Check whether your fare includes a cabin bag before comparing suitcase sizes. A bag that fits the size limit may still cost extra, need to be checked, or exceed a combined weight allowance. This guide compares ordinary cabin bags and personal items for eight airlines; it does not guarantee acceptance on a particular flight.
Reviewed September 10, 2026. Seven airlines’ official pages were readable; United’s current policy could not be reverified. Each airline name below opens its official baggage page. Recheck it and your booking before departure.
Photo by Nick Fewings on UnsplashCabin bag and personal-item comparison
Dimensions include wheels, handles and other protruding parts. Figures below use one published unit per airline, so rounding does not create a false ranking. “No numeric cap on the reviewed page” is not permission to bring an unlimited-size or unlimited-weight bag.
On a narrow screen, scroll the table sideways to read the weight and fare conditions.
| Airline / official source | Cabin bag | Personal item | Weight | Is it included? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southwest | 24 × 16 × 10 in | Must fit under the seat; no numeric personal-item limit on the reviewed page. | No numeric weight cap on the reviewed page. | One cabin bag and one personal item. Partner flights may differ. |
| Frontier | 24 × 16 × 10 in | 18 × 14 × 8 in | 35 lb for each bag. | One personal item included. Add a cabin bag unless your bundle or status includes it; check the booking price. |
| Air Canada | 55 × 40 × 23 cm | 43 × 33 × 16 cm | No weight limit; you must be able to stow the cabin bag without assistance. | Economy Basic excludes the cabin bag on specified routes. Read the fare notes below before packing. |
| JetBlue | 22 × 14 × 9 in | 17 × 13 × 8 in | No weight limit; you must be able to lift the bag. | One cabin bag and one personal item on all fares, including Blue Basic. |
| American | 22 × 14 × 9 in | 18 × 14 × 8 in | No numeric weight cap on the reviewed page. | One cabin bag and one personal item; also included in Basic Economy. Airport and aircraft restrictions can apply. |
| United | Confirm on United’s current page | Confirm on United’s current page | Current policy not reverified. | Check your booking and Basic Economy conditions. We could not read the current official policy; this row is not a verified allowance. |
| Delta | 22 × 14 × 9 in; also no more than 45 linear in | Must fit under the seat; no numeric personal-item limit on the reviewed page. | No numeric weight cap on the reviewed page; check your airport and flight. | One cabin bag and one personal item free. Small Delta Connection aircraft and limited cabin space can require gate checking. |
| Korean Air | 55 × 40 × 20 cm, or 115 cm total, as stated by the airline | 40 × 30 × 15 cm | 10 kg for cabin bag and personal item combined in Economy. | Economy: one cabin bag plus one personal item. Check the operating carrier on codeshares; premium-cabin allowances differ. |
The fare conditions that change your packing plan
- Air Canada Economy Basic: tickets bought on or after January 3, 2025 include only a personal item on the listed routes: within Canada, to/from the US (including Hawaii and Puerto Rico), Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. The official page separately allows a standard bag plus a personal item when connecting onward to an international destination. Check your actual itinerary and any applicable benefits with Air Canada. Extra bags on a personal-item-only booking need checking before security; a correctly sized cabin case does not override the fare. Air Canada fare conditions.
- Frontier: distinguish the free personal item from a paid or included cabin bag. The same 35 lb cap applies to each, but the size limits differ. Use the allowance shown in your reservation rather than a checked-bag allowance. Frontier bag options.
- United: verify both the bag dimensions and your Basic Economy entitlement directly. Its official pages returned a JavaScript-only shell during this review, so we have not carried forward old dimensions or a route-exception list as current. United Basic Economy.
- American and JetBlue: their published Basic Economy / Blue Basic policies include a cabin bag and personal item. A similarly named fare at another airline can have different rules. American Basic Economy; JetBlue carry-on policy.
- Korean Air: weigh both Economy bags together. An 8 kg suitcase plus a 3 kg personal bag totals 11 kg and exceeds the published 10 kg allowance, even if each bag fits its size limit. The official size wording permits the stated three-side total or dimensions; ask the airline about an unusually shaped bag rather than assuming a 20 cm depth alone decides acceptance.
Check your packed bag before buying another one
- Write down every operating airline and fare. Include the return trip and connections. Confirm which bag type and number of pieces your booking permits, including any purchased bag.
- Measure the bag packed as you will carry it. Include the wheels, fixed handles, full pockets and expansion panel. Match each dimension to the airline’s diagram. See how to measure a carry-on.
- Compare each side, then any total-size rule. The same external volume can have very different proportions. Changing the order of three numbers does not change their product; litres do not tell you whether a bag fits a sizer or how much usable space it has.
- Weigh the relevant bags. Follow a combined allowance where required. Include everything you plan to carry, rather than the suitcase’s empty weight.
- Resolve a mismatch before departure. Remove items, use a smaller bag, or check the price and conditions of another baggage option. Do not rely on an agent ignoring a small excess. A marketed “international carry-on” size is not a universal airline approval.
Example: 22 × 14 × 9 inches converts exactly to 55.88 × 35.56 × 22.86 cm. That exceeds Air Canada’s published 55 cm side. It is not safe to round it down to 55 cm or assume that every 21.5-inch case fits: width, depth, protrusions, weight and the fare still matter. Where an airline’s own inch and centimetre labels differ through rounding, use its diagram and sizer or ask it to confirm a borderline bag.
Prepare for a bag being checked at the gate
A fitting bag can still be checked when the aircraft has limited cabin space. Keep essential medication and travel documents accessible, and consult your airline’s instructions for batteries and other restricted items before handing over a bag. Checked-bag inclusion, weight and fees depend on your itinerary and fare; use your airline’s checked-baggage page and booking rather than applying this cabin table.
Choose what goes in the bag
Use the carry-on packing checklist to decide what to bring, or build a list for your destination and dates. For a weight trade-off, compare packing-cube weight with your own allowance. These tools help organize packing; they do not determine airline acceptance.
For earlier source records, our baggage dataset and JSON / CSV downloads retain their own dated coverage. They are not a live feed or a record of every fare exception in this guide. The airline and your current booking take priority.