Can I take one heavy piece of baggage instead of the two allowed pieces of baggage?

The 23kg limit is the "advised maximum weight limit" as issued by the IATA in its "Baggage Reference Manual" and is set for health and safety reasons.

The maximum weight of a single item of normal baggage that an airline should accept is set at 32kg, above this the airline can start to receive fines under IATA health and safety guidelines.

http://www.iata.org/whatwedo/ops-infra/baggage/Pages/check-bag.aspx

Your bag should weigh less than 23KG/50LBS. This is an international regulation set for the health and safety of airport workers who have to lift hundreds of bags daily. If your bag weighs more than this, you may be asked to repack, or have it labeled as "heavy luggage".

The maximum weight however is 32KG/70LBS in the EU and the US. Some airlines impose lower limits. Refer to the airline website and your conditions of carriage.

You may get away with a single item of baggage up to 32kg, but there are no guarantees as it depends on the good will of the checkin assistant at the time - I personally would not recommend it, as you have been given your baggage allowance quite clearly as "2 items, 23kg each"

You would certainly not get away with a 40kg bag - you would be asked to repack it (essentially, take out enough to get it under the 32kg limit - perhaps more depending on the checkin staff at the time).

The airline may have union contracts, employment conditions, or contracts with baggage handling services that limit the weight it can allow. For example, it may require employees in certain jobs to be capable of lifting X pounds, test for that during hiring, and limit bags to weighing no more than X.

You can limit yourself to carrying one very heavy bag, but check two bags.

Buy a really good hard sided suitcase that can stand being in an aircraft hold without being completely full. Also buy a foldable duffle bag. Label both.

Pack everything, including the duffle bag, inside the suitcase. Shortly before reaching baggage check, after you have a cart, move a planned set of heavy items, sufficient to bring its weight under the stated weight limit, from the suitcase to the duffle. Check in both the suitcase and the duffle bag.

At the other end, at baggage claim, put the duffle and its contents back in the suitcase.

Whenever you are doing the carrying there is one very heavy suitcase. When the airline is doing the carrying there are two bags, each under the airline's weight limit.

I'm assuming you're referring to hold luggage.

Is it possible for you to strap two bags together, so than you can handle them as one? If so, you can separate them at drop-off, and then connect them back together in the pick-up hall.

That way you have the advantage of having one (albeit heavy bag), but the baggage handlers don't have to risk their backs with a 40kg+ bag.

The maximum checked baggage weight depends on the travel itinerary and dates. You can refer to

• https://www.aa.com/i18n/travel-info/baggage/baggage-limitations.jsp (mirror)
• https://www.united.com/ual/en/us/fly/travel/baggage/embargo.html (mirror)

For example:

Customers who purchase tickets on or after October 10, 2018, for flights to, from or connecting through SAL are only allowed two bags weighing up to 50 lbs. (23 kg). Excess, oversized and overweight baggage are not permitted at any time.