BLUF: Could I get away with bringing a carry on suitcase and a duffle bag as a personal item?

Have a work trip to LAS this weekend and SWA happens to be the city pair carrier. I typically stick with UA and the other legacy carriers and haven't flow SWA in years. I have to take a couple different uniforms with me with my boots taking up a significant amount of room in my luggage. I really don't want to have to check a bag so I'm wondering if I'll be allowed to carry on a suitcase and a duffel bag together.

Nope


Use a backpack

One of those must fit under the seat in front of you. And, the last couple of times I've flown, they have been very strict.

According to the SW website, you are allowed one carry on and one personal item. The personal item is supposed to be smaller, but the policy says this…

"Your personal item must be stored under the seat in front of you. If it doesn't fit or if there's no seat in front of you, we'll ask you to place it in an overhead bin."

https://www.southwest.com/help/baggage/carryon-baggage

As long as both items are carry-on sized, it shouldn't be an issue. Even though they say the second item should fit under the seat in front of you, in all my years of flying SW, I have NEVER seen a FA enforce this. The fact that they don't actually causes problems. When people stuff backpacks, briefcases, shopping bags, sports equipment, and coats in the overhead bin (along with their suitcase) it fills the bins much faster and causes people who board later to not have room for their one carry on that doesn't fit under the seat.

The only rule I've seen them consistently enforce is the no more than two carry ons, period. I often travel with a very small crossbody purse (in addition to a backpack and carry on suitcase) that's is pretty much only large enough for phone and ID. We are talking not much bigger than an eyeglass case, but with a strap. I have to put this in my backpack before boarding or risk getting stopped when I board. They used to not enforce this, but they do now. I guess it's easier to count to 3 than it is to address a second carry on that doesn't fit under the seat.

That hasn't been our experience at all recently. The personal item has narrower dimensions than the carry on and it MUST fit those dimensions. They have an area to measure both and it can't fit most of them. For instance, I just flew SWA from DIA to Tulum to teach at a yoga retreat. I had a carry on Herschel supply bag and I had my yoga mat rolled up in a carrying case. They measured the yoga mat and because it was longer than what was allowable as a personal item, they tried to make me check it. They didn't care that it would fit under the seat in front of me. They just kept saying, sir, it's too long to go under your seat (not true but not worth arguing) Luckily, the other half didn't have anything but her mochila so she was able to have it be her carry on and her mochila be her personal item. They have been really strict about it the last 3/4 times we've flown them in high is why we almost never fly them anymore lol.

Wow. I've never seen a gate agent measure a second carry on (as long as it's obviously smaller than a traditional rolling carry on). And this is over 15+ years of travel with them, even on the busiest holidays.

What's interesting, though, is I can't find those personal item dimensions on the SW website. They are on a secondary website called mybaggage.com.

If you follow that link I posted, there are no dimensions specified for the personal item.

Yeah - we hadn't until after Covid and then now it seems like the norm. I will tell you they REALLY don't like yoga mats in the cabin for some reason. Still baffles me.

Here's what they provided us: I need to go edit my above post. According to the gate agent these dimensions were updated in 2023. I wasn't going to argue because I'd rather be wrong and on the flight than right and in some DIA holding cell. Totally agree that it isn't in the luggage description section which we found very misleading. Maybe we just catch the gate agents with power trips but my goodness have they been adamant about following the policy the last couple of times we've used them. Now that we get 2 free checked bags with United, we almost always find the economy save plus deals on UAL are better than the wanna get away prices in SWA and having 1k on United they never say anything to you other than have a great flight.

Yeah, that graphic isn't anywhere on the SW website. I found it on sendmybag.com.

Now, we all know what arguing with a gate agent over luggage will get you, so I wouldn't recommend pointing that out to any gate agent or FA on a mission to solve the world's carry-on problems. I just think it's really odd that info isn't on SW's website.

Seems like the yoga mat should have been treated like a tennis racquet, or some thing similarly odd-shaped, which we all know is allowed as a carry-on.

Everytime I fly, I gripe about the stupid stuff that people shove in the overhead bins. And of course, no one likes putting anything under the seat (even if it fits) because the leg room is so sparse.

Yeah 1000% agree. The part that really mad me go "WTF" was when someone brought on a body bag as their carry on. It wouldn't fit in the overhead or under her seat and the flight attendant made it her mission to move all of the other carry ons out of the over head just to fit this girls bag that was at least 60 x 20 x 20 into the overhead bin and then told the passengers who's luggage she moved that it needed to fit under their seat….

