Travel · By Calculation Hub · Published
Airline Carry-On Size and Weight Limits Compared
Compare official American, easyJet, Emirates and Qantas cabin bag limits, with sourced dimensions, weight rules and calculated exterior box volumes.
Sources checked . This is a review date, not necessarily the year the data describe.
A cabin bag can meet a size limit and still exceed a weight limit. It can also meet both without being included in your fare. The official policies linked below separate those questions: American Airlines lists carry-on and personal-item dimensions, while easyJet distinguishes its included small bag from its large cabin-bag option.
Carry-on dimensions and weight limits
This is a selected comparison, not a survey of all airlines. Each row links to the airline's own policy. Dimensions are the published centimetre values, not conversions of rounded inch values. Rules were checked on November 8, 2026; confirm them again for your booking before travelling.
| Airline and bag | Dimensions (cm) | Weight limit | Calculated box volume | Allowance and exceptions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Airlines carry-on | 56 x 36 x 23 | No numeric weight limit stated on this source page | 46.37 L | One carry-on plus one personal item; airport and aircraft restrictions may apply. |
| easyJet small underseat bag | 45 x 36 x 20 | 15 kg | 32.40 L | One included for all customers; must fit under the seat. |
| easyJet large cabin bag | 56 x 45 x 25 | 15 kg | 63.00 L | Must be added to the booking or covered by eligible fare/membership benefits; space conditions apply. |
| Emirates Economy carry-on | 55 x 38 x 22 | 7 kg | 45.98 L | Economy allowance; Brazil departures permit 10 kg. India boarding has an additional 115 cm total-dimensions rule. |
| Emirates Premium Economy carry-on | 55 x 38 x 22 | 10 kg | 45.98 L | Premium Economy allowance; India boarding has an additional 115 cm total-dimensions rule. |
| Qantas International Economy overhead bag | 56 x 36 x 23 | 7 kg | 46.37 L | One overhead bag plus one small personal item; India departures do not permit the additional personal item. |
A missing numeric limit is not a promise of unlimited weight. American's linked page still requires the bag to fit the sizer and a suitable storage space. easyJet explicitly says you must be able to lift and carry your own bag. See the American and easyJet conditions.
What these limits show
The easyJet small bag encloses a rectangular box of 32.40 L: 45 x 36 x 20 / 1,000. Its large bag limit encloses 63.00 L: 56 x 45 x 25 / 1,000. The difference is 30.60 L of exterior box volume, calculated from those published dimensions. It is not 30.60 L of guaranteed extra packing space, and the larger option is not included for every customer.
Emirates Economy and Premium Economy publish the same 55 x 38 x 22 cm limit, giving the same calculated 45.98 L enclosing box. Their listed weight allowances differ: 7 kg for Economy and 10 kg for Premium Economy, subject to the stated route exceptions. Identical dimensions therefore do not establish an identical weight allowance.
American and Qantas both list 56 x 36 x 23 cm for the carry-on/overhead bag compared here. That works out to 46.37 L after rounding. But their other conditions differ: Qantas International Economy lists 7 kg, while the American source page does not state a numeric weight limit. Matching a size envelope does not make the policies interchangeable.
Check the dimensions, then the booking
The American, easyJet and Qantas policies explicitly include wheels and handles in their dimensions. Measure the packed bag's outside height, width and depth, rather than relying on a product's advertised litre capacity. Compare all three measurements with the policy that applies to your flight.
Use the luggage volume calculator to calculate the enclosing box volume of your own bag. Its litre result helps describe exterior size; it does not certify airline acceptance. A bag can have a smaller product of dimensions while exceeding one side of a permitted box, so a volume-only comparison cannot replace the individual dimension checks.
Check every flight leg. Qantas advises passengers with connecting domestic, international or partner flights to follow the lowest allowance. Its International Economy conditions also differ for departures from India. For Emirates, check the India total-dimensions condition and the Brazil weight exception. For easyJet, confirm that a large cabin bag is actually covered by your booking or membership conditions.
Methodology, limits and primary sources
We transcribed the selected limits from the official pages below, accessed November 8, 2026. These live policy pages do not consistently display a publication or effective date, so the access date is not a claim that every rule began on that date. We have not inferred missing weight limits, prices or fare entitlements.
All litre values are derived: multiply the three published centimetre dimensions and divide by 1,000 to express cubic centimetres as litres. Displayed volumes are rounded to two decimal places. We use the published metric dimensions because airlines' parallel inch figures can be rounded differently. The enclosing rectangular box does not measure internal capacity, account for curved corners, or guarantee a bag will fit a particular aircraft.
- American Airlines: Carry-on bags — carry-on and personal-item limits, sizer requirements and regional-aircraft restrictions.
- easyJet: Cabin bags — small and large bag dimensions, weights and booking conditions.
- Emirates: Cabin Baggage Rules — cabin-class allowances and India/Brazil exceptions.
- Qantas: Carry-on baggage allowances — bag types, International Economy conditions and connecting-flight guidance.