Originally Posted by
HilFly
He only gets a yellow tag on any bag if it fits into the red sizer, which it didn't without squashing it on that day. No yellow tag = not guaranteed to go in the cabin.
I'm not sure what happened there then, because normally yellow tags are handed out without reference to the sizer. At T5 there is someone two thirds of the way down the airbridge, s/he hands out the yellow tags and there is generally no sizer anywhere near there. At T5 security there are also staff with yellow tags at the entrance, and though there are sizers around, they are some way off, and I can't see there being a problem with handing out a tag. At check-in they could hand out a yellow tag, and if it is the only bag and looks like it can go under the seat, again in practical terms I am sure they would would hand out a tag rather than close down their position and run over to the sizers. I doubt they are allowed to do it, I've never seen it.
At other stations it gets more complicated in terms of where the sizers are located, but at the boarding gate, if someone had one bag which could go under the seat, most places I can think of the agents would be more than happy to give out a yellow tag, since they normally get into trouble for not handing them out.
But I feel this is actually irrelevant to the concern you have. Again I repeat that in recent times I have not yet seen anyone involuntarily parted from their hand luggage, yellow tag, no tag, any tag. On the very few occasions that bags are hold checked after boarding it is with the active consent of the passengers concerned - they would normally be in the final 5% of people boarding, though they sometimes ask if the bag will go to the final destination. I wouldn't get too concerned about what your interpretation of the "rules" may or may not state, in plain reality commonsense does actually prevail.