American Airlines carry-on and personal item size
American Airlines carry-on limit: 22 x 14 x 9 in. Personal item: 18 x 14 x 8 in. Check your bag in seconds.
Will your bag fit?
Measure with wheels, handles and pockets included. The order of the sides doesn't matter.
Bags that fit American
Based on each maker's listed outside size, wheels and handles included. All bags →
Carry-on bags vs American
1 of the 5 carry-on bags we've checked fits American's limit on paper.
Personal item bags vs American
1 of the 3 personal item bags we've checked fits American's limit on paper.
American bag rules in plain English
- You can bring 1 personal item and 1 carry-on bag. The personal item, like a purse or small handbag, must fit under the seat in front of you.
- The carry-on limit includes handles and wheels, and the bag must fit in the airport sizer.
- A soft-sided garment bag can be up to 51 inches in total (length + width + height).
- On regional American Eagle flights with small overhead bins, a carry-on larger than the personal item size is tagged at the gate ("valet") at no charge and returned on the jet bridge. The Embraer ERJ-175 is the exception.
The same carry-on size (22 x 14 x 9 in) is used by WestJet, Alaska, Breeze, Delta, JetBlue, United, AirAsia, Vietjet.
Source: www.aa.com. Checked on www.aa.com on October 29, 2026. If the airline's page and this page disagree, the airline's page wins.
Questions people ask
Is American's personal item size 18 x 14 x 8?
Yes. American Airlines lists the personal item limit as 18 x 14 x 8 inches (45 x 35 x 20 cm), and it must fit under the seat in front of you.
Do wheels count toward American's carry-on size?
Yes. The 22 x 14 x 9 inch limit includes handles and wheels.
What happens to my carry-on on a small regional plane?
On American Eagle regional jets, a bag bigger than the personal item size is valet-checked at the gate for free and handed back on the jet bridge when you land.