Originally Posted by
Qwkynuf
This is interesting, because I frequently hear them make a gate announcement that goes something like "FAA regulations limit passengers to one personal item, such as a purse or laptop, and one carry-on..."
I haven't been able to locate any such regulation, and have long wondered if the airline wasn't simply painting the government as the bad guy to reduce or eliminate any potential negotiation - "Well, Mr Passenger, we would love to let you carry on *both* of your steamer trunks, but the FAA just won't let us. I am sooooo sorry that they have inconvenienced you in this way!"
It's basically a chicken and the egg thing, does it really matter? Even if the FAA doesn't create the policy, the FAA requires the airline to enforce it, so either way the FAA says becomes the correct answer.