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Personal Items

dpdiamond
Explorer C

My personal item is a 14.5" H x 18.5" W x 5" D tote bag. Can I bring this on the airplane as my personal item?

5 REPLIES 5

Re: Personal Items

TheMiddleSeat
Aviator A

When flying Southwest you can have one carry-on bag and one personal item.  The personal item is typically described as a purse, briefcase, camera, food container, or laptop.  The carry-on bag would go in the overhead compartment and the personal item would go under the seat in front of you.  The offical size limitation for these items are as follows:

 

Carryon size limit: 10 x 16 x 24 inches

Personal item size limit: 18.5 x 8.5 x 13.5 inch

 

More information about carry-on bags and personal items can be found at:

https://www.southwest.com/html/customer-service/baggage/carryon-bags-pol.html

 

In your example, the item is 1" too large on one dimension to technically be considered a personal item, BUT assuming you have some ability to squish the tote a bit you won't have a problem.  I've seen people cram much larger items into both the overhead bins and under the seat.  Chances are that you'll also be able to put it in the overhead, even with a carry-on bag (if you have one) unless you are among the last to board and overhead space is full or limited.

 

Have a great trip!

--TheMiddleSeat

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Re: Personal Items

dpdiamond
Explorer C

Thank you for your reply.  To clarify, may I assume the 18.5 x 8.5 x 13.5 inch dimensions for the personal item is the dimensions for H, W, D? 

Re: Personal Items

bgubs14
Frequent Flyer C

Yup! You can also go on the southwest app and go to bag sizer and scan your item to double check!

Re: Personal Items

Rlyg2013
Explorer C

What if I have a small hand case 16x14x8?

Re: Personal Items

dfwskier
Aviator A

@Rlyg2013 wrote:

What if I have a small hand case 16x14x8?


The official max size is 18.5 x 8.5 x 13.5, so you are over by 1/2 inch.

 

No one will notice.

 

You'll be fine.