Personal item size check

Your fare decides which bag rides free. On a basic fare that is usually one personal item that fits under the seat in front of you; a carry-on for the overhead bin costs extra on some airlines. Measure against the number your airline prints, not a number you heard.

What each airline prints

These are the sizes on each airline's own baggage page. Delta, Southwest and Alaska print no personal item size at all, only that it must fit under the seat. Spirit Airlines stopped flying in May 2026 and is left out.

Our bags against those sizes

Each bag is compared by its three measurements, largest to largest. A bag measured within a limit on an empty day can grow past it when you stuff the front pocket, so pack it to its empty shape.

How to measure your own bag

Stand the bag on the floor packed as you will fly it. Measure the height from the floor to the top of the handle, the width across the widest point, and the depth from the back panel to the front of the fullest pocket. Airlines count wheels, handles and pockets, so do you.

Liquids go through security in one quart-sized bag, each container 3.4 ounces or less, and a power bank rides in the cabin, never in a checked bag. The COOWOZ travel backpacks are measured and sorted by the COOWOZ approach.