Guides & Advice
Personal Item Size by Airline: Under-Seat Bag Dimensions
Oct
Personal item size depends on the airline, but the most common limit in the United States is 18 x 14 x 8 inches (45 x 35 x 20 cm), used by American Airlines and Frontier. JetBlue allows 17 x 13 x 8 inches, United only 17 x 10 x 9 inches, and Delta and Southwest publish no dimensions at all: the bag simply has to fit under the seat in front of you. A personal item is the small bag you keep at your feet, such as a purse, a briefcase, a laptop bag or a small backpack, and on basic fares it is often the only free bag you get. This guide lists the published limits airline by airline, explains what counts, and shows how to pick a bag that passes every sizer. A men’s crossbody bag is the easiest format to get past the gate: flat, soft and worn close to the body.
Every figure below was read on the airlines’ own websites on 5 October 2026. Policies change, so check your booking before you fly.
What is a personal item?
Airlines split cabin baggage into two allowances. The carry-on goes in the overhead bin. The personal item stays under the seat in front of you, which is why it has to be smaller. American Airlines describes it as a purse or small handbag; Delta lists a purse, briefcase, small backpack, belt bag, fanny pack, camera bag, diaper bag or laptop bag. In Europe the same idea goes by other names: Air France calls it a small bag, easyJet a small under seat cabin bag, Ryanair a small personal bag.
The distinction matters most on basic fares. When a ticket does not include a carry-on, the personal item is everything you can take on board without paying. On fuller fares it sits alongside the carry-on, so you can keep your documents, laptop and charger within reach while the larger bag rides in the bin. A slim laptop bag is exactly the kind of item airlines have in mind.
Personal item size by airline
This table gathers the dimensions each airline publishes for the under-seat bag. Unless stated otherwise, measurements include handles, wheels and outside pockets. The weight limit, where there is one, is covered in our guide to the carry-on weight limit.
| Airline | Personal item limit | In centimetres | What the airline adds |
|---|---|---|---|
| American Airlines | 18 x 14 x 8 in | 45 x 35 x 20 cm | Must fit under the seat in front of you |
| Frontier | 18 x 14 x 8 in | about 46 x 36 x 20 cm | Up to 35 lb, size checked at boarding, one per passenger per direction |
| JetBlue | 17 x 13 x 8 in | 43.2 x 33 x 20.3 cm | One carry-on and one personal item on all fares, per its help page |
| United | 17 x 10 x 9 in | 43 x 25 x 22 cm | The narrowest width in this table |
| Delta | No dimensions published | No dimensions published | Purse, laptop bag or similar item that fits under the seat |
| Southwest | No dimensions on its help page | No dimensions on its help page | Must fit under the seat in front of you |
| easyJet | about 17.7 x 14.2 x 7.9 in | 45 x 36 x 20 cm | Up to 15 kg, handles and wheels included |
| Ryanair | about 15.7 x 11.8 x 7.9 in | 40 x 30 x 20 cm | Free on every fare since 4 September 2025 |
| Air France | about 15.7 x 11.8 x 5.9 in | 40 x 30 x 15 cm | A handbag, small soft bag or shoulder bag |
Two airlines that travelers often ask about are missing on purpose. Spirit’s websites did not resolve when we checked on 5 October 2026, and Alaska’s baggage page refused our request; the figures that circulate for both come from third-party sites, so we do not repeat them. Check them on the airline’s site or app before you fly. For easyJet, our guide to the easyJet cabin bag size also covers its large cabin bag.
Personal item vs carry-on
The carry-on is the bigger bag, and its size is far more uniform than the personal item’s. American Airlines, United and JetBlue all set 22 x 14 x 9 inches; Frontier and Southwest allow 24 x 16 x 10 inches. Air France sets 55 x 35 x 25 cm for its hand baggage. The personal item, by contrast, ranges from United’s 17 x 10 x 9 inches to American’s 18 x 14 x 8 inches, and some airlines publish nothing at all.
What that means in practice:
- On a full fare you bring both: the carry-on in the bin, the personal item under the seat.
- On a fare without a carry-on, the personal item is your only free bag, and the gate agent will check it.
- Combining two small bags does not work: a purse and a backpack carried separately count as two items. Put one inside the other.
- A coat is not a bag. easyJet, for instance, lets you bring an overcoat, an umbrella and one bag of airport shopping on top of your allowance.
If you only travel with one bag on short trips, a travel backpack sized for the personal item saves both the fee and the wait at the baggage belt.
