Alaska Airlines more generous carry on rules now apply to Virgin America flights (Photo: Boeing)
One of the many nice things about flying on Virgin America over the years has been its generosity when it comes to carry-on bag sizes.
Virgin has been able to do this because its new(ish) Airbus fleet comes with oversized carry-on bins. Its maximum bag dimensions have been 10 x 16 x 24 inches while most major carriers are stingier at 9 x 14 x 22. And as we all know, two inches can make a big difference when it comes to carry-on bags 😉
Sometimes my trusty Briggs & Riley Transcend wheeled carry-on gets a little bulgy, especially in winter, when packing heavier clothing and shoes. When flying Virgin America, I never worry about the baggage police forcing me to check it. But I get really nervous when I try to breeze by wary gate agents when boarding United, Delta or American! (Or most European carriers which are much stricter than US carriers when it comes to carry-ons.)
Advice: How to choose the best carry-on bag
Since I’ve not flown Alaska Airlines very much, I had forgotten that it offers even larger carry-ons— its maximum allowable dimensions are 10 x 17 x 24 inches. And today Alaska announced that its more generous dimensions now apply to Virgin America flights. (Southwest also offers more generous dimensions.)
To me, that’s a nice kiss on the cheek of business travelers from Alaska Air, since one of our most frequently followed “rules of the road” is “Never check a bag!” Right?
How big is your bag? Do you check it? Ever get hassled by the baggage police? Please leave your comments below.
Also, Alaska announced more instances where its rules are replacing Virgin rules: Check in cutoff and boarding times, onboard pet policies and unaccompanied minor travel. For details see the Alaska Airlines blog
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