Things just got a little tighter for business travellers trying to get on and off Alaska Airlines flights without checking any luggage.

The airline announced in a recent blog post that it will reduce the size of allowable carry-on luggage to no larger than 22 inches (56 cm) high by 14 inches (32 cm) wide by nine inches (23 cm) deep in June 2018.

The change is being made to “better align with our codeshare partners and other major US carriers, so you can more easily transfer among airlines without running into a snag with your bag,” according to the blog post.

Currently, Alaska Airlines allows carry on bags up to 24 inches (61 cm) wide by 17 inches (43 cm) wide by ten inches (25 cm) deep.

The new policy would align Alaska Airlines with competitors like United Airlines and American Airlines. However, Southwest Airlines allows passengers to carry on bags up to 24 x 16x 10 inches.

“Our current carry-on bag size is larger than most other international and domestic airlines allow,” according to the Alaska Airlines website. “We’re changing our bag size allowance to make sure that your carry-on bag will be accepted aboard all the flights within your itinerary.

“This will help you avoid carry-on bag size conflicts and make connections with other airlines easier during your future trips. Best of all, we’ll be able to fit more carry-on bags into the overhead bins.”

alaskaair.com