GBadger

I appreciate your insight, but have to say that it's not as black and white as separating things into "carry-on bag" vs. "personal item".

I typically travel with one carry-on (Patagonia MLC). It fits in the overhead. If necessary, it fits (barely) under my seat. By definition, it is almost exactly the size of the bag sizer available at the gate (which almost has to make it a carry-on). By your definition it should be viewed as not allowed into the cabin. Having said that, I often wear it as a backpack and carry my laptop in it, so maybe I can make the case that it's my laptop bag backpack ? I've had a couple of GAs try to tag it, but I've never gate checked it (because it always fits in the overhead!).

I do get frustrated when I'm told I have to check it, but I try to internalize that frustration, smile, nod, and proceed to slip the tag into my pocket (because the bag easily fits in the overhead!). Never had a problem once on board.

I also can't stand the "everyone wait on board because the bags aren't out yet" rule that's often imposed. I don't have a bag to wait for, and waiting onboard for an extra 5 minutes is going to make me miss my connection/bus/club time. Why do I have to wait onboard when the engines are powered off, the door is open and it is safe to deplane?

Zouf

I stand corrected - you are right, I was thinking scanning at the gate, but yes, the tags do get scanned by the ramp personnel before loading for non-jetbridge boarding. I was thinking YUL, where gate-check goes through an elevator and nobody's there; I assume the tags get scanned plane-side. In any case, there is still no issue of getting a green tag and going onto the plane with the luggage - I've done that many times.

It's Me!

Here is some food for thought:

Fact: We are using a different weight and balance system then before.

Fact: The previous system accounted for "carry on luggage" in the cabin. The number of bags and their location throughout the cabin was added to the weight and balance.

Fact: With the new system we no longer count the "carry on bags" in the cabin and thus their weight is not added to the final weight and balance numbers the pilots use.

Speculation: I have lots if it lol. However I feel it will devalue the integrity of my post.

DavidRS4

Does this save time? Not sure the reasoning behind using a system that would get you less exact information.. One would think they would want it more exact and would be adding a scale built into the floor when you board moving forward

g-code

This is indeed coming from the Feds. Some FAs are just stricter than others on enforcement. A roll aboard bag is supposed to be gate checked. Apparently the FAA audited ExpressJet and fined them a few months back for allowing them on board thus the policy change.

GregMM

Do you have a source for this information?

mre5765

I believe the deal here is that every airline has their own carry on rules, which are submitted to the FAA. And the FAA enforces those rules. The carry on rules then influence weight and balance checks. So that's why the FAA cares.

The part about whether the personal item can have wheels or not seems ambiguous.

GregMM

So, there's nothing published anywhere that we can see that says that rollaboards have to be checked, or that bags over a certain size have to be checked, so we're at the mercy of the airport staff. Wonderful.

g-code

Yes, from another forum:

We just got a bulletin about results of the recent FAA audit - here is the verbiage regarding the findings on the bags:

Baggage Policy
It was documented that Flight Attendants were not following the “No Carry On” policy by allowing items larger than personal items (i.e., large suitcases/rollaboard bags) in the cabin on the EMB135/145 and CRJ200.
The CRJ-200, EMB-135 and EMB-145 aircraft operate under a No Carry-On Bag
policy. Only carry-on items defined as personal items are permitted to be transported
in the aircraft cabin provided they can be properly stowed. Carry-on items defined as carry-on bags are not permitted to be transported in the passenger cabin. They must be planeside/gate claim-tagged and stowed in the cargo compartment. Refer to FAM 8–14.1 for the Company policy on Carry-On Baggage.

GregMM

Great, thanks! Do you know which operator(s) this applies to?

g-code

I'm not sure to be honest. Not an FA either so I can't really say where the line is. I think it is intentionally vague in its language, so YMMV as to what the FA will allow. I've seen them overridden by the Captain and the item allowed on, but it is quite rare. If a Captain or First Officer writes up a Flight Attendant for being over zealous (which happens once in a while), there is some potential blowback involved.

GregMM

I meant which United Express operators (SkyWest, Mesa, etc.)

tarheelnj

What's the logic in trying to define a bag's identification as carry-on vs personal item before getting on the plane rather than simply defining it as what fits overhead or underneath the seat? If I take my small carry-on with wheels, put it in a duffle bag - it's now a personal item? A straight "one bag only" policy would at least be more honest.

g-code

It would, but this comes from the FAA...a lot of things don't make sense coming from them. It's weight and balance related.

GBadger

So I guess my question still stands:
Is my larger, computer-carrying, backpack-style bag that also holds all of my clothes and can be properly stowed in the overhead on any RJ considered a "carry-on" or a "personal item"?

If the former, then I should avoid flying the ERJs and CR2s -- if the latter, all is well.