Carry-On Question:

I have a personal item that is a backpack.  It is slightly too large if measured strictly height-width-length.  However...  it can fit diagonally.  Would they allow it?

It is 12 inches wide.  The maximum listed size allowance is 10.  Cutting it too close?  If I don't fill it up it'll be like 4 inches thinner (where the max is 9).  It's also pushing the max of 17 inches tall a bit much.
Do they care?  I mean simply by placing it diagonal it fits .

It depends on which airline you are flying, and in what class. For instance United Business Class will give you a lot of personal baggage space, but you might be pushing it in Economy if you also have a carryon suitcase.

I've never had a problem with my backpack but it's a standard school-book backpack, not one of those giant camping in the mountains ones.

I thought this was going to be about Carry On films. 

I thought this was going to be about Carry On films. 

Me too!

I have a personal item that is a backpack.  It is slightly too large if measured strictly height-width-length.  However...  it can fit diagonally.  Would they allow it?

It is 12 inches wide.  The maximum listed size allowance is 10.  Cutting it too close?  If I don't fill it up it'll be like 4 inches thinner (where the max is 9).  It's also pushing the max of 17 inches tall a bit much.
Do they care?  I mean simply by placing it diagonal it fits .

In the past, I think some airlines would also take the sum of the bag size...so if the allowance is 10x9x17, the linear size would be =36.  If your bag is 12x5x1, the sum=34. 

In my experience, I've never had a personal item sized before taking it onboard...but I also tend not to bring a carry-on suitcase.  I have been instructed to make sure all items  can fit inside my carry-on/personal item,  but I think that's typically been for regional flights on tiny airplanes (the kind with propellers, which I never knew existed until flying to the Outer Banks...)
On other flights, I've seen people get onboard for an international flight with several bags of duty free shopping plus their carry on and their personal item, and not be questioned.   

Sorry this hasn't been more helpful.

So it sounds...  like a risk.  I might just risk it... 

If I leave it sufficiently unpacked maybe they'll have a better chance of turning a blind eye.  The thing isn't neat as thick as the max.  But that extra 2 inches...

The first time I flew to Heathrow (on united airlines) I seriously took a backpack that was jam packed (still fit under my seat but just barely), a standard CarryOn sized suitcase that went in the over head cabin, AND I big pillow... No one batted an eye or asked any questions lol

Since then, I've take the same things, minus the pillow, but added a purse instead, and still no problems (:
It just depends on the people working that day I think


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Every time that I have flown, I have carried my bog standard LL Bean backpack as one of my carry-ons.  It is usually pretty full and I have never had a problem.  On smaller domestic flights I shove it under my seat.  It fits in the overhead during the longer international flight.  I even carried it while (literally) backpacking through Europe for 5 weeks.  I never had any problems with it when flying budget airlines such as RyanAir or EasyJet, whose carry-on dimensions are even stricter than any airlines I have flown in the US. As long as it fits under the seat then there should not be an issue.  If you are really worried, a lot of airlines will do gate-side check where you give them your bag at the gate and it is unload at the arrivals gate.

I thought this was going to be about Carry On films. 

Me too!

Me three!

I usually stick to the same 'big' handbag and carry on I always use, but if I wanted to try anything bigger I would call the customer service of the airline and ask to be sure.

Sometimes it depends on what the gate agent "sees". A few weeks back on a US domestic flight I had my standard purse (not large) and a small roll-aboard bag I've used for quite a while, mainly for overnight business trips in the US when I still lived/worked there. I am well familiar with the rules and even the various aircraft, and this bag fits underneath the seat on even the smallest puddle jumpers.

The person in front of me did NOT have a 'gate check' tag on a huge (by comparison) wheelie bag that would have been fine on a full size 757 or Airbus330, but definitely not on the Embraer. She also had a huge 'purse' that was larger than my roll aboard. She was unchallenged, and not told that she needed to gate check the large bag.

I was told I needed to gate check my carry-on, and when I replied that it would fit under the seat, the gate agent pointed to the purse and asked "what are you going to do with that?"......and I replied "stow under the seat or in an overhead compartment - it's my purse". She made me take a yellow tag, and lectured me that I would need to gate check if it didn't fit.

Fast forward....both my bags went under the seat and the woman who boarded ahead of me trundled from the rear of the plane with the large bag, had to ask for a yellow tag, and one of the attendants took it off to be gate checked.

Look on the website for the airline; they have pretty specific info with dimensions. I've seen backpacks brought on small flights as a 'personal item' scores of times over the years. Just try to arrange the contents so there are no large or unusual bulges that would limit placement.