Greetings, fellow travelers!
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
Will the Rick Steves Euro Shoulder Tote be accepted as the "personal item" on an SAS flight? What is* your *experience, please.
DETAILS:
Last year my wife and I flew from the US to Stockholm, using the Rick Steves Rolling Backpack (https://store.ricksteves.com/shop/p/rolling-backpack) for our carry-on bag, and a Euro Shoulder Tote (https://store.ricksteves.com/shop/p/euro-shoulder-tote) and a Civita Day Pack (https://store.ricksteves.com/shop/p/civita-day-pack) as our "personal items". We had no problems on Air Canada or IcelandAir with this arrangement.
We are returning this year, but flying SAS. The Rolling Backpack fits their stated dimensions without issue. But we cannot find a definitive answer about what they will accept for the personal item.
The SAS website says "handbag or small laptop bag" and shows a photo of a thin laptop bag and a rather small purse. But it doesn't give any dimensions so that we know for sure what to expect.
I called their customer service and asked about what I should expect using a bag that clearly fits the guidelines of Air Canada, IcelandAir, United, American, and other airlines. She eventually said that because they have a partnership with United, anything that is allowed on United.... And then my phone lost its connection. :-(
I called customer service back and got a different person who said handbag or laptop bag is what the website says, so they reserve the right to refuse anything else. They might let it through, they might not.
We are flying economy, on an A330-300. We are NOT part of any frequent-flier programs (as we have never flown SAS before), so we are not in the SAS Go or SAS Plus plans. We are also not planning on checking any bags -- the carry-ons are all we get for 10 days in Stockholm.
We are also having to use another carrier to O'Hare to catch the SAS flight; we are not beginning our trip with SAS, and SAS doesn't fly out of any local airports, so we cannot carry our bags up to the counter nearby and ask someone in person.
We know what SAS says (not much: "a handbag or small laptop bag"). We know what Seat Guru says about SAS (also not much: "such as a purse or briefcase"). We know what ebags says about domestic flights: "Personal items include handbags, laptop bags, briefcases, small backpacks, and shoulder bags." (We also know that this is not a domestic flight.)
THE QUESTION
The question (for anyone still reading) is: What is YOUR experience with SAS regarding the "personal item" bag? What have you been allowed to bring (in addition to your carry-on bag)? What, if anything, have you ever been blocked from bringing on an SAS flight as your personal item?
I'm looking for your personal experiences, or for links to someone else's explicit personal experiences, specifically with SAS.
Thanks for any information you can provide!
-- Barry