JAL personal item size: what fits under the seat

Short answer: Jal does not publish a single fixed personal-item dimension; the rule is that it must fit under the seat in front of you. The Jelkin 25 at 25 × 17 × 14 cm is built to sit under a standard airline seat, so it qualifies as a free personal item on Jal.

Japan Airlines counts your cabin luggage as one piece of carry-on baggage plus one personal item, and the figure that governs the carry-on is the sum of its three edges: within 115 cm (45.3 in), with no single edge beyond 55 × 40 × 25 cm (21.7 × 15.7 × 9.8 in). In Economy, the combined weight of everything you carry on — personal item included — is capped at 10 kg (22 lb).

JAL's carry-on rule: 115 cm total, and 10 kg combined

The two-part limit catches people out, because a bag sold in Europe as "55 × 40 × 25 carry-on approved" is 120 cm when you add the edges, which is over JAL's 115 cm figure. In practice the binding constraint is usually the sum, not the individual edges: 50 × 35 × 25 cm adds to 110 cm and passes both tests.

The personal item is described rather than measured. JAL's published lists cover a handbag, a camera, an umbrella, a laptop, a walking aid and similar items, provided they can be stowed under the seat in front of you or in the overhead bin. There is no centimetre figure to check against, which is why the carry-on box is the useful comparison.

Does 25 × 17 × 14 cm pass as a JAL personal item?

Yes, with room to spare, and it is worth showing the arithmetic both ways. Against the three separate edges: 25 cm against 55 cm leaves 30 cm (11.8 in) of slack; 17 cm against 40 cm leaves 23 cm (9.1 in); 14 cm against 25 cm leaves 11 cm (4.3 in). Against the total: 25 + 17 + 14 = 56 cm (22 in), which is 59 cm (23.2 in) inside the 115 cm limit.

So the bag uses under half of the linear budget JAL gives you for the big piece, and roughly the same holds on the other carriers in this group — the airline personal item comparison lines them up side by side. In practice it disappears under the seat, which frees the bin for the roller.

The 10 kg total is counted across every piece you carry

JAL's Economy cap covers the carry-on and the personal item together, which is stricter than airlines that only weigh the big piece. The 600 g bag takes 6% of it. A working load — a phone at 200 g, a passport and card holder at 180 g, an iPad Mini at 300 g, a 350 ml bottle at 400 g and a cable pouch at 90 g — comes to about 1.2 kg. Bag and contents together sit near 1.8 kg, leaving roughly 8.2 kg (18.1 lb) for the overhead piece.

Counters at Haneda and Narita weigh carry-on on international departures, and the check is routine rather than occasional. If you want the tablet layer mapped out, the iPad Mini fit test covers it.

Japanese domestic flights treat liquids differently

This is the rule that surprises travellers most: on domestic flights within Japan, the 100 ml liquid restriction does not apply. You can buy a bottle of water or a coffee before security and carry it to the gate. On international departures from the same terminal, the standard 100 ml container and 1-litre bag rule applies as normal.

It changes what is worth packing. On a Haneda to Fukuoka flight you can carry a full 500 ml bottle without any security problem, and the Jelkin 25 Cloud Bag in rose sakura takes a 500 ml bottle laid flat with the rest of the load on top. The water bottle fit test has the measurements.

Security at Haneda, Itami and Fukuoka: what comes out of the bag

Japanese security follows the European pattern: laptops and tablets out into a tray, liquids out, coats and sometimes shoes off. Trays are plentiful and staff are organised, so the slow part is usually the walk to a domestic pier rather than the checkpoint. A structured opening helps — the bag stays upright in the tray instead of folding across the belt.

A gate habit that works on Japanese routes

On JAL Group regional services — the Embraer E170 and E190 flown by J-AIR and the ATR and Dornier aircraft flown by JAC — the overhead bins are much smaller than on the 787 or A350, and JAL lists a tighter carry-on figure for those types. In practice wheeled bags are collected at the aircraft door and handed back on the apron at arrival, free of charge. Keep the 25 cm bag on your shoulder through that process: passport, phone, wallet and medication should never be in the piece you hand over. Keeping documents in one reachable pocket is what the passport and adapter fit test is built around, and the case for a 25 cm bag as your airline personal item covers the wider trade-off.

Allowances change with route, fare type, season and aircraft. The figures below were checked against the airline’s public baggage pages in October 2026 and are given as a guide only — always confirm on the airline’s own site before you fly, and measure your bag packed rather than empty. CloudFlirty is not affiliated with any airline mentioned here.

Frequently asked questions

Does JAL publish dimensions for the personal item?

No centimetre figure. The requirement is that it stows under the seat in front of you or in the overhead bin, alongside one piece of carry-on baggage.

Can I carry two bags onto a JAL flight?

Yes — one piece of carry-on baggage plus one personal item such as a handbag or camera.

Do the 100 ml liquid rules apply on domestic flights in Japan?

No. The restriction applies to international departures; drinks bought before security can be carried onto domestic flights.

Will a 25 cm bag fit in the overhead bin?

Easily. The constraint on a 25 × 17 × 14 cm bag is never the bin — it is the under-seat space, and it fits there too.

What happens on JAL's smaller regional aircraft?

Carry-on is usually collected at the aircraft door and returned on the apron on arrival. Keep documents, electronics and medication with you.

Check it against the others: the airline personal item size checker puts this allowance next to 18 other carriers and tells you whether a 25 × 17 × 14 cm bag passes.

Questions people ask

What size personal item does Jal allow?

Jal does not state one hard number; the test is "fits under the seat in front of you." Anything that does is a free personal item.

Does a 25 × 17 × 14 cm bag fit Jal?

Yes. The Jelkin 25 is sized to tuck under a standard airline seat, so it clears Jal's under-seat test with room to spare.

Is the personal item free on Jal?

One personal item that fits under the seat is included free in addition to your carry-on on standard fares.