The manufacturer labels this as the outside of the bag, not the packing space inside. It is the measurement a gate agent takes.
Wheels, handle and feet add 6.4 cm, 1.9 cm, 1.3 cm to its three sides.
That gap is why a bag sold as carry-on size gets stopped: the box measures the space inside, the gate measures the outside.
Superseded by the manufacturer's own overall figure. The two agree to within 0.03 cm, so the earlier number was sound — it simply could not be recommended on.
Every airline we track
On the cheapest economy fare each airline publishes. A different fare often changes the answer, which is what the trip checker is for.
North America
AeroméxicoBasic · 5/10 sometimes checks (assumed) · baggage policy ↗3.42 cm too longOver
AmericanBasic · 5/10 sometimes checks · baggage policy ↗2.54 cm too longRisky
DeltaBasic · 5/10 sometimes checks · baggage policy ↗3.38 cm too in totalOver
FrontierBasic · 9/10 measures every bag · baggage policy ↗no cabin bagNo cabin bag
JetBlueBasic · 5/10 sometimes checks · baggage policy ↗2.54 cm too longRisky
SouthwestBasic · 3/10 rarely checks · baggage policy ↗2.54 cm to spareFits
UnitedBasic · 6/10 checks at the gate · baggage policy ↗not researchedUnknown
Central America
Copa AirlinesBasic · 5/10 sometimes checks (assumed) · baggage policy ↗2.54 cm too longRisky
South America
AviancaBasic · 6/10 checks at the gate (assumed) · baggage policy ↗not researchedUnknown
GOL Linhas AéreasBasic · 7/10 checks at the gate (assumed) · baggage policy ↗no cabin bagNo cabin bag
Aegean AirlinesBasic · 7/10 checks at the gate (assumed) · baggage policy ↗2.42 cm too longOver
Aer LingusBasic · 7/10 checks at the gate (assumed) · baggage policy ↗3.42 cm too longOver
Air EuropaEconomy · 7/10 checks at the gate (assumed) · baggage policy ↗3.42 cm too longOver
Air FranceBasic · 7/10 checks at the gate · baggage policy ↗no cabin bagNo cabin bag
Air SerbiaEconomy · 7/10 checks at the gate (assumed) · baggage policy ↗3.42 cm too longOver
airBalticBasic · 7/10 checks at the gate (assumed) · baggage policy ↗3.42 cm too longOver
Austrian AirlinesEconomy · 7/10 checks at the gate (assumed) · baggage policy ↗3.42 cm too longOver
Azores AirlinesEconomy · 7/10 checks at the gate (assumed) · baggage policy ↗3.42 cm too longOver
Binter CanariasBasic · 7/10 checks at the gate (assumed) · baggage policy ↗13.42 cm too longOver
British AirwaysBasic · 7/10 checks at the gate · baggage policy ↗2.54 cm too longOver
Brussels AirlinesBasic · 7/10 checks at the gate (assumed) · baggage policy ↗3.42 cm too longOver
CondorEconomy · 7/10 checks at the gate (assumed) · baggage policy ↗3.42 cm too longOver
easyJetBasic · 8/10 measures every bag · baggage policy ↗no cabin bagNo cabin bag
EurowingsEconomy · 9/10 measures every bag (assumed) · baggage policy ↗3.42 cm too longOver
FinnairBasic · 7/10 checks at the gate (assumed) · baggage policy ↗3.42 cm too longOver
IberiaEconomy · 7/10 checks at the gate · baggage policy ↗2.42 cm too longOver
IcelandairBasic · 7/10 checks at the gate (assumed) · baggage policy ↗3.42 cm too longOver
ITA AirwaysBasic · 7/10 checks at the gate (assumed) · baggage policy ↗3.42 cm too longOver
Jet2.comBasic · 9/10 measures every bag (assumed) · baggage policy ↗2.42 cm too longOver
KLMBasic · 7/10 checks at the gate · baggage policy ↗no cabin bagNo cabin bag
LOT Polish AirlinesBasic · 7/10 checks at the gate (assumed) · baggage policy ↗3.42 cm too longOver
LufthansaEconomy · 7/10 checks at the gate · baggage policy ↗3.42 cm too longOver
Nordwind AirlinesEconomy · 7/10 checks at the gate (assumed) · baggage policy ↗3.42 cm too longOver
NorwegianEconomy · 9/10 measures every bag (assumed) · baggage policy ↗3.42 cm too longOver
RyanairBasic · 9/10 measures every bag · baggage policy ↗no cabin bagNo cabin bag
SASEconomy · 7/10 checks at the gate (assumed) · baggage policy ↗3.42 cm too longOver
SKY expressBasic · 7/10 checks at the gate (assumed) · baggage policy ↗3.42 cm too longOver
SWISSEconomy · 7/10 checks at the gate (assumed) · baggage policy ↗3.42 cm too longOver
TAP Air PortugalEconomy · 7/10 checks at the gate (assumed) · baggage policy ↗3.42 cm too longOver
TransaviaEconomy · 9/10 measures every bag (assumed) · baggage policy ↗3.42 cm too longOver
Ural AirlinesEconomy · 7/10 checks at the gate (assumed) · baggage policy ↗3.42 cm too longOver
UTairBasic · 7/10 checks at the gate (assumed) · baggage policy ↗18.42 cm too longOver
