Lets talk Carry-Ons

[Bridge203618]

Ok 3 of our 4 are flying down from Cleveland to Orlando non stop on Continental. My DH is flying Delta out of Akron Canton with a stop in Atlanta. We are coming back on Air Tran.

We have 4 carry on suit cases. 3 of the 4 I know are not an issue. One is iffy by Delta or Continental (they have the same sizes). How much do they check this? I think that the suitcase was made as 21X14X9 which is what the max is, but it looks a little more bulky probably cuz of use/stretching. Would you chance it?

Also for the other "personal" item - what have you used? They make it sound as it it has to be a purse or laptop on continental and delta.

Could I get away with a backpack for my DD? What about large bag for myself and/or DSD? Like not a duffel bag but something tall and not too wide. Could be like an oversized purse... I guess. Tote bag..

Something along these lines...

Can you tell me about your experiences. The last thing I want is an extra checked bag!

 

[kaytieeldr]

"personal item" must fit entirely under the seat in front of you. Different sizes for different seat sizes, of course, but smaller than 16 x 14 x 9 should be fine.

 

[TwiddleDeeTwiddleDum]

One is iffy by Delta or Continental (they have the same sizes). How much do they check this? I think that the suitcase was made as 21X14X9 which is what the max is, but it looks a little more bulky probably cuz of use/stretching. Would you chance it?

The last thing I want is an extra checked bag!

If you have any doubt & you don't want an extra checked bag then I would either buy a replacement or borrow one so I'm sure to not exceed the limit, if that is going to upset you having to check it, in that case then I wouldn't chance it.

As far as the carry on, my son has always taken a backpack with all his stuff in it but it fits under the seat. I usually carry on a tote bag which my purse fits inside that all fits under the seat. And this is on top of a carry on bag.

Good luck!

 

[lorac4disney]

When traveling on Delta, I have used my briefcase as a personal bag, a satchel type of bag, and a tote at different times. Nothing was ever said since they were able to fit under the seat in front of me. I never had a problem with any of them. It's been a long time so I don't know if the rules have changed on this part, but they use to also allow you to bring a shopping bag on board with you when you have made purchases at the airport (cheesy airport souvenirs).

My kids are going to use the sling type backpacks for their personal bags this year. DH is going to carry my laptop for me as his personal bag. I am using my purse which runs a bit on the large side.

If you have any doubts as to whether or not your bag will fit, there are cabinets at the check in counter where you can test it to see whether or not you need to check it.

 

[chelleb1974]

As for the "purse/laptop bag", I don't think you'll have any issues as long as it fits under the seat, like many have said.

At different times, I have used the following as my "purse/laptop bag":
Large LLBean backpack
Rolling LLBean backpack
Small duffel bag (part of 3piece Mickey luggage set from Disney)
Slightly larger duffel bag than the one above
"Big Dogs" brand tote bag
Rolling "overnight" computer/suitcase from Disney (matched the luggage set but did not come with it)

The only one that has sometimes been a tight fit under the seat is the rolling backpack, and that was on a small plane from Detroit to Evansville IN (probably 50 seats on the entire plane).

 

[goofy4tink]

I routinely use my Vera Bradly large backpack as my personal item...I can get a massive amount of stuff in there, including my netbook...and it still fits underneath the seat.
As far as the overhead item....if it's close in measurement you will most likely be fine. I know that my rolling LLBean duffle..medium sized as carryon approved....is a perfect fit, wheels in. But, if I overstuff it, it won't fit.

 

[jodifla]

I just used a really large tropical tote bag as my personal item. It fit easily under the seat in front of me (it's rather squarish in size). I also have used a regular sized backpack as my personal item frequently.

 

[cruisingkat]

I use the canvas Disney tote that you can buy when purchase a certain amount of merchandise at various shops (it used to be at the resort shops, but now seems to be at a shop in the parks). I can fit my small purse in there, my stitching, magazine and/or book and other assorted items. Since it is fabric, it can easily be squished and shaped to fit under the seat. And it makes a great bag for taking sunglasses, coverups, sunscreen, books, etc to the pool.