Allegiant Air Bag Sizes: Carry-On and Personal Item

A bag is measured before it is weighed, and Allegiant Air measures it in a way that catches people out. The personal item is not judged by its longest side. It is judged by the total of its height, width and length added together, and the airline states that total as 80 linear inches (203 centimeters) for a checked bag. For a personal item the figures are 8 x 14 x 18 in (20 x 35 x 45 cm), and for a carry-on they are 10 x 16 x 22 in (25 x 40 x 55 cm). Those are the airline’s own numbers, read from its own page on a stated date, and they are the only sizes that matter at the gate.

Linear inches are not the same as the longest side. A bag that is 22 inches tall is not an 80 linear inch bag. The linear figure is height plus width plus length, so a bag has to be measured in all three directions and the results added. A soft-sided bag that is a little over on one side can often be squashed into a sizer, but a hard-shell bag cannot. That is why the sentence about wheels and handles decides so much: if the wheels and the handle are included in the measurement, a bag listed as 22 inches by its maker may measure more once it is standing on its own wheels.

Fees change, and the figures below are a snapshot of what the airline published on the date the table was read. They are not a promise about what will be charged on the day of travel. The fee for a carry-on runs from $10.00 to $75.00 per segment depending on when it is added, and a checked bag that is over the weight limit is charged an extra amount on top of the standard fee. Read the table as a record of what was published, not as a quote.

What Allegiant Air allows, and what it charges

What the personal item figures actually mean

The personal item is the bag that goes under the seat in front. Allegiant Air’s figure is 8 x 14 x 18 in (20 x 35 x 45 cm). Those three numbers are height, width and length, and the order they are written in does not tell you which is which. What matters is that all three are within the stated figures. A backpack that is 18 inches tall, 14 inches wide and 8 inches deep fits the stated figures. A tote that is 18 inches long but 10 inches deep does not, because one of its three measurements is over the stated 8 inches.

The personal item is not the same as a carry-on. The carry-on figures are larger, at 10 x 16 x 22 in (25 x 40 x 55 cm), and a carry-on is charged for. The personal item is the free bag, and it is the one most likely to be inspected at the gate, because it is the one that is supposed to fit under the seat. If the bag does not fit the sizer, it becomes a carry-on, and the carry-on fee applies.

A bag does not have to be exactly the stated size to be accepted. The figures are limits, not targets. A bag that is smaller than the stated figures is fine. The problem is a bag that is larger in any one of the three directions, because the sizer is a box and the bag has to go into it.

Why the wheels and handles sentence decides the gate

Airlines measure a bag as it will be carried, which means the wheels and the handle are part of the bag. A manufacturer may list a suitcase as 22 inches, measuring only the body of the case. Once the wheels are added, the same case can measure more than the stated carry-on figure. That is the gap where bags get refused.

The practical test is to measure the bag standing on its own wheels, with the handle pushed down, at the point where it is widest, tallest and deepest. A soft bag can be compressed. A hard-shell bag cannot. If the bag is a hard-shell and it is over on any one of the three figures, it will not fit the sizer, and the gate agent will treat it as a checked bag or as a carry-on, depending on what has been paid for.

The same applies to the personal item. A personal item with a rigid frame that is over the stated 8 x 14 x 18 in (20 x 35 x 45 cm) will not slide under the seat, and the airline’s own wording about the personal item is that it must fit under the seat. A soft bag that is a little over can be pushed down. A rigid one cannot.

What happens at the counter when a checked bag is over the weight

Allegiant Air’s stated checked weight limit is 50 lb (22 kg). A bag between 51 and 70 pounds is charged an additional $50.00. A bag between 71 and 100 pounds is charged an additional $75.00. Those are added to whatever the standard checked bag fee is for that bag on that route.

The airline’s own wording puts the overweight charge as an addition, not a replacement. That means the standard fee still applies, and the overweight amount is on top. A bag that is two pounds over the stated 50 lb (22 kg) limit falls into the 51-70 pound band, so the additional $50.00 applies. There is no stated grace for a bag that is slightly over. The figures are the figures.

A bag over 100 pounds is not covered by the published figures on this page. The airline’s own table stops at 100 pounds, and a bag above that is a different conversation at the counter. The same is true of a bag that is over the stated 80 linear inches (203 centimeters) in height plus width plus length. The published oversize charge is an additional $75.00 for a checked bag that is oversized, and that is added to the standard fee as well.

The carry-on fee and why timing changes it

The carry-on fee is stated as $10.00 to $75.00 per segment. The range is wide because the amount depends on when the carry-on is added to the booking. A carry-on added at the time of booking is at the lower end of that range. A carry-on added later, or at the airport, is at the higher end. The exact amount is not published as a single figure because it changes with the point of sale.

Per segment means the fee applies to each flight segment, not to the whole trip. A trip with a connection has more than one segment, so the carry-on fee applies more than once. That is the part that surprises people who are used to a single bag fee for a whole itinerary.

The personal item is not charged for. The carry-on is. If the plan is to travel with only a personal item, the carry-on fee does not apply. If the plan is to bring a carry-on, the fee applies per segment, and the amount depends on when it is paid.

Seat selection and cancellation figures

Seat selection is stated as $0.00 to $80.00. The range reflects the fact that some seats are free and some are not. A seat assigned at check-in may be at no charge, and a seat chosen in advance may carry a fee. The figure is a range, not a single price.

Cancellation is stated as $0 with Trip Flex and $25.00 without Trip Flex. Trip Flex is a separate product, and the cancellation figure depends on whether it was purchased. Without it, the stated cancellation fee is $25.00 per passenger, per segment. That is the airline’s own figure, and it is a fee, not a refund of the fare.

These figures are a snapshot. They were read from the airline’s own page on a stated date, and they can change. The table on this page is a record of what was published, not a quote for a future booking.

How to measure a bag in a kitchen

A tape measure and a flat floor are enough. Stand the bag on its wheels with the handle pushed down. Measure the height from the floor to the top of the bag, including the wheels. Measure the width at the widest point, including any side pockets that are full. Measure the depth from the back of the bag to the front, including any front pocket that is packed. Add the three figures together to get the linear measurement, and compare each of the three to the stated figures for the bag type.

For a personal item, the stated figures are 8 x 14 x 18 in (20 x 35 x 45 cm). For a carry-on, the stated figures are 10 x 16 x 22 in (25 x 40 x 55 cm). For a checked bag, the stated weight limit is 50 lb (22 kg) and the stated linear limit is 80 in (203 cm). If the bag is over on weight, the additional charges are $50.00 for 51-70 pounds and $75.00 for 71-100 pounds. If the bag is over on size, the additional oversize charge is $75.00.

A kitchen scale is the other useful tool. Weigh the bag packed, not empty. A bag that is under the weight limit at home can be over at the airport if something is added at the last minute. The stated figures are the ones that apply at the counter, and the counter scale is the one that decides.

Where these figures came from

Every figure above was read from Allegiant Air’s own pages on the date beside it. Airlines change these without notice and without a changelog, so the date is part of the figure. The pages are linked here so the current wording can be checked directly rather than taken from this one.

• https://www.allegiantair.com/baggage-1
• https://www.allegiantair.com/popup/optional-services-fees