Southwest Airlines carry-on and personal item size
Southwest Airlines carry-on limit: 24 x 16 x 10 in. Personal item: no published size. Check your bag in seconds.
Southwest does not publish a size for personal items. It goes under the seat in front of you: a purse, briefcase, laptop case, backpack, pillow, blanket or small camera.
Will your bag fit?
Measure with wheels, handles and pockets included. The order of the sides doesn't matter.
Bags that fit Southwest
Based on each maker's listed outside size, wheels and handles included. All bags →
Carry-on bags vs Southwest
5 of the 5 carry-on bags we've checked fit Southwest's limit on paper.
Southwest bag rules in plain English
- You can bring 1 carry-on bag and 1 personal item.
- The carry-on can be up to 24 x 16 x 10 inches. Wheels, handles and any attachments count. That is larger than the 22 x 14 x 9 limit at most big US airlines.
- Neck pillows don't count toward the carry-on limit.
- A pet carrier counts as either your carry-on or your personal item.
The same carry-on size (24 x 16 x 10 in) is used by Frontier.
Source: support.southwest.com. Checked on support.southwest.com on October 29, 2026. If the airline's page and this page disagree, the airline's page wins.
Questions people ask
What is Southwest's carry-on size?
Southwest allows a carry-on up to 24 x 16 x 10 inches, including wheels, handles and attachments.
What is Southwest's personal item size?
Southwest doesn't publish exact dimensions. It must fit under the seat in front of you.
Will a bag that fits Southwest fit other airlines?
Not always. A 24-inch bag is too long for American, Delta, United and JetBlue, which all cap carry-ons at 22 inches.