Virgin AtlanticBasic · 7/10 checks at the gate (assumed) · baggage policy ↗2.42 cm too longOver
VoloteaEconomy · 9/10 measures every bag (assumed) · baggage policy ↗3.42 cm too longOver
VuelingBasic · 8/10 measures every bag · baggage policy ↗no cabin bagNo cabin bag
WiderøeStandard · 7/10 checks at the gate (assumed) · baggage policy ↗3.42 cm too longOver
Wizz AirBasic · 9/10 measures every bag · baggage policy ↗no cabin bagNo cabin bag
Asia
Air AstanaEconomy · 7/10 checks at the gate (assumed) · baggage policy ↗2.42 cm too longOver
Air ChinaEconomy · 6/10 checks at the gate (assumed) · baggage policy ↗3.42 cm too longOver
Air IndiaEconomy · 6/10 checks at the gate (assumed) · baggage policy ↗3.42 cm too longOver
AirAsia MalaysiaBasic · 7/10 checks at the gate (assumed) · baggage policy ↗2.42 cm too longOver
ANAEconomy · 5/10 sometimes checks · baggage policy ↗3.42 cm too longOver
Asiana AirlinesEconomy · 6/10 checks at the gate (assumed) · baggage policy ↗3.42 cm too longOver
Azerbaijan AirlinesEconomy · 7/10 checks at the gate (assumed) · baggage policy ↗3.42 cm too longOver
Cathay PacificEconomy · 6/10 checks at the gate · baggage policy ↗2.54 cm too longOver
Cebu PacificBasic · 7/10 checks at the gate (assumed) · baggage policy ↗2.54 cm too longOver
China AirlinesEconomy · 6/10 checks at the gate (assumed) · baggage policy ↗2.42 cm too longOver
China Eastern AirlinesBasic · 6/10 checks at the gate (assumed) · baggage policy ↗3.42 cm too longOver
China Southern AirlinesEconomy · 6/10 checks at the gate (assumed) · baggage policy ↗3.42 cm too longOver
EVA AirEconomy · 6/10 checks at the gate (assumed) · baggage policy ↗2.42 cm too longOver
Garuda IndonesiaEconomy · 6/10 checks at the gate (assumed) · baggage policy ↗2.42 cm too longOver
Hainan AirlinesEconomy · 7/10 checks at the gate (assumed) · baggage policy ↗3.42 cm too longOver
IndiGoEconomy · 7/10 checks at the gate (assumed) · baggage policy ↗3.42 cm too longOver
Japan AirlinesEconomy · 5/10 sometimes checks · baggage policy ↗3.42 cm too longOver
Korean AirEconomy · 6/10 checks at the gate (assumed) · baggage policy ↗3.42 cm too longOver
Philippine AirlinesEconomy · 6/10 checks at the gate (assumed) · baggage policy ↗2.42 cm too longOver
SaudiaEconomy · 7/10 checks at the gate (assumed) · baggage policy ↗2.54 cm too longOver
ScootEconomy · 8/10 measures every bag · baggage policy ↗4.42 cm too longOver
SingaporeEconomy · 6/10 checks at the gate · baggage policy ↗2.38 cm too in totalOver
STARLUX AirlinesEconomy · 6/10 checks at the gate (assumed) · baggage policy ↗2.42 cm too longOver
Thai AirAsiaBasic · 7/10 checks at the gate (assumed) · baggage policy ↗2.42 cm too longOver
Thai AirwaysEconomy · 6/10 checks at the gate (assumed) · baggage policy ↗2.54 cm too longOver
Uzbekistan AirwaysEconomy · 7/10 checks at the gate (assumed) · baggage policy ↗3.42 cm too longOver
VietJet AirEconomy · 7/10 checks at the gate (assumed) · baggage policy ↗2.42 cm too longOver
Vietnam AirlinesEconomy · 6/10 checks at the gate (assumed) · baggage policy ↗2.42 cm too longOver
XiamenAirEconomy · 7/10 checks at the gate (assumed) · baggage policy ↗2.38 cm too in totalOver
ZIPAIREconomy · 8/10 measures every bag (assumed) · baggage policy ↗3.42 cm too longOver
Middle East
EmiratesEconomy · 7/10 checks at the gate · baggage policy ↗3.42 cm too longOver
Pegasus AirlinesEconomy · 9/10 measures every bag (assumed) · baggage policy ↗3.42 cm too longOver
QatarEconomy · 7/10 checks at the gate · baggage policy ↗8.42 cm too longOver
SunExpressEconomy · 9/10 measures every bag (assumed) · baggage policy ↗3.42 cm too longOver
TurkishEconomy · 7/10 checks at the gate · baggage policy ↗3.42 cm too longOver
What we don't tell you
We check whether a bag fits. We don't review — and those are genuinely different jobs.
Whether a bag survives five years, whether the wheels cope with cobblestones, whether the warranty gets honoured, whether the handle rattles — none of that shows up in a dimension. We have nothing useful to say about any of it.
Travel + Leisure — Best with packing cubes“23-in height risks a forced check on smaller airlines.”
Both of those are true. They are answering whether this is a good bag. We are answering whether it gets on the plane. Be wary of anyone claiming to settle both at once.
Bags that get past more airlines
Only bags carrying the manufacturer's own overall figure appear here — we will not put a bag forward as an answer on someone else's tape measure.