Frontier Airlines allows a free personal item up to 18 x 14 x 8 in, under the seat in front of you. Put your own bag's measurements in below.
| Personal item maximum | 18 x 14 x 8 in (under the seat in front) |
| Is it free? | Yes — every fare includes one personal item |
| Full-size carry-on | 24 x 16 x 10 in (charged separately) |
| If it does not fit | Paid at the gate at the highest price tier. |
Frontier CHARGES for the full-size carry-on. Only the personal item is free. It is cheapest bought during booking and most expensive at the gate.
Included free with every fare, up to 35 lb.
At 18 x 14 x 8 in it holds roughly 2016 cubic inches, about 53% of the volume of Frontier Airlines' own 24 x 16 x 10 in carry-on. It is the most generous published personal-item allowance in our set.
Worth knowing: 6 of the 23 airlines we track publish no personal-item measurement at all, so a bag chosen against Frontier Airlines's stated 18 x 14 x 8 in is being measured against a firmer rule than most carriers give you.
Common small bags measured against Frontier Airlines' published 18 x 14 x 8 in limit.
| Bag | Size | On Frontier Airlines | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15-inch laptop bag | 15 × 11 × 4 in | Fits, 3 in spare | A slim work bag |
| Small daypack | 17 × 12 × 7 in | Fits, 1 in spare | The commonest personal item |
| Weekender tote | 20 × 13 × 9 in | Too big by 2 in | Often too big for under the seat |
| Compact backpack | 16 × 11 × 6 in | Fits, 2 in spare | Fits almost anywhere |
Frontier CHARGES for the full-size carry-on. Only the personal item is free. It is cheapest bought during booking and most expensive at the gate. That makes the personal item the whole of your free allowance, and it is why travellers who fly Frontier Airlines regularly buy a bag sized to the under-seat limit rather than a standard carry-on they would have to pay for every flight.
Frontier Airlines publishes a cabin weight limit of 35 lb (15.9 kg) — 35 lb limit on BOTH the carry-on and the personal item — unusual, and easy to miss. Weight is checked far less often than size, but it is the rule most likely to catch you on a bag full of books or camera gear.
Paid at the gate at the highest price tier. Because the overhead bag is charged on Frontier Airlines, an over-large personal item is not a free upgrade to the locker — it becomes a paid bag, usually at the most expensive tier because you are buying it at the gate.
Two practical notes that apply on any airline: the under-seat space is smaller in a row with a lifejacket box or an entertainment unit beneath the seat, and a soft bag that compresses will pass where a rigid case of identical stated dimensions will not. Measure with anything strapped to the outside included.
Frontier Airlines allows a personal item up to 18 x 14 x 8 in, stowed under the seat in front of you.
Yes. Every Frontier Airlines fare includes one personal item. On Frontier Airlines it is the ONLY free bag — the full-size carry-on is charged separately.
A purse, small backpack, laptop bag, briefcase or similar. Included free with every fare, up to 35 lb.
Paid at the gate at the highest price tier.
The personal item goes under the seat and is free. The carry-on goes in the overhead locker and can be up to 24 x 16 x 10 in, and Frontier Airlines charges for it.
Yes — Frontier Airlines measures the whole bag, so soft bags that squash down have a real advantage under the seat.