Carry-on vs personal item: what is the difference?

Two different bags, two different rules

A carry-on goes in the overhead bin. A personal item goes under the seat in front of you. Most full-service airlines let you bring one of each for free. Budget airlines usually include only the personal item and sell the carry-on as an extra.

What counts as a personal item

A purse, laptop bag, small backpack, camera bag or diaper bag. The test is whether it fits under the seat. Airlines that publish a number typically use 18 × 14 × 8 in (45 × 35 × 20 cm) or the European standard 40 × 30 × 15 cm. United is stricter at 17 × 10 × 9 in.

Delta, Alaska, Emirates, Qatar and many Asian carriers do not publish a personal item size at all. For those we check against a conservative guideline and say so on the page.

Where the rules bite

United Basic Economy, Air Canada Basic, WestJet UltraBasic, LATAM and Avianca basic fares include only a personal item on most routes. Frontier, Allegiant, Ryanair, Wizz Air, easyJet and Vueling charge for any bag that does not fit under the seat.

Cheapest at booking, more at check-in, most at the gate. If you know you need the bigger bag, add it when you buy the ticket.

Which bag to buy

For a personal-item-only trip, a slim backpack of about 33 × 25 × 10 cm (13 × 10 × 4 in) fits almost every airline. A 40 × 30 × 20 cm bag fits the free allowance of Ryanair and Wizz Air, but not United (17 × 10 × 9 in) or Lufthansa (40 × 30 × 15 cm). Use the multi-airline checker to confirm your exact bag.