We were convinced her was her closet partner and she didn't want to make her bull mad. We kept monitoring how many times she went to the back restroom / galley and it was way more than normal for a 3 1/2 hour flight… not saying anything specific but yeah it was odd.

Again no rhyme or reason to the BS. Won't say I lost a lot of respect for SWA through the process because I didn't have any respect for them to begin with but it was a glaring double standard that the entire plane noticed. I used to respect FAs now I just look at them as another power hungry LGBTQ+ cohort.

Seems like there is always that one employee who wants to be the baggage warrior.

We were at PHL trying to go through the TSA security screening, and there was a TSA employee yelling at us that we couldn't go through security with more than two bags because we wouldn't be allowed on the plane with more than two bags. I had to shove my crossbody in my backpack to get through TSA.

WTF - people go through security with bags that get checked! But this woman clearly thought she was the authority on the subject.

I've actually tried to ask FAs (on SW and other airlines) to rearrange the overhead bins and/or ask passengers to put things under the seat to make more room when the bins are really full, and every time they have flat-out refused. They just shrug their shoulders and tell you to gate check.

As a travel advisor that takes 25-30 SW flights per year and only does carry on I travel with these two pieces with no issue

Samsonite Freeform Hardside... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08FRL5CW9?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

Also a weekender bag is a game changer:

https://www.nordstrom.com/s/the-weekend-travel-bag/7160706?origin=keywordsearch-personalizedsort&breadcrumb=Home%2FAll%20Results&color=001

I remember

I don't fly SW a lot, but have flown them twice in the last couple months and they were very strict both times.

Like they had a separate person just watching people as they boarded and were counting your bags and looking at the sizes. If you had more than 3, lady in front of me had a carry on, purse, and backpack, they pulled you out and made you consolidate or gate check one. I didn't see them measure any bags but did say multiple times could only be one carry on bag and one personal item no larger than a backpack.

Then....you get on the plane and asshats that get on with early boarding are putting their backpacks, purses, etc. in overhead bins, assumedly so they have more leg room, and they run out of space halfway through boarding anyway.

I will echo what's been posted here. I've flown SWA a bunch and within the last couple of months, they've become very strict on placing one of your items under the seat in front of you. If the duffel fits, no problem. If not - they may make you gate check it.

You get two free checked bags. You might as well check it if you need the space.

For those of you who check bags with SWA, are they any more reliable than other airlines with transporting checked baggage on the correct flight? What about if changing planes is necessary?

Roc96 said:

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For those of you who check bags with SWA, are they any more reliable than other airlines with transporting checked baggage on the correct flight? What about if changing planes is necessary?

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I fly southwest whenever possible and always check bags (3-4 times a year) I can't stand dealing with a carryon.

Only problem I've had over the years was the computer glitch last year in which my bags were sent to final destination but I took a rental car and drove and they couldn't or wouldn't pull my bags from beyond security.

American had real time tracking of status on their app the few times I've flown them.

I am genuinely curious how the FAs policed this on the flights you boarded.

There are typically only 4-5 FAs on a flight. As the 175-ish passengers are boarding, the FAs can't possible be watching all of them to see who puts two items in the overhead bin. Just because there is nothing under the seat in front of someone doesn't mean they have a personal carry-on in the overhead bin (so you can't "quiz" the people who have nothing under the seat in front of them).

There is also no "RULE" that says you can't put a personal item in the overhead bin, even if it does fit under the seat in front of you.

This is why boarding is such a mess. The first people who board put whatever they want in the overhead bin. The bins fill up, which forces people who are sitting near the front of the plane to put their belongings further back in the plane.

As more and more people board, you eventually run out of overhead space and the poor saps who boarded last have to gate check - because gate-checking is faster/easier than rearranging overhead bins that are full. Not to mention, most FAs don't want to confront people who've put a smaller item in the overheard bin and tell them to put it under their seat.

I have never seen a FA remove an item from the overhead bin, ask who it belongs to, and tell that person to put it under their seat. I have seen passengers and FAs MOVE a small personal item from one bin to another to fill in ALL of the available space and make room for a larger carry-on to fit in the overhead bin. I've also never seen a FA tell a passenger they CAN'T put something in the overhead bin, even if that something fits under the seat (assuming there is space and the bin isn't full).