What counts as a personal item
Airlines describe the personal item by example rather than by a closed list. Across the policies we read, these formats are named: purse or handbag, briefcase, laptop bag, small backpack, belt bag or fanny pack, camera bag, and a small soft bag or shoulder bag. A belt bag worn at the waist is a personal item in its own right, which matters if you also want to carry a laptop bag: you then have two items.
The rule underneath is always the same: the item must fit under the seat in front of you. The space under a seat is not a rectangular box, and it is usually narrower at the aisle seat because of the seat frame. Soft bags cope with that far better than rigid ones. Frontier states plainly that the size of the personal item is checked during boarding and that larger items are subject to an additional charge, so the published dimensions are not a formality.
Depth is the dimension that rejects most bags. Eight inches is roughly 20 cm, and many backpacks marketed as “travel size” exceed it once packed. Air France is stricter still at 15 cm. A laptop sleeve inside a soft bag adds protection without the thickness of a padded briefcase.
One bag that fits every airline
If you fly several airlines in a year, buy for the smallest box. Among the four US airlines that publish dimensions, the common envelope is 17 x 10 x 8 inches (about 43 x 25 x 20 cm): it fits American, Frontier, JetBlue and United at once. Add European low-cost flights and the target becomes 40 x 30 x 15 cm, the Air France limit, which also fits Ryanair and easyJet.
We measured our own catalogue against these limits, using the dimensions stated on each product page. Of the 332 bags and wallets whose listings give all three dimensions in centimetres:
| Limit | Listings that fit |
|---|---|
| 18 x 14 x 8 in (American, Frontier) | 303 of 332 |
| 17 x 13 x 8 in (JetBlue) | 289 of 332 |
| 17 x 10 x 9 in (United) | 226 of 332 |
| 40 x 30 x 15 cm (Air France) | 264 of 332 |
United’s 10-inch width is the limit that excludes the most bags, more than any depth limit. Shoulder bags, chest bags and small crossbody bags make up most of the bags that pass everywhere; backpacks and briefcases need a closer look at the width and depth figures before you buy.
Bags that work as a personal item
Flat, soft bags make the best personal items. These categories list the dimensions on every product page, so you can compare them with your airline’s limit:
- See the men’s crossbody bags: the safest choice for even the strictest limits.
- See the laptop bags for men: briefcases and messenger bags slim enough for the under-seat space.
- See the men’s clutch bags: passport, phone and charger, kept within reach.
- See the men’s bum bags: they can stay on you through boarding.
Before you leave, pack the bag once and measure it full, and keep your documents, medication and electronics in it rather than in the carry-on, which may be gate-checked on a full flight. Our travel packing list helps decide what belongs where.
In short
A personal item is the bag that stays under the seat in front of you. In the US the usual limit is 18 x 14 x 8 inches, JetBlue allows 17 x 13 x 8, United 17 x 10 x 9, and Delta and Southwest only require that it fits. Choose a flat, soft bag, measure it packed, and aim for 17 x 10 x 8 inches if you fly several airlines. For a bag that passes the sizer, start with our men’s crossbody bags, and for longer trips our men’s travel bags.
Frequently asked questions
Is a backpack a personal item?
Yes, if it fits the airline’s limit and goes under the seat in front of you. Delta names small backpacks among approved personal items and easyJet lists rucksacks. Check the depth once the backpack is packed, because that is where most bags fail.
Do airlines measure personal items?
Some do so systematically. Frontier states that personal item size is checked during boarding and charges extra for larger items, Ryanair uses bag sizers at its airports and easyJet checks cabin bag sizes before boarding. Others intervene only when a bag clearly does not fit under the seat.
Can I bring a purse and a personal item?
On most airlines a purse is the personal item, so a purse plus a backpack counts as two items. Put the purse inside the backpack or the carry-on. A coat, and on easyJet one bag of airport shopping, travel on top of the allowance.
What is the biggest personal item allowed?
Among the airlines in our table, easyJet’s 45 x 36 x 20 cm and the 18 x 14 x 8 inches of American Airlines and Frontier are the largest published limits. Frontier also allows up to 35 lb. Delta and Southwest publish no dimensions.
Does a personal item have a weight limit?
Some airlines set one: 35 lb at Frontier, 15 kg at easyJet, and 12 kg at Air France for the small bag and hand baggage combined in Economy. Many US airlines publish no weight limit for the personal item at all.
