US Airways Dividend Miles - Driving Baggage Revenue in MIA

Checked in first class MIA to CLT last week. The ticket agents were great, but then I ran into the sub-contracted baggage nazis. US air has subcontracted an outfit that gets you to cram your carryon into a laptop sized frame...if it fits you may pass to TSA screening, if not you need to go back to counter to check bag.

Needless to say my roller that fits head first into the extended bins did not pass the the test, and when I went back to the counter the ticket agents sais that there was nothing they could do without their manager, even though they agreed my bag would fit. I told them I would wait for their manager and laughed as 3 more divendend preferred members returned to the counter after being rebuffed by the aforementioned nazis.

Now I agree that carryons are getting obnoxious, but give me a break, don't let me fly 50K miles with a bag, and then change the game on me at one little outpost. I'll say one thing that station manager is ganna win some friends in the sand castle with all that ancillary revenue.
:td:

The cure for all this...go to concourse H.

I had a GA ask me in BNA to put my suitcase in the bin to check. I told her it will fit and asked her what equipment will be. She said E190 (I thought it was B737). I didn't check my bag against the bin (I knew it will fit).

At the door she told me to check it and I told her it will fit and she is wrong. Had to check against the bin (and it fit!) and I said that she was wrong about size and wrong about the equipment (it was 737 ;)

Yeah I had a 'tude day that day :)

Recently at MIA....

MIA baggage goon: It don't fit, you can't take it on. You gotta check it.

Me: Whatever. Bye.

MIA: But it don't fit....it [sic] gotta fit to take it through.

Me: OK. Thanks.

And that was that....I'm not putting up with that crap. I know what kind of plane I'm getting on, and I know it will fit unless they've reconfigured the overheads in the past year. I wouldn't normally have acted that snotty, but seeing people reduced to sheeple by these cretins was too much.

I have seen this topic posted recently, as it seems to be a new thing with US.

Do these contractors have any legitimate authority to send you back to your bag, or can you just blow by them? I just wonder how much control they have in this situation.

I have seen this topic posted recently, as it seems to be a new thing with US.

Do these contractors have any legitimate authority to send you back to your bag, or can you just blow by them? I just wonder how much control they have in this situation.

I am wondering the same thing - my carryon fits in any overhead despite not fitting in the baggage sizer. So far, the only time I've been forced to check it was in LHR (or LGW - don't recall at the moment), but after reading this and the related thread over on the UA forum, it sounds like things are beginning to get more "fun".

It would seem one could simply walk past them, as once you have checked in, the only people with authority to stop you are TSA or the gate agents. For that matter, OLCI would seem to allow you to bypass them entirely, though I've not transited at MIA, so I am unfamiliar with the layout.

...US air has subcontracted an outfit that gets you to cram your carryon into a laptop sized frame...if it fits you may pass to TSA screening, if not you need to go back to counter to check bag. ...

Thanks for the heads-up! I flew this weekend AVL-CLT-ORD (flights were full, full, full, there and back, BTW) and I haven't seen the baggage subcontractors yet - I'd be casting a wary eye for them from now on :)

I've been travelin' with the same carry-on rollers for years and they fit the overhead bins fine. I don't need anybody tellin' me otherwise :D. I agree with vysean that OLCI would appear to bypass them completely; if not, hope others would chime in with their experiences!

Thanks for the heads-up! I flew this weekend AVL-CLT-ORD (flights were full, full, full, there and back, BTW) and I haven't seen the baggage subcontractors yet - I'd be casting a wary eye for them from now on :)

I've been travelin' with the same carry-on rollers for years and they fit the overhead bins fine. I don't need anybody tellin' me otherwise :D. I agree with vysean that OLCI would appear to bypass them completely; if not, hope others would chime in with their experiences!

NP, to be fair this was just at MIA. Might be a renegade station manager trying to hit some internal budget on revenue? Any other stations doing this?

P.S. OLCI would not help because these guys were in front of the TSA ropes. In Miami just go to the next entrance, and tell anyone other than TSA that you are flying Delta.

This is more an MIA problem than a US one - AA had the same issues with contracted "security" goons at Term D. Of course, the solution was to walk over to Term E and go in that way.

If you just ignore the contracted "security" guys when they try to stop you regarding your baggage, what would the TSA ID checker do? Would they even care?

If you just ignore the contracted "security" guys when they try to stop you regarding your baggage, what would the TSA ID checker do?

Usually, they just roll their eyes, laugh and send you through.

Would they even care?

Not in my experience.

Mike

This is more an MIA problem than a US one - AA had the same issues with contracted "security" goons at Term D. Of course, the solution was to walk over to Term E and go in that way.

I think it is more a US problem. Recently there was a thread about the same behavior at BOS (I saw them in action but they left me alone). I also seem to remember the same about SFO.

I usually try to just walk right by any contractor at the head of the line and not even make eye contact. I doubt that many of them are willing to chase me through the rat maze to give me a lecture about my bag (which DOES always fit).

I think it is more a US problem. Recently there was a thread about the same behavior at BOS (I saw them in action but they left me alone). I also seem to remember the same about SFO.


Extensive AA thread here (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=832882&highlight=revenue+bag+mia). It's not just MIA for them, either. Also happening at DFW. Probably others, but I didn't read past the first page or so.

I think it's happening at all the airlines - I've noticed a lot more enforcement with United at SFO about both bag size and strictly limiting to 2 carry-ons (they claim they're fined by the TSA if they allow more than 2.) US at SFO doesn't seem to care about much of anything.

I even had TSA quiz me on my carry on one day (I have a piece of medical equipment I always carry on as a third piece - and have never had trouble until the past few months.)

I wouldn't be surprised if some of this comes from too many people trying to circumvent the baggage fees by doing OLCI to avoid seeing an agent and then trying to take giant bags as carry-ons - I've seen a lot more bags that have to be put in sideways and that eats up a lot more carry on space.

Maybe I'm just crazy, but just because something fits in an overhead bin does not mean it meets the carry-on size requirements.