Carry-on size rules by airline (2026 guide)

Most large US airlines allow a carry-on up to 22 x 14 x 9 inches including wheels and handles: American, Delta, United, Alaska, JetBlue, and Hawaiian all publish that size. Southwest allows 24 x 16 x 10 inches, while Frontier, Allegiant, Breeze, and Avelo include only a personal item in their base fare. International carriers are tighter and often weigh the bag, commonly at 7 to 10 kg.

Carry-on size limits by airline

Every row below was read on the airline's own baggage page on the date shown. Where an airline publishes only inches or only centimeters, the other unit is converted and marked. The same rows power our carry-on size checker, and you can download the full dataset as a CSV. Scroll sideways on a phone to see every column.

Bag size limits are set by each airline, not by TSA, and the airline enforces them at the gate. That is why a bag that clears 22 x 14 x 9 can fly on Southwest with room to spare and still get pulled at the gate on Qatar, where the length limit is 50 cm (about 20 in). Bags like the Travelpro Maxlite 5 are built to the US standard, and our picks for the best carry-on luggage are sized the same way.

Which fares include a carry-on

The size limit only matters if your fare includes the bag. This is where the real differences live.

Included on the cheapest fare: American Basic Economy, Delta Main Basic, Southwest Basic, Alaska Saver, JetBlue Main Base, Hawaiian, British Airways Economy Basic, and Economy on Emirates, Qatar, Japan Airlines, ANA, and Qantas. On American and Alaska the cheapest fare boards last, so bins can be full by the time you reach them; American itself advises planning for that.

Personal item only on the cheapest fare: Frontier, Allegiant, Breeze, and Avelo sell the carry-on separately or in a bundle. Ryanair and easyJet include only an under-seat bag. Air France and KLM Basic include the small bag only.

Depends on the route: United Basic Economy is personal item only unless you fly to South America or across the Atlantic or Pacific, or hold qualifying status or a qualifying United card. Air Canada Basic is personal item only within Canada, between Canada and the US, and to or from Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean. Lufthansa Economy Basic is personal item only on short- and medium-haul flights.

Check the fare, not just the bag. On a personal-item-only fare, a carry-on that fits the sizer still costs extra at the gate.

Personal item limits

Personal items must fit under the seat in front of you. The smallest published size is 40 x 30 x 15 cm (about 16 x 12 x 6 in) at British Airways, Lufthansa, Air France, and KLM; American, Frontier, and Allegiant allow 18 x 14 x 8 in. United allows 17 x 10 x 9 in, JetBlue 17 x 13 x 8 in, and easyJet's free under-seat bag is 45 x 36 x 20 cm. Delta, Southwest, Alaska, and Hawaiian do not publish a personal item size; they only say it must fit under the seat.

How to measure your bag correctly

Manufacturer-listed dimensions are sometimes measured without wheels or handles, and soft bags grow when packed. Measure the bag the way a gate agent will see it.

Avoiding a gate check

Pack to your bag's closed dimensions, not the expanded ones. If you consistently need the expansion zipper, the bag is the wrong size for how you pack; a fixed-shell hardside like the Away Carry-On 22 removes the temptation.

Smaller aircraft have their own rules. American Eagle regional jets take bags larger than a personal item at the aircraft door, and Delta Connection flights with 50 seats or fewer allow only personal items in the cabin. If your last leg is a regional jet, keep medication, batteries, and valuables in your personal item.

Method and changes

We read each airline's own baggage page (and its fare page where the carry-on answer depends on fare) on October 3, 2026, and copied the limits as published. We did not use third-party summaries. Fees are left out on purpose because they change by route and date; check the airline before you book.

• Spirit Airlines is not in the table. Spirit ceased operations on May 2, 2026, so its old bag rules no longer apply to any flight.
• Sun Country Airlines is not in the table yet. Its baggage pages did not load for us on this check, so we could not read its limits first hand. We will add it once we can.
• Rechecked October 3, 2026: every row. Compared with this guide's June 2026 version: Southwest now sells a Basic fare (the carry-on is still included); Delta and Southwest do not publish a personal item size, so the sizes we previously listed for them are gone; Southwest's free checked-bag claim is gone; and the gate-fee figures are gone because fees vary by route. In the checker, Hawaiian no longer carries a 25 lb limit it does not publish, Air France and KLM are separate, and Breeze and Avelo are new.

Where these numbers come from

The 19.5 x 13.5 x 7.5 in "fits everywhere" size is our calculation from the smallest length, width, and depth in the table, not an airline rule.

FAQ

Check a specific bag with the carry-on size checker, see our best carry-on luggage, browse the travel gear hub, or read how we research and rate.