Originally Posted by
omaralt
lol i definitely dont deserve a medal.
I"m going to assume that the policy is that you gate check the bag to the final destination (but i would love to see this in writing somewhere). now had the agent said "i'm sorry sir, but we cannot check your carry on to charlotte. here is a plastic bag, please put your diapers and formula in this so you can carry it on the plane. again i really apologize but there is no room left" i would have probable went for it. however he was a huge a** hole. blaming me for being late; even though he knew why (the ticket agent called ahead to let them know we were on the way" and honestly he seemed to take pleasure in knowing how much he was inconveniencing us; the smirk on his face said it all..
having said that i find it absurd that there are a decent amount of people who are ok with this policy. the only thing that i can think is you guys have a case of stockholm syndrome...
i mean think logically for a second. you have one carry on bag (forget the fact that there is a baby involved with diapers and formula) on an international trip. you have a 3 hour connection somewhere followed by an 8 hour flight. you think it's ok for AA to take your carry on and give it to you 10-12 hours later? headphones? toothbrush? all the things you expected to have in the next 12 hours or so will now be delivered to your final destination simply because they dont want to gate check it, even though they are perfectly capable of it?? if you think this is ok then you have been abused for far too long and need to seek therapy
and i completely understand that they want to get rid of hidden city ticketing; but how hard is it to log on and see your ticket? do you really think a family of 5 on an international trip is going to walk away in charlotte? lol
and again i really want to see this policy in writing
AA does not short-check luggage. Neither do almost all carriers. Whether one checks a bag the counter or the gate is irrelevant. It is checked. That is separate and distinct from valet which is the process of dropping & retrieving an item planeside. For mainline and even the larger RJ's that is confined to F pax (when no OH), strollers and mobility equiptment such as wheelchairs.
What OP had was none of those. He was given an exception to AA's baggage rules and is then complaining about it. While the policy may exist to deter hidden city ticket fraud, the likelihood that OP was not engaging in fraud here is not an assessment for a GA to research at the gate.
To the folks who want to turn the boarding process into even more of a mess by delaying departure to accommodate every special person's special situation, consider that the day will come when you miss an important meeting due to a delay.
If OP does complain to AA, the likely result will be that this is held up as an example of why the GA should have stuck to the company policy.