Wizz Air: Personal Item and Cabin Bag Sizes
Wizz Air publishes a personal item allowance of 40 × 30 × 20 cm, which is 15.7 × 11.8 × 7.9 in, and a cabin bag allowance of 55 × 40 × 23 cm — requires WIZZ Priority or a Plus fare. A backpack qualifies as either, provided it measures within the figure once packed.
What Wizz Air allows
| Personal item | 40 × 30 × 20 cm (15.7 × 11.8 × 7.9 in) |
|---|---|
| Cabin bag | 55 × 40 × 23 cm (21.7 × 15.7 × 9.1 in) — requires WIZZ Priority or a Plus fare |
Allowances differ by carrier, by fare and sometimes by aircraft, and they change without notice. Every figure here is the one the carrier published when this page was last reviewed; check the measurement on your own booking before you fly.
Wizz Air mirrors Ryanair closely: one free under-seat bag at 40 by 30 by 20 centimetres, with the larger 55 by 40 by 23 cabin bag behind a paid upgrade. Reports of gate measurement are, if anything, stricter than Ryanair's, with little tolerance on a bag packed round.
Soft-sided bags have one advantage here that a hard case does not: a backpack packed slightly under its own capacity will squash into a sizer, and a shell will not.
Which of these backpacks fits
| Model | Dimensions | Personal item | Cabin bag |
|---|---|---|---|
| Travel Backpack 30 L | 43 × 30 × 20 cm | Cabin bag, 3.0 cm over the under-seat figure | Fits, 3.0 cm to spare |
| Vacuum Backpack 18×14×8 | 47 × 33 × 20 cm | Cabin bag, 7.0 cm over the under-seat figure | Fits, 3.0 cm to spare |
| Vacuum Backpack 40 L | 40 × 30 × 20 cm | Exact fit, pack it flat-sided | Fits, 3.0 cm to spare |
The comparison sorts both sets of figures and matches largest side to largest side, which is how a bag actually goes into a sizer. Models are listed only where the manufacturer publishes all three dimensions.
The Travel Backpack 30 L matches the Wizz Air under-seat figure exactly, which is what it was designed to do. Being a soft-sided bag works in its favour here: pack it a little below its capacity so the sides stay flat, and it goes into a sizer that a rigid case of the same dimensions would not.
How a sizer is actually used
A gate sizer is a rigid frame, and the bag has to go into it without being pressed. Depth is the dimension that fails first, because a soft bag packed full becomes round in the middle whatever its flat measurements say. That is the single argument for compression on a carrier that measures: air taken out of bulky clothing comes out of the depth, which is exactly where the margin is thinnest. How the box is used, and which dimension it catches, is set out in the personal item size guide.
Wizz Air baggage FAQ
What size is a personal item on Wizz Air?
40 × 30 × 20 cm, or 15.7 × 11.8 × 7.9 in. Check the figure on your own booking before flying, because allowances change without notice.
Does a backpack count as a personal item on Wizz Air?
Yes, provided it measures within the published figure once packed and slides fully under the seat in front of you. Shape matters as much as capacity.
What is the cabin bag allowance on Wizz Air?
55 × 40 × 23 cm — requires WIZZ Priority or a Plus fare.
Does vacuum compression help at the gate?
It reduces the volume of bulky clothing, which mostly comes out of the depth of a packed bag. It does not reduce weight, so it helps with a sizer and not with a scale.