how big of a carry on fits under seat?

[meg8017]

Hi, I see that Airtran allows up to 55" carry on. I'm just wondering if anyone knows how big of a carry on will fit under the seat in front of you? I usually bring a backpack, it always fit underneath on JetBlue but would like something a little bigger this time, and it's much more accesable underneath. Also, our 2 year old has a small kids suitcase for his carry on, hoping that will fit under. thanks!

 

[dioxide45]

A back pack or small bag will fit fine. That 55" carry on will not. It has to go overhead.

Watch out for the flame wars though for even suggesting taking a 55" carry-on on the plane, even though AirTran clearly allows it.

 

[meg8017]

thanks. Definitely not bringing a 55", I don't think we even have one that big. My little guy's suitcase is 36" total. Do you think that will fit under? I'm not sure if any hard suitcase style carry on's would fit under or if I should stick with a soft style, backpack or small duffel.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Small and soft-sided, absolutely. The bag must fit entirely under the seat in front of you, with nothing sticking out in the aisle or your footspace - wheels, handles, the bag itself, even straps.

But to be completely honest, this space isn't for the typical carry-on. It's for one's small, personal item such as a purse or laptop case or small backpack.

 

[brenda1966]

I put my backpack on wheels under the seat and it's about 22 inches tall, so it does stick out into my foot path a little bit but not enough to prevent me from putting my feet down on the floor. so far no one has told me to move it (we fly Southwest).

 

[kaytieeldr]

so far no one has told me to move it (we fly Southwest).

Thanks for the warning
Note to self: avoid tripping on luggage sticking out even a little bit by removing Southwest from airlines under consideration.

 

[bicker]

The way things are now, folks need to be prepared to be limited to a small carry-on, even mid-itinerary. That's how quickly the FAA rules can change, given today's environment.

Hope for the best. Expect the worst. Always be prepared.

 

[NotUrsula]

Most of the time, a bag not bigger than 18 inches on the long side will fit fine. The gotcha is the short dimension. Normally the seat height clearance is about 12 inches, but if the seat in front of you has a power port under it, your clearance will be reduced by a few inches.

Best bet is something squishy, not more than 18 inches on the long side, and not packed completely full.

 

[Detailor]

My laptop bag has fit pretty snugly under the seat in front of mine on dozens of trips. It's about 18" wide by about 12" high and (depending on how much I have to pack into it) 8" to 10" thick.
That space clearly was not designed to accommodate a piece of carry-on luggage - they belong in the overhead bins. The under-seat space is meant for the small "personal item" that they allow in addition to your carry-on luggage.

Dick Taylor

 

[brenda1966]

Thanks for the warning
Note to self: avoid tripping on luggage sticking out even a little bit by removing Southwest from airlines under consideration.

Don't worry. We always have the window and the middle seat. So you won't be climbing over our bag. We'll be climbing over you toward the emergency exit.

I always put it under the seat in front of us because it has our movies, dvd player, and snacks in it. I guess I need to be prepared to pull those out in a flash in case they make me put it in the overhead bin!

 

[tinkermom23]

Our kids each have a "Kid-sized" backpack without wheels, so it's a bit smaller then the average backpack. They each have a small bag tucked inside that backpack so they are only carrying one backpack.
The small bag for inside is packed ahead with a toy, books and a snack. We get the kids on the plane and in their seats, then hand them their small bag.Then we put the backpack into the overhead, out of the way.
We did this last flight and we'll do it again this spring, it seemed to work well.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Don't worry. We always have the window and the middle seat. So you won't be climbing over our bag. We'll be climbing over you toward the emergency exit.

I always put it under the seat in front of us because it has our movies, dvd player, and snacks in it. I guess I need to be prepared to pull those out in a flash in case they make me put it in the overhead bin!

Respectfully, it's for your safety too. When the Flight Attendants say, "...must fit completely under the seat in front of you.", that's exactly what they mean.

 

[brenda1966]

Respectfully, it's for your safety too. When the Flight Attendants say, "...must fit completely under the seat in front of you.", that's exactly what they mean.

When I fly, I've not had a single Flight attentant bat an eye or say a thing, so I'm going to trust their professional judgement on this one.

I'm also doing my duty to save the overhead bins for all of those wheeling those large bags! There really isn't enough room in the overhead bins if everyone puts all of their bags up there. I've seen many people have to last minute gate check their bags because the overhead bins were full when they got on the plane. Yuck on that.

 

[kaytieeldr]

When I fly, I've not had a single Flight attentant bat an eye or say a thing, so I'm going to trust their professional judgement on this one.

Sure. I'm trusting the JetBlue Flight Attendants who've specified "absolutely no part of the luggage, even a strap" can be sticking out anywhere.

 

[bavaria]

kaytieeldr is correct (not that I ever doubted her) - it is a violation of a FAR to permit carry on to restrict access.

http://www.airweb.faa.gov/Regulator...790A554C8AC9CB5186256DAC005C13C7?OpenDocument

Best to plan for the worst and hope for the best, and bring something which will fit under a seat impeded by IFE or something else. This means about the size of an A4 piece of paper and about 10cm thick.

 

[kaytieeldr]

When I fly, I've not had a single Flight attentant bat an eye or say a thing, so I'm going to trust their professional judgement on this one.

I'm also doing my duty to save the overhead bins for all of those wheeling those large bags! There really isn't enough room in the overhead bins if everyone puts all of their bags up there. I've seen many people have to last minute gate check their bags because the overhead bins were full when they got on the plane. Yuck on that.

Meantime, I'm trusting the JetBlue Flight Attendants who've specified "absolutely no part of the luggage, even a strap" can be sticking out anywhere.

Again, respectfully - how many of us give our undivided attention to what the flight attendants say? Most of us have become so blase, and such world-weary travelers, that we think we know everything and tune out the FAs as soon as they start the safety speech.

While doing one's 'duty' in leaving the overhead compartment for the oversized bags, that's not our individual concerns (well, unless we're the space-hogs). Each passenger is allowed one carry-on item under a given size range and which is required to fit in the overhead compartment, and one personal item that fits entirely under the seat in front of us. This information is provided on the airlines' websites and the Flight Attendants, and usually by the Gate Agent and/or Counter Agent.

 

[goofy4tink]

Alright now!!! I've had a bag that didn't quite fit into that underseat area...the straps did stick out a wee little bit. Since I wasn't in an exit row, and the only people needing to get past me were my immediate family (seated next to me) I wasn't overly concerned. Let's not get into an argument here about some straps hanging out. If you have something too large (by any little bit) to completely fit underneath the seat in front of you, don't sit in an emergency area seat...simple.

We tend to bring either backpacks or largish tote bags that fit underneath the seat. But, they both can squish down if needed. I doubt anything that is hardsided would fit easily.