limit	Notes
Ryanair	10 kg (Priority) / 2 kg (free)	Small personal bag is 40×20×25 cm; large bag requires Priority
easyJet	15 kg (Large bag)	Only with FLEXI or Plus fares; standard fares get underseat only
Wizz Air	10 kg (Priority)	Free allowance is underseat bag only
Vueling	10 kg	Combined carry-on limit
Norwegian	10 kg	Enforced at busy gates
Transavia	10 kg	Enforced on both bag sizes combined
Eurowings	8 kg	Moderately enforced
Lufthansa	8 kg	Rarely weighed in practice
Swiss	8 kg	Rarely weighed in practice
Austrian Airlines	8 kg	Rarely weighed in practice
Brussels Airlines	12 kg	Generous limit, rarely weighed
Air France	12 kg	Enforcement increasing on busy routes
KLM	12 kg	Enforcement increasing
Iberia	10 kg	Enforced at Madrid routes
Iberia Express	10 kg	LCC rules apply
TAP Air Portugal	8 kg	Moderately enforced
SAS	8 kg	Business class: 2×8 kg
Finnair	8 kg	Rarely enforced except on very full flights
LOT Polish Airlines	8 kg	Rarely weighed
TUI	10 kg	Charter rules; enforced at check-in more than gate
Condor	8 kg	Enforced on busy routes
Sunexpress	8 kg	Enforced at Turkish airports
Wizz Air UK	10 kg	Same as Wizz Air
Flybe	10 kg	Enforced
Pegasus	8 kg	Enforced at Istanbul

Middle East and African Carriers

Airline	Weight Limit	Notes
Emirates	7 kg	Weight weighed at many hubs
Qatar Airways	7 kg	Enforced at Doha
Etihad Airways	7 kg	Enforced at Abu Dhabi
flydubai	7 kg	LCC; enforced
Air Arabia	7 kg	Enforced
Oman Air	7 kg	Enforced
Gulf Air	7 kg	Moderately enforced
Saudia	7 kg	Enforced
Turkish Airlines	8 kg	Enforced at Istanbul
Ethiopian Airlines	7 kg	Enforced
Kenya Airways	12 kg	More generous than region average
Royal Air Maroc	10 kg	Moderately enforced
EgyptAir	8 kg	Variable enforcement

Asian and Pacific Carriers

Airline	Weight Limit	Notes
Singapore Airlines	7 kg	Enforced at Changi; premium classes get more
Japan Airlines	10 kg	Enforced; Japanese airports are consistent
ANA	10 kg	Enforced consistently
Cathay Pacific	7 kg	Enforced at Hong Kong
Korean Air	12 kg	Generous limit; moderately enforced
Asiana Airlines	10 kg	Moderately enforced
Air India	7 kg	Enforced on domestic; variable on international
IndiGo	7 kg	Strictly enforced at Indian airports
SpiceJet	7 kg	Strictly enforced
Vietjet	7 kg	Strictly enforced; gate weighing common
AirAsia	7 kg	Strictly enforced; base fare only underseat
AirAsia X	7 kg	Strictly enforced on long-haul
Cebu Pacific	7 kg	Enforced in Philippines
Scoot	10 kg	Enforced at Singapore
Lion Air	7 kg	Enforced
Batik Air	7 kg	Enforced
China Eastern	5 kg	Very strict; one of the lowest limits
China Southern	5 kg	Very strict
Air China	5 kg	Very strict; compliance strongly enforced
Spring Airlines	7 kg	Enforced
Hainan Airlines	5 kg	Very strict
Qantas	7 kg	Enforced at Australian airports
Virgin Australia	7 kg	Enforced
Air New Zealand	7 kg	Enforced

How Enforcement Actually Works

Low-cost carriers in Asia and Europe are most likely to weigh your bag. AirAsia, Vietjet, Ryanair, Wizz Air, and IndiGo use scales at check-in counters and/or at gates. On popular routes, this is routine. Budget carriers derive meaningful revenue from excess bag charges, which incentivises active enforcement.

Full-service carriers typically weigh carry-ons only when bags are visibly oversized or when a flight is heavily loaded. Lufthansa gate agents rarely pull out a scale. Emirates staff at Dubai can be more rigorous on weight than staff at other hubs.

Chinese carriers (Air China, China Eastern, China Southern) have some of the lowest limits (5 kg) and are known for consistent enforcement, particularly on domestic Chinese routes. International flights from China may be slightly more variable.

US carriers almost never weigh carry-ons and don't have weight limits. The constraint is purely physical — your bag must fit. Gate agents will stop oversized bags but never ask you to put a bag on a scale.

Why Limits Vary So Much

Weight limits reflect different philosophies:

Revenue model: LCCs make significant money from bag fees. Lower limits with stricter enforcement drives fee revenue.
Fleet type: Smaller regional aircraft have smaller overhead bins and stricter weight management requirements on some routes.
Market norm: US carriers adopted a no-limit norm decades ago; Asian and European carriers retained weight-based limits from an older standard.
Class differences: Most carriers allow additional weight or a second bag in business and first class regardless of stated economy limits.

Practical Advice

If your itinerary includes carriers with 7 kg limits, weigh your carry-on before you leave. Most bathroom scales work well enough — step on without the bag, note the weight, step on with it, subtract. A 7 kg bag that is slightly over may be ignored; a 10 kg bag presented to an AirAsia gate agent will be charged.

The lightest carry-on bags on the market weigh under 1 kg empty, leaving 6 kg for contents on a 7 kg allowance — which is workable for most travellers for trips up to a week. For longer trips, a personal item allowance under the seat is often additional and separate from the carry-on weight limit.