Air mattresses are not the most common thing to bring on a plane, but they are necessary if you are flying to go camping or to a festival, and for many other reasons. So can you bring an air mattress on a plane?
Yes, you can bring an air mattress on a plane.
According to the TSA website, you can bring an air mattress in your checked and carry-on baggage. Air mattresses with air pumps are fine.
When you pack your air mattress in your carry-on bag, you need to make sure it does not exceed size limits for your specific airline, and you need to follow the weight limits for checked bags, which we will detail in the next section. Then we will explain how to pack an air mattress for travel and how to bring it through airport security.
Air Mattress Size and Weight Limits
Most airlines allow a maximum carry-on size of 22” x 14” x 9”. But, some budget airlines have a smaller limit on carry-on items, so always check with the airline you are flying and verify your carry-on bag limits.
And, if your air mattress is going in your checked luggage, you need to make sure it does not exceed any weight or size limits set by the airlines, which differ from the carry-on bag size limits.
The weight limit for checked bags is usually 50 pounds unless you are flying first class or on certain long-haul flights, which may increase your weight limit to 70 pounds.
Air mattresses usually weigh around ten pounds, with kings and queen-sized mattresses weighing slightly more. So, an air mattress alone will not get you anywhere close to the carry-on weight limit, but you need to be careful if you are packing it in a bag with other items.
It is easy to meet or exceed the weight limit with large bags when filling them with clothes and toiletries. So, when you add an air mattress that takes up twenty percent of your weight limit, you need to be even more careful with what you pack.
If you want to pack your air mattress in your bag and weigh it ahead of time, there are a few options to do so. We have a detailed article on the best way to weigh luggage.
How to Pack an Air Mattress for Plane Travel
The easiest way to keep your air mattress compact enough to meet size requirements is to keep it in the box it came in. You can find the size and weight on the box to easily determine if the mattress meets the airline’s requirements.
If you want to learn more about this packing method, you can read more in our article about how to use a cardboard box as checked luggage.
You can also pack your mattress in your luggage so you can easily roll it around the airport. Or, you can put it in a carrying bag, which many air mattresses come with.
Can you Bring an Air Mattress Through Airport Security?
Yes, you can bring an air mattress through security, and they are allowed with and without a built-in pump. The TSA does not have any specific requirements for bringing an air mattress through the security checkpoint as long as you follow the airline’s requirements.
And the TSA does not have any weight or size restrictions, so they just need to verify that your bag does not contain anything that poses a threat.
But, sometimes, the TSA does have to randomly check bags, so they may inspect your bag or your air mattress, but you should not have any issues taking it through security.
