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American Airlines Carry-On and Personal Item Size

Checked against American Airlines's baggage pages on October 7, 2026

American Airlines allows a carry-on of up to 22 x 14 x 9 in (56 x 36 x 23 cm), including wheels and handles. The personal item can be up to 18 x 14 x 8 in (45 x 35 x 20 cm). Every American fare includes the carry-on.

Bag size, with wheels and handles
AirlinePersonal itemCarry-on
AmericanPersonal item: FitsCarry-on: Fits
DeltaPersonal item: No size publishedCarry-on: Fits
UnitedPersonal item: 1 in over on length (max 17 in); 4 in over on width (max 10 in)Carry-on: FitsNot in Basic Economy, except to South America and across the Atlantic or Pacific
SouthwestPersonal item: No size publishedCarry-on: Fits

Your longest side is compared with each airline's longest limit, and so on. Weight is checked only where the airline publishes a limit. "No size published" means the bag just has to fit under the seat in front of you.

American Airlines carry-on size

Inches22 x 14 x 9 in
Centimeters56 x 36 x 23 cm
WeightNo limit published
Included?All fares, including Basic Economy

American Airlines personal item size

Inches18 x 14 x 8 in
Centimeters45 x 35 x 20 cm
WeightNo limit published

Personal item examples from American Airlines: a purse or small handbag.

Does American Basic Economy include a carry-on?

Yes.All fares, including Basic Economy.

  • Basic Economy includes 1 carry-on bag and 1 personal item, and the carry-on rules apply to everyone, including AAdvantage status members.
  • Basic Economy boards last, usually in Group 9. American warns that overhead bins are usually full by then and suggests checking your carry-on and bringing only the personal item.

More American carry-on rules

  • The carry-on limit includes handles and wheels, and the bag must fit the airport sizer.
  • Diaper bags (1 per child), a breast pump, a small cooler of breast milk, child safety seats, strollers and medical or mobility devices don't count as your personal item or carry-on.
  • A soft-sided garment bag can be carried on if it is no more than 51 inches (130 cm) in total length + width + height.
  • On regional American Eagle flights, a carry-on larger than the personal item size has to be valet checked at the gate. That is free, and the bag comes back on the jet bridge. Embraer ERJ-175 planes take carry-ons and have no valet service.

Is a backpack a American personal item?

American Airlines's rule for the personal item is a size, not a type of bag, so a backpack counts if it fits. Measure it packed, including straps and side pockets, against 18 x 14 x 8 in (45 x 35 x 20 cm). Our travel backpack picks, by their makers' measurements:

BackpackAs personal itemAs carry-on
Peak Design Travel Backpack 45Lstandard (35L), 22 x 13 x 9.5 in4 in over on length (max 18 in); 1.5 in over on depth (max 8 in)0.5 in over on depth (max 9 in)
Peak Design Travel Backpack 45Lexpanded (45L), 22 x 13 x 11 in4 in over on length (max 18 in); 3 in over on depth (max 8 in)2 in over on depth (max 9 in)
Osprey Farpoint/Fairview Travel Daypackdetachable 15L daypack, 18.1 x 12.2 x 8.3 in0.1 in over on length (max 18 in); 0.3 in over on depth (max 8 in)Fits

American vs Delta vs United vs Southwest carry-on size

AirlinePersonal itemCarry-onFree carry-on?
American18 x 14 x 8 in(45 x 35 x 20 cm)22 x 14 x 9 in(56 x 36 x 23 cm)All fares, including Basic Economy
DeltaNot published22 x 14 x 9 in(56 x 35 x 23 cm)All fares
United9 x 10 x 17 in(22 x 25 x 43 cm)9 x 14 x 22 in(23 x 35 x 56 cm)Not in Basic Economy, except to South America and across the Atlantic or Pacific
SouthwestNot published24 x 16 x 10 in(61 x 41 x 25 cm)All fares

Compare every airline, including international carriers, in the carry-on size checker.

Sources

Limits are from each airline's own pages, checked October 7, 2026. Airlines change bag rules often, so check before you fly. Conversions use 1 inch = 2.54 cm. Backpack sizes are from the manufacturers.