Here in the U.S., airlines are relatively generous when it comes to the bags you can bring onto the plane for free. Depending on your airline and ticket, there’s a good chance your carry-on bag will be allowed onboard for no charge, and as long as your personal bag fits under the seat in front of you, you can bring that aboard with no extra charges, as well.
When it comes to “official” allowable measurements for personal bags, here’s how the U.S. airlines stack up (in inches):
- Allegiant: 16″x15″x7″
- American: 18″x14″x8″
- Frontier: 18″x14″x8″
- JetBlue: 17″x13″x8″
- Southwest: 18.5″x13.5″x8x5″
- Spirit 18″x14″x8″
- United: 17″x10″x9″
Delta and Hawaiian historically haven’t given specific measurements, instead using descriptions such as, “approximately the size of a purse, briefcase, laptop bag, or diaper bag” for Delta and “laptop bag, briefcase, purse, or backpack that can fit under the seat in front of you” for Hawaiian.
On overseas carriers, airlines are not always so altruistic. Many require smaller dimensions for their personal bag allowances, and some also have a weight limit, as well. Here are some examples:
- Aer Lingus: 13″x10″x8″
- Aeroflat: 31.5″ inches total (H+W+D); 11 pounds max
- Air Asia: 15.75″ x 11.8″ x 4″, 15.43 pounds max
- Cathay Pacific: 16″x12″x6″
- Norwegian: 15″x11.8″x7.9″ (carry-on + personal = no more than 22 pounds)
- Singapore: 15.75″x11.8″x4″
- WestJet: 16″x13″x6″
Ryanair’s current personal bag limits had been 40cm x 25cm x 20cm, which converts to 15.75″x9.84″x7.87″. However the budget airline announced a few weeks ago that they would be updating their small bag policy to allow under-the-seat bags to be as large as 40cm X 30cm x 20cm (15.75″x11.8″x7.87″).
That’s a 20% increase.
They made the change ahead of the EU working with airlines to agree to a minimum free bag size, so frequent travelers can buy a personal sized bag and be confident it will be accepted by multiple airlines. Ryanair’s new allowance is slightly larger than the EU’s minimum of 40cmx30cmx15cm (15.7″x 11.8″x 6″).
The airline didn’t say why they were giving their passengers a larger allowance, but I guess PAX shouldn’t look this gifted horse in the mouth.
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