Personal item size by airline

On a cheap European fare, the free under-seat bag is often the only thing you're allowed to bring into the cabin. Its size isn't standard. We checked 17 airlines on their own sites. They fall into four sizes, and the biggest free bag (easyJet's) holds about 80% more than the smallest.

Free under-seat bag sizes, smallest to largest

Sizes include wheels and handles where the airline says so. Weight is only listed where the airline sets a separate limit for the small bag.

The four sizes

• 40 x 30 x 15 cm: the network airlines (Lufthansa, SAS, KLM, Air France, Finnair, TAP) plus airBaltic, Widerøe and Pegasus. The slimmest limit, and the one that catches most people out.
• 40 x 30 x 20 cm: the budget standard. Ryanair (since 2025), Wizz Air, Vueling, Transavia, Norwegian and Jet2.
• 40 x 30 x 25 cm: Eurowings, the deepest free bag of the 40 x 30 group.
• 45 x 36 x 20 cm: easyJet, the largest free under-seat bag we track, up to 15 kg.

Which bag to buy

If you fly many different airlines, a soft backpack or tote no bigger than 40 x 30 x 15 cm is the only size that fits every free allowance in the table. If you mostly fly the budget airlines, a 40 x 30 x 20 cm bag gives you a third more space and still works on Ryanair, Wizz Air, Vueling, Transavia, Norwegian, Jet2, Eurowings and easyJet.

A soft bag you can squash beats a rigid one: gate staff check the bag in a sizer frame, and a soft bag that's slightly overpacked can still be pressed in. For the full cabin bag (the one for the overhead locker), check your bag against 53 airlines with our carry-on checker, and read carry-on vs personal item for the difference between the two.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

• Each airline's own published cabin baggage page, linked from the airline's guide on this site. Rules change, so confirm with the airline before you fly. Last verified: 27 September 2026.