SWISS personal item size: what fits in 40 x 30 x 15 cm

Short answer: a Swiss personal item must fit within 40 × 30 × 15 cm (the strictest axis is depth at 15 cm). The Jelkin 25 measures 25 × 17 × 14 cm on the outside, so it clears the depth limit by 1 cm and qualifies as a free under-seat bag.

SWISS allows one personal item up to 40 x 30 x 15 cm in every fare, on short-, medium- and long-haul flights alike. The 15 cm depth is the number that catches people out, because a great many baggage comparison sites still publish 40 x 30 x 10 cm for SWISS — their own hand baggage page states 15.

Here is the official allowance, what it means in practice, and where a small structured bag sits inside it.

The official SWISS allowance, by fare

Fare	Personal item	Carry-on baggage
Economy Basic (short/medium-haul)	1 x max. 40 x 30 x 15 cm	none included
Economy Light / Comfort / Comfort Green / Flex	1 x max. 40 x 30 x 15 cm	1 x max. 8 kg, 55 x 40 x 23 cm
Premium Economy (long-haul)	1 x max. 40 x 30 x 15 cm	1 x max. 8 kg, 55 x 40 x 23 cm
Business	1 x max. 40 x 30 x 15 cm	2 x max. 8 kg each, 55 x 40 x 23 cm
First	1 x max. 40 x 30 x 15 cm	2 x max. 8 kg each, 55 x 40 x 23 cm

The personal item is the same in every fare. What changes is the larger bag: Economy Basic on short and medium-haul routes includes the personal item and nothing else. If that is your fare, the 40 x 30 x 15 cm bag is your entire cabin allowance.

SWISS also permits a folding garment bag up to 57 x 54 x 15 cm and 8 kg within the carry-on allowance, and duty-free purchases do not count as an extra piece provided the total allowance is not exceeded.

Why 15 cm is a different problem from 10

At 10 cm the personal item is essentially a document sleeve, and almost every structured handbag fails on depth. At 15 cm the picture changes: a bag with a real base and stiffened panels fits, and the binding constraint moves from depth to length and width. That is the practical difference between being able to carry a handbag at all and having to carry a flat case.

If you have been packing to 10 cm because a comparison table told you to, you have been carrying less than SWISS actually allows.

Where a 25 cm bag sits inside that

A structured bag at 25 x 17 x 14 cm is inside 40 x 30 x 15 cm on all three axes. Depth is the tightest at 14 against 15, but it passes — and it passes without being compressed, which matters for a bag with stiffened panels. Forcing a structured bag into a sizer is how the shape gets damaged.

It goes under the seat in front rather than into the overhead bin. On a full flight where SWISS asks passengers to check compliant cabin bags because the bins are full, a personal item that lives under the seat is not the one being taken off you.

Zurich specifics worth knowing

• SWISS checks the number, weight and dimensions of cabin baggage at the airport, so every item brought to the gate counts — including coats and shopping bags.
• Where a flight is operated by a partner airline, that carrier's rules apply instead.
• Non-compliant bags taken at the gate are charged and carried in the hold; the fee is card-only and higher than booking in advance.

Frequently asked questions

Is the SWISS personal item 40 x 30 x 10 or 40 x 30 x 15 cm?

According to SWISS's own hand baggage page, 40 x 30 x 15 cm. Several comparison sites still list 10 cm; if your bag falls between the two figures, ask the airline rather than trusting a table.

Does Economy Basic include a carry-on bag?

On short and medium-haul flights, no — one personal item only.

Is there a weight limit on the personal item?

SWISS publishes the personal item by dimension. The 8 kg limit applies to the larger carry-on piece.

Does a 25 x 17 x 14 cm bag count as the personal item?

Yes. It is inside the allowance on every axis and belongs under the seat in front of 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.

Same region, different rule

SWISS shares its personal item figure with Lufthansa and Eurowings, and all three are in the same group — but only two of the three run a 15 cm depth limit. The sibling allowances below are the ones people mix up.

• Lufthansa personal item size — same group, same 40 × 30 × 15 cm personal item in every class
• Eurowings personal item size — same group, but a 40 × 30 × 25 cm small bag on every fare — 10 cm more depth
• Condor personal item size — 40 × 30 × 15 cm, with a new rule taking effect on 1 May 2026

Not sure how these allowances are written in the first place? The rules explained covers why the same bag is free on one carrier and a paid extra on another. The bag measured throughout this page is the Jelkin 25, 25 × 17 × 14 cm on the outside.

Questions people ask

What is Swiss' personal item size?

40 × 30 × 15 cm, and it must go under the seat in front of you. It is free in addition to the cabin bag on most fares, as long as it fits the sizer.

Does a 25 × 17 × 14 cm bag fit Swiss?

Yes. At 14 cm deep it sits 1 cm inside Swiss's 15 cm depth cap, and it is shorter and narrower than the other two axes as well, so it drops into the sizer with room to spare.

Does the limit include handles and wheels?

Yes. Where Swiss publishes a personal-item size, the figure is the outside of the bag including handles, wheels and any fixed straps.