Can You Bring Your Own Blanket on a Plane?

There’s no doubt that airplanes can get cold, and if you have a night flight too, you might be wondering if you can bring a blanket on a plane.

According to TSA guidelines, you can bring a blanket on a plane in both your carry on and checked bags.

Domestic vs. International Flights

Whether you’re flying domestically within the USA or internationally, you will have no problem bringing a blanket on a plane in either your carry on or checked bags.

You might not want to bring your own blanket on longer flights, as many airlines provide free blankets to passengers on long-haul international flights.

This even includes airlines that typically charge for blankets, such as JetBlue.

Does a Blanket Count as a Personal Item?

To see if a blanket counts as a personal item or carry on, let’s see what the policy of some of the most popular airlines in the USA is.

• American Airlines: American Airlines consider a blanket to be a personal item.
• Delta: Delta also consider a blanket to be a personal item.
• Frontier: Frontier state that a blanket will count as a personal item.
• Southwest: Southwest consider a blanket to be a personal item.
• Spirit: Spirit consider a blanket to be a personal item.
• United: United consider a blanket to be a personal item.

As you can see, every airline considers a blanket to be a personal item if it does not fit inside your carry on bag.

The Size of the Blanket Matters

Generally, airlines consider a personal item to measure 18″ x 14″ x 8″.

So if you are unable to place the blanket in your carry on bag, or it exceeds these dimensions, it will count as part of your carry on allowance.

Airlines Might Charge for Blankets

It would be rare to find an airline charge you for a blanket on a long-haul, international flight.

However, for short-haul flights, many airlines will charge you for a blanket, though some airlines also won’t have any blankets on board.

JetBlue, for example, charge passengers $6 for a blanket.

Remember that you can always bring your own blanket on a plane, too.

Airline Blankets Are Pretty Unhygienic

Airlines blankets have a reputation for being dirty and unhygienic, but is this fair?

Airlines are meant to wash their blankets every day, but it has been found that most airlines actually only cleaned their blankets every 5-30 days, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal.

In the best case scenario, an airline will wash their blankets every day, but they will be re-folded and re-used throughout the day.

So only passengers on the first flight will enjoy a freshly washed blanket.

You Can Also Bring a Pillow on a Plane

You can bring a pillow on a plane in both your carry on and checked bags.

If it is a small travel neck pillow, it won’t count as a personal item or carry on.

If the pillow is small enough to fit under the seat in front of you on a plane, it will count as your personal item.

If larger than 18″ x 14″ x 8″, it will count towards your carry on allowance.

Ella Dunham

Ella Dunham, a Freelance Travel Journalist and Marketing Manager, boasts an impressive career spanning eight years in the travel and tourism sectors.

Honored as one of "30 Under 30" by TTG Media (the world’s very first weekly travel trade newspaper), a "Tour Operator Travel Guru" and "Legend Award" winner, Ella is also a Fellow of the Institute of Travel, a Member of the Association of Women Travel Executives, has completed over 250 travel modules, and hosts travel-focused segments on national radio shows where she provides insights on travel regulations and destinations.

Ella has visited over 40 countries (with 10 more planned this year).