also called personal item only fare
A rule on some cheap fares that blocks a full carry-on suitcase and allows only a small personal item.
This is the specific rule on some cheap fares that blocks you from bringing a full carry-on suitcase, allowing only a small personal item under the seat. It is one feature of basic economy, not the whole fare type; here we are talking about the bag limit in particular. A gate fee for a standard-sized carry-on can easily swallow whatever you saved by booking the cheap ticket.
You book a rock-bottom fare and show up with a normal cabin-sized backpack, expecting to bring it on as usual. At the gate you are told this fare only allows a small item that fits under the seat, and the fee to bring your backpack aboard costs more than the difference to a normal ticket would have.
Gate fees for a standard backpack-sized carry-on can erase the fare savings.
The difference is the whole point, so here is each one in a line.
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