Is Work Laptop a Personal Item

[have2getaway]

I booked basic economy tickets on United. I have a work laptop I need to bring which measures 16 x 14 in a HP case. Will I be permitted to bring that as a personal item? If not, is it possible to upgrade and pay for a carryon?

If upgrading or paying for a carryon isn’t allowed, has anyone ever put a laptop in a checked bag? I don’t want to do this as it really makes me nervous. TIA

 

[FCDub]

A personal item is an item that fits under the seat in front of you.

From the United website:

https://www.united.com/CMS/en-US/travel/Pages/BaggageCarry-On.aspx

Personal item

The maximum dimensions for your personal item that fits under the seat in front of you, such as a shoulder bag, purse, laptop bag or other small item, are 9 inches x 10 inches x 17 inches (22 cm x 25 cm x 43 cm). If you are traveling on a Basic Economy ticket, your personal item will be the only item you can bring on board.

Do NOT put a laptop in a checked bag.

 

[rwdavis2]

Yes it is. I flew United for about 2 years for work and my work laptop was stowed in my backpack which I kept under the seat.

 

[joelkfla]

Yes it is. I flew United for about 2 years for work and my work laptop was stowed in my backpack which I kept under the seat.

But it sounds like the OP's case is too large to qualify.

 

[jeff_h]

I think as long as it will fit under the seat in front of you then you're fine - I always take mine on Delta and American on every trip (and always get the el cheapo tickets), I doubt United would have different rules so as long as the case fits under the seat you should be good.

 

[have2getaway]

I think as long as it will fit under the seat in front of you then you're fine - I always take mine on Delta and American on every trip (and always get the el cheapo tickets), I doubt United would have different rules so as long as the case fits under the seat you should be good.

The case does slightly exceed the limit, but still looks small. I believe I can simply put the laptop in a sleeve and carry it in a bag that meets the requirements, which I most likely will do.

 

[AngiTN]

I would purchase a backpack that specifically meets the carry on requirement and has a sleeve to hold a laptop (or iPad).
DH has one like this (which is doubly nice as you do not have to remove it from the bag to go through security) It fits under the seat of all aircraft and holds a full size laptop
https://www.amazon.com/SwissGear-19...ocphy=9013276&hvtargid=pla-379945440384&psc=1

 

[mcall12]

I booked basic economy tickets on United. I have a work laptop I need to bring which measures 16 x 14 in a HP case. Will I be permitted to bring that as a personal item? If not, is it possible to upgrade and pay for a carryon?

If upgrading or paying for a carryon isn’t allowed, has anyone ever put a laptop in a checked bag? I don’t want to do this as it really makes me nervous. TIA

Check with your handbook or whatever policy you have for employee travel, typically it states you may not put your laptop in checked baggage. I travel for work 1-2 times per month and have a backpack with a sleeve for my laptop that fits under the seat in front of me. At this point I can fit everything for my trip into the backpack so I don’t need to worry about overhead space and rarely take anything other than the backpack.

I would purchase a backpack that specifically meets the carry on requirement and has a sleeve to hold a laptop (or iPad).
DH has one like this (which is doubly nice as you do not have to remove it from the bag to go through security) It fits under the seat of all aircraft and holds a full size laptop
https://www.amazon.com/SwissGear-19...ocphy=9013276&hvtargid=pla-379945440384&psc=1

Yes, I have a backpack like this and use for business travel. This should work for you, OP.

 

[JessM]

You should be able to bring that as a personal item. I fly quite a bit for a work and the only bags I've ever seen United measure is the rolling carry on bags, never personal items. That will fit under the seat in front of you. I'd recommend grabbing a backpack that you can put the laptop in and still have some more room for other items (change of clothes or at least clean underwear, snacks, headphones, etc.).

 

[NotUrsula]

Until I recently got a new one, I carried on my 17" laptop in a tote all the time. Generally any squishy-type bag that is no more than 20 inches will fit just fine under a seat.

Note that this definition pretty much works for all domestic airlines EXCEPT Frontier. They have a very strict size limit that they enforce no matter how squishy your personal bag is.

 

[seashoreCM]

Sometimes the struts under the seats are positioned so the space in front of you might be narrower than average or squattier than average. Would you be willing to trade your aisle seat for someone else's middle seat given that the space under the middle seat is rarely narrower than average?

 

[maxiesmom]

Sometimes the struts under the seats are positioned so the space in front of you might be narrower than average or squattier than average. Would you be willing to trade your aisle seat for someone else's middle seat given that the space under the middle seat is rarely narrower than average?

As the OP is flying basic economy, they won't have a choice on where they will be seated. They will be seated to fill the holes. It is always fine to ask someone to switch, but I wouldn't depend on it.