Handling carry-on (hand) luggage at Indian airports

Traveling with cabin baggage (hand baggage) in India isn't a big challenge. Yes, there are some limitations that are consistent with global travel, that apply in India, yet there is a fair degree of latitude. Here's what you need to know, and I'll also tell you what I use.

Cabin baggage dimensions

Firstly, the Government of India regulations prescribe the dimensions. For Airbus and Boeing flights, these maximum dimensions are 55cm x 35cm x 25cm, totalling not more than 115cm linearly. And for ATRs and similar smaller aircraft (Bombardier being the other most prevalent one in India), the restrictions are 50cm x 45cm x 20cm, totalling not more than 110 cm linearly.

Now, different airlines apply these restrictions differently. Budget carriers - Indigo in particular comes to mind - are finicky about this to various degrees, as are full service carriers operating smaller aircraft. As with most airlines globally, these finicky ones have a measuring tool, usually both at the check in counter as well as the boarding gate, and your carry-on must fit, else it is taken away almost mandatorily, for a gate check-in. Full service carriers, however, are far more lenient about this. And Air India seems to ignore any such restrictions, almost to a fault. And in spite of the published cap on restrictions to the number of pieces of hand luggage (one, plus a laptop bag / handbag / etc), these again are not consistently applied.

Most airlines that operate domestically in India do not have a problem if you're carrying 2 (instead of one) pieces of hand baggage plus your laptop bag, especially if one of them is smaller than a permitted size carry-on. However, they will take exception if all your bags are rather large, even if they fit in the overhead bin.

The second set of exceptions is when you travel business class. This is your ticket to a no-questions-on-hand-baggage experience! This, at least as far as the airline is concerned. Flight attendants will also try and create space for you to store these, and will often offer to keep it in the storage space they have in the galley. You only need to worry about the contents, because security checks don't really care what class you're flying, but then, they don't have a say about bag size!

Liquids, gels, etc

The next big difference is how you treat your liquids, gels, etc. Yes, there are official rules about each item not exceeding 100 ml and a total cap of 1000 ml, all in one transparent plastic pouch to be passed through the scanner separately, etc. But I've never really seen these rules being enforced. I've carried enough medicines, plus water (see below), after shave, perfume and body sprays (some more than 100ml, and often, totalling more than 1000 ml), and never really had an issue.

There are, however, some consistent practices here, that airport security adopts. Water bottles are almost always not permitted to be carried. This is especially true of opened / partly consumed bottles. I've noticed that full and sealed bottles, however, are often allowed through security without question. Naturally, you aren't allowed to carry larger bottles in your hand luggage - that includes alcohol, particularly if you're coming in from overseas but transiting to a city in India other than your arrival point.

Razors, etc

Here again, international practices vary, but India is rather constant. When traveling overseas, I've always checked in such stuff (I carry a razor with a detachable blade, not a fixed/moulded plastic one). Practices outside India depend on country and jurisdiction, and there is a fair bit you can learn about them from a quick search on Google. In India, however, there is no restriction, as long as it is reasonable - so one razor is perfectly fine. And this is not something airlines really bother about.

Shoes, belts and the like

The last thing I'm going to talk about is on personal accessories such as shoes, belts, and stuff. And its simple - you don't need to remove them in India!!! I'm not sure exactly why, in this regard, the practice in India deviates almost 180 degrees from international practices, but that's what it is. So no worries here! But I must add, that a few weeks back, there was a plan to introduce additional security on this, which would involve removing belts, pens, shoes, etc, and passing them through the security scanner separately.

Conclusion

To sum things up, as long as you're carrying the right bags, even if it is marginally beyond prescribed dimensions, you should be fine with large carriers (read Jet Airways, Air India). Expect the rule book to be thrown at you by budget carriers. Reasonable liquids are fine (water, excepting). If coming in from overseas and transiting from one Indian airport to another, be sure to transfer alcohol and other such large liquids (case in point - duty free stuff) to your checked-in baggage.