Checking people at the gate is easier, and I have also seen people stationed there specifically to "count" bags as people are scanning boarding passes. Anyone with more than 2 bags is pretty much always being pulled aside. But I've never seen anyone measure a personal item (suitcases, yes).

TXTransplant said:

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I have never seen a FA remove an item from the overhead bin, ask who it belongs to, and tell that person to put it under their seat. I have seen passengers and FAs MOVE a small personal item from one bin to another to fill in ALL of the available space and make room for a larger carry-on to fit in the overhead bin. I've also never seen a FA tell a passenger they CAN'T put something in the overhead bin, even if that something fits under the seat (assuming there is space and the bin isn't full).

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I've never seen it happen on Southwest but, it happened to me in August 2023 on United from IAH to LAS.

The FA saw me put two bags up top. Then came and told me that one bag had to go under the seat.

A bunch of back and forth and after everyone boarded, she told me it was OK if I put a second bag in the overhead bin.

So yes, there are some overhead bin police out there.

Jock 07 said:

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I have to take a couple different uniforms with me with my boots taking up a significant amount of room in my luggage. I really don't want to have to check a bag so I'm wondering if I'll be allowed to carry on a suitcase and a duffel bag together.

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Check your damn bag, it's really not that hard. SWA gives you two free bags anyway.

And a pro tip I learned from my dad 45 years ago when he'd fly from Texas to Saudi Arabia dressed up in a suit and his cowboy boots.

Boots take up less room in your luggage if you wear them on the plane. Your suit coat gets less wrinkles if you wear it.

I believe you're Active Duty and assume you're travelling on orders. I know the fashion is to travel in camoflauge but, you could kick it old school and wear your Class As on the plane.

HollywoodBQ said:

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Jock 07 said:

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I have to take a couple different uniforms with me with my boots taking up a significant amount of room in my luggage. I really don't want to have to check a bag so I'm wondering if I'll be allowed to carry on a suitcase and a duffel bag together.

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Check your damn bag, it's really not that hard. SWA gives you two free bags anyway.

And a pro tip I learned from my dad 45 years ago when he'd fly from Texas to Saudi Arabia dressed up in a suit and his cowboy boots.

Boots take up less room in your luggage if you wear them on the plane. Your suit coat gets less wrinkles if you wear it.

I believe you're Active Duty and assume you're travelling on orders. I know the fashion is to travel in camoflauge but, you could kick it old school and wear your Class As on the plane.

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Only time I travel in uniform is if I have to go straight to a meeting or something. I hate waiting for bags when I'm only gone for 2 or 3 days. I'm taking mess dress which I'm certainly not wearing on the plane. Found an old back pack last night that fit my boots and OCPs just fine so I'll be good to go without the duffle bag but the duffle bag I was planning on taking (my old 12th man rewards duffel bag that I got in school and has somehow lasted all these years) would've surly fit under the seat anyhow.

But thanks for the discussion and insight on SWA which I typically avoid at all costs which will be harder to do in the future as they seem to have made a huge push getting a bunch of the GSA city pairs.

Interesting. Honestly, I wish more FAs did this. It irks me when people put things in the overhead bin that can fit under the seat. It also irks me when people just throw their stuff in the overhead bin with no consideration for the fact that other (larger) items have to go in there (the people who put their carry on suitcases into the bin sideways have a special place in hell waiting for them).

And then people who try to use the bin after end up having to play a game of Tetris to rearrange everything.

I just figured FAs don't speak up about this because 1) they can't possibly police everyone on the plane, and 2) they don't want the confrontation to escalate (especially given passenger behavior post-Covid).

And like I said in a previous post, if you board and there is no room in the bins, they just shrug their shoulders and tell you to gate check because you're holding up the boarding process.

I've tried on more than one occasion to get a FAs help with "organizing" the overhead bin storage, and they always ignore/avoid eye contact.

Quote:

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Check your damn bag, it's really not that hard. SWA gives you two free bags anyway.

And a pro tip I learned from my dad 45 years ago when he'd fly from Texas to Saudi Arabia dressed up in a suit and his cowboy boots.

Boots take up less room in your luggage if you wear them on the plane. Your suit coat gets less wrinkles if you wear it.

I believe you're Active Duty and assume you're travelling on orders. I know the fashion is to travel in camoflauge but, you could kick it old school and wear your Class As on the plane.

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This will be terrible advice if the OP is traveling for work and for some reason his bags don't make it and he doesn't have his uniform.

Probably not an issue if he's flying direct, but something, something about Murphy's Law…