While travelling on the plane, one of the most important things to keep in mind is the luggage, its size and weight. There are two luggage options one is to get on the aeroplane, carry on bag and check baggage.
Both have different functions and limitations. One can choose the perfect one based on their luggage needs.
Key Takeaways
- Carry-on bags are smaller and travel with passengers in the cabin, while checked bags are stowed in the airplane’s cargo hold.
- Airlines impose size and weight restrictions for carry-on bags, whereas checked bags allow for larger, heavier luggage.
- Carry-on bags provide easier access to personal items during flights, while checked bags offer more storage space for longer trips.
Carry On Bag vs Checked Bag
Checked bags are larger in size and travel in the cargo hold of a plane compared to carrying-on bags. On the other hand, a carry-on bag is small and can be carried by the passenger in the cabin of the airplane. There is less chance for a Carry-on bag to get stolen as it is always with you.
A passenger carries some amount of luggage with them on a flight. This luggage is called carry-on luggage. This type of luggage consists of important, required documents, gadgets, money and other valuable stuff.
Anything that a passenger wants to access during the flight can be taken in this carry-on luggage, but this luggage has weight limitations.
A checked bag or luggage is the main luggage of a passenger that travels separately in the cargo of the plane. Passengers are not able to get access to this luggage while they are on the flight.
After the flight, the passengers get their luggage back in the process of luggage claim.
Comparison Table
| Parameters of Comparison | Carry On Bag | Checked Bag |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A carry on bag is the luggage that travellers are permitted to take inside an airplane with them. | A checked bag is not allowed with the passenger, it is transported in the cargo area of the plane. |
| Things carried | Important things should be carried in carry on luggage, travel documents such as passport, money, valuable jewellery, medications and electronics. | A checked bag should carry everything that is needed once you reach the destination. |
| Size | Carry on luggage should be smaller. | Comparatively checked bags are supposed to be bigger. |
| Clothes | Clothes should not be carried in a carry bag. | Clothes should be carried in the checked bag. |
| Place | Carry on bag stays with you in the cabin of the airplane. | The cargo hold of a plane is the place for checked bags. |
What is Carry On Bag?
Just like the name suggests, it is the kind of bag that is allowed to be carried on the flight along with the travellers. This does not need any cargo section for this, and a passenger can access this during the flight.
These carry-on bags are considered to be small. This must carry all the valuable elements that one might need while undertaking a journey, such as a passport and other important documents, gadgets and, obviously, money.
This carry-on luggage is kept in overhead or under seating lockers. Checked bags are lost and damaged, but this is not the case with carry-on bags.
It also saves time as the process of baggage claim is eliminated completely from the journey. But it is not an option if the passenger has a lot of heavy luggage.
What is Checked Bag?
The checked bag is the luggage that is carried by the passenger on a flight, and it is transported in the cargo of the plane. This type of baggage is limited by different airlines depending on the size, weight, and number of luggage carried by the travellers.
The limitations of the baggage also count on the class of tickets and also on the fare paid by the passengers. The baggage that exceeds the limits is called excess baggage. The policies also vary according to the airlines.
During the flight, the passenger can not access his or her checked bag as they are not in the same place. The passengers get their checked luggage after they land.
In the process of baggage claim, one gets one’s luggage back. This process is very time-consuming.
Main Differences Between Carry On and Checked Bag
- A carry-on bag is a luggage that travellers can carry with them inside an airplane, whereas a checked bag is not allowed with the passengers inside the aeroplane, it is supposed to travel in the cargo panel of the plane.
- A carry-on luggage is expected to be smaller than a checked bag. A checked bag can be big, carrying all the needed items of the passenger.
- Clothes are not meant to be carried in a carry bag. Clothes are supposed to be carried in a checked bag.
- On the one hand, a carry-on bag travels with the traveller in the cabin of the airplane, but on the other hand, checked bags are meant to be in the cargo hold of a plane.
- If you check the luggage, then you have to spend time in the baggage claim, but you can save the hassle with a carry-on bag.
- Carry on the bag is accessible to the passenger throughout the flight as they travel with it, but the checked bag is not accessible to the passenger during the flight.
- https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/4117650
- https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/jems.12106
Last Updated : 09 August, 2023
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Piyush Yadav has spent the past 25 years working as a physicist in the local community. He is a physicist passionate about making science more accessible to our readers. He holds a BSc in Natural Sciences and Post Graduate Diploma in Environmental Science. You can read more about him on his bio page